William:
I was an Air Force photographer/photojournalist for 22 years, including a year as a photographer in Vietnam and five years as an instructor in the USAF photo school in Denver. Most profesional photojournalists and military photographers use and have used Nikon cameras for years going back to the Korean war. They are the most reliable and sturdy cameras of the lot. I have seen Nikon FTN cameras that were hit by rounds from an AK47 and still worked. They do not make them that sturdy anymore, but I still think the Nikon line is a notch above the rest...for what my opinion is worth.