Yes Sports Illustrated is all Canon now, due to the faster focusing and quick lenses. Back when I sold camera's my biggest beef with the rebels was the plastic mounts on both the camera and the low end lenses. In colder weather these would break and you would be out a camera, or lens.
I use Nikon in my profession now, I am shooting the D2x and so far I am very pleased with it, though I am having some focusing issues, but I have had it since Febuary and I have already shot over 15,000 shots with it. I am just going to send it in and have it overhauled when the season slows down.
Owning a large card is always best, I shoot on several through shoots and use 1 gig and 2 gig cards. I don't believe in going much large then that because if you have just one large card compaired to having a few smaller cards is if the one card goes bad you have just lost everything.
Now for my personal around the house shots I just use my Sony 5mp 12x zoom, it is just a great small camera to take on family trips.
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