Buying a new DSLR Part - 3. Canon 30D vs Nikon D80

My previous post brought down my selection of Digital SLRs to the Canon 30D and the new Nikon D80. In that post I also seemed to lean more towards buying the Nikon D80. Some new information I have gathered is now making me lean towards the Canon 30D.

• I have yet to see any detailed review of the D80. In my previous post I point to some pictures taken from a D80. However these are not done in a controlled environment. In addition I am told the Nikon D80 is identical to the Nikon D200 with regards to its CCD. This would imply very similar pictures between the two. If that is the case then I would prefer a Canon 30D because based on well controlled reviews the Canon 30D takes better pictures than the Nikon D200.
• The Nikon D80 does not time elapsed recording
• Canon D30 has shutter speed going as fast as 1/8000 of a second. The Nikon stops at 1/4000.
• Canon is much better for astrophotography (a feature/need I forgot to mention in my first post.). See http://www.astropix.com/HTML/M_DAP/M009/M009.HTM,
• Canon 30D is 8.2 MP vs the 10 MP for the Nikon D80, however it appears that the Canon 30D takes better pictures. What good are the additional Megapixels if the quality of the image is not good enough.
• The Canon 30D is listed about $300 to $400 more expensive however the price is dropping and is currently available for $1195 which is $200 more than the Nikon. Maybe the price will drop a little more.

Unless new reviews show the Nikon D80 images to be better than Canon 30D images at all ISO sensitivities, I think the Canon may be a better camera.

More as I learn more.