What to do, what to do?

i saw a guy from the military putting his pentax k-5 in the sand and whash it up with water after that. in the article the guys mean that pentax and olympus has the best weather sealed bodys. Take a look and watch the movie http://www.slrlounge.com/us-soldier-puts-his-pentax-to-extreme-weathersealing-test. But when you dont need that , i would choose the D800 because of the full frame sensor. But when you really travel in the dirt much i think the Pentax is perfect for you.

If you already own Nikon equipment i would stay with Nikon else go for the Sony a77. The new SLT's are great!

1) Are you happy with results you been getting from D300s?

2) Are you looking to go full frame or stay with crop sensor format?

    (D300s, Pentax K-5, Sony SLTA77) versus (D800, Canon 5D MK II/III)

3) Do you currently own any Nikon lenses?

4) Are you rough on your camera?  D300s ia a pro oriented model and assumption here is that military chose it for it ruggedness.  K-5 is equally robust if not better weather sealed with more weather resistant consumer lenses available to complement Pentax K-5.

5) How long can you wait to get your gear?

6) have you tried other gears?

7) what is your budget?

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1) If you are happy with Nikon's image, why change?

6) If you are curious about other brands/gear, why not rent them from a reputable rental outfit such as lensrentals.com and try them out for a weekend?

2), 3) If you never tried full frame, you should rent a full frame body and try it out and compare them to crop sensor body. If you don't need a full frame body, crop sensors bodies and lenses are cheaper to buy. 

4) Pentax has the best value for weather resistant body and the lens.  If you are rough on your gear and tend to take the gear outdoors frequently, then Pentax system merits consideration.  Some say lenses for Pentax are limited, but really, how many lenses do you need? Pentax has most all types of lenses you need. Pentax does not have full frame sensor body, if that is important to you.

5) Nikon and Canon are both rumored to come out with full frame sensor body later this year. Once again, FF body is not important, you can make your choice now, rather than waiting.

7) Photography can be an expensive hobby.  Pace yourself .... :)

If this will be your day job, like I said, research by trying out various combos to find the system that suits your need the best.  All three systems, along with Canon, can be nicely outfitted with necessary lenses.  I happen to like Nikon, but that's just me ...

I would wait if you have a D300s and going FX isn't a huge issue and you have the camera for personal use. The D400/D600 prices and even their release or existence are unknown, however there seems enough out there to be confident of something this year, and they may come out as competitive alternatives to the D800 for you. The D400 on rumours sounds very attractive though as a crop frame it and the others are a step behind the D800, which even in a crop frame mode will give a 15 MP image, near the same as the K-5. Perhaps you may be able to get issued the D400! On the other hand the D800 as a full frame and with almost 4 times higher resolution to the D300s will be a leap into a new world. Perhaps wait when the D400 and D600 are out and you can try them out and get a feel for them. 

First Thank you for your service! 

I would consider a D800 or a D600, but if money is a concern I would consider the D7000 too. The D7000 is an awesome camera.

I own a D7000, D300s, D90 and D80. The D7000 is my favorite. Although my D800 is on its way too.

It doesn't make much sense to switch to a Canon because of the familiarity you already have with Nikon. Either are excellent systems!

So first choice would be D800! If not then the D600 and finally the D7000.

FYI - I was a AF Combat Photographer years ago! Great career field!!!

--Martin

www.exclusivephotoworks.com

weather sealed, high megapixel rate, in-body stabilization and compatibility with old minolta lenses. What more would you ask for? :)

I would go with a D600. It is 90% of the D800 with plenty of resolution for an all around camera (the higher the resolution of a camera, the more "specialized" it becomes). You'll also save about $1000, which is important when you are starting to buy new kit.