Yeah, Chris, the IS lenses are great pieces of glass, and in my opinion, maybe better than the Nikon ED glass. Actually, I don't have pixel envy at all. I've always been a voracious defender of the LBCAST sensor; the D2X used a horrible sensor. The LBCAST pixels are larger than the higher megapixel CMOS units in Nikon's later offerings. My wife's D70 shoots great snapshots, but is slow and the user interface just sucks the hind mammary unit something awful. Focusing and metering run at a snail's pace.
Both of my D2-series units run at 8 fps, and the focusing is lightning fast. The Matrix metering on the D2Hs is better than the D2H, and both cameras are highly-intuitive to use. I love the full weather-seal on the bodies. Plus, IMO they fit the hand better than the Canon offerings.
I generally don't print at anything larger than 13 X 19, so my cameras work fine. If I'm going larger, like for a photo contest, then I use Genuine Fractals, and it works out great. I just wish I could shoot at the ultra-high ISO's with the low noise levels that the D3 runs at.
I miss the film cameras sometimes. I started out with a Mamiya 32B 35mm cloth shutter SLR, and then went to the F1; used, built like a brick outhouse. I had an F3HP, an F4s, an F5, and used an F100 as a throwdown until I went digital. I started out in medium-format using a Rolleicord TLR, then a Rollieflex, then moved to the Mamiya M645, followed by the RB- and then the RZ67. Medium format was too expensive and I couldn't support the costs, so they all went in the closet. Out of all of these cameras, including my Nikon glass, the Mamiya-Sekor lenses were just... superb.
These days, I often see people shooting with high-end DSLR's, and don't even know what an f-stop or depth of field even is. They just bought it 'coz they were jonesing. You know the type.
We outta get together and talk cameras someday. BTW, I don't shoot for a living or to make money, and avoid taking pics of people. Don't like it. I prefer nature and architecture.
Kev