When I was in college I bought a Nikon EM. This was the cheapest SLR out there, along with its dedicated line of cheap lenses, which was the main motivating factor in buying it. Overall it wasn't considered any sort of groundbreaking camera, but it worked well enough for me at the time. I have no idea where that camera is now, but overall it had a seriously lasting effect on me in that I've been in the Nikon line ever since. I've occasionally lamented carrying heavy Nikons when comparing them to what always seemed to be much lighter Canon bodies (I didn't need the added durability for my sort of shooting style). But it's really hard to completely switch camera lines once entrenched with lots of compatable equipment. So Nikon it has been, and Nikon it shall be into the foreseeable future.
Main Camera - Nikon D90
The D90 is a crop sensor camera, meaning it's sensor is roughly 2/3 the size of 35mm film. It's been a wonderful camera body for me. It has pro level flexibility and a built in motor so it works with lenses that don't have their own motor. One really standout feature has been the auto-sensor-cleaning built in to the camera. I had a D70 previously and the sensor picked up all sorts of dust. This one has stayed crystal clean for the 2 years I've owned it.
Nikon is releasing the D7000. If I was buying new today I would take a serious look at that camera.
Carry Everywhere Camera - Panasonic Lumix GF1
The GF1 is a micro-four-thirds camera. It's sensor is cropped at around 1/2 the size of 35mm film. But that is a much bigger sensor size than a typical point-and-shoot (p/s). It is also compatible with sets of lenses being marketed by Panasonic, Olympus, and Leica. This is an expensive camera for a p/s, but for me it was the absolute minimum amount of camera that would work for me. I've tried many other small cameras and never been happy with the quality or functionality of them. This feels ands operates like a real camera. It feels good to use it and the resulting images have been fantastic, even at higher ISOs (800+).
The camera comes in 2 packages, one with a zoom lens and the other with a fixed 20mm F1.7 lens (40mm effective 35mm equivalent). I went with the fixed lens due to the speed and smaller size. I've also made myself a promise to stick with this one lens so the system stays small and portable.
It is a great street shooter among other uses, and I've taken shots I wouldn't have been able to get with my Nikon (why?... because I had the smaller camera with me!)
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