POLL: what order do you rank these characteristics of a DSLR

[DavidLake]

ergonomics (handling), DR, resolution (MP - although other factors apply, like AA filter), low ISO noise, high ISO noise, build quality, shooting speed, AF speed (tracking), AF speed (low light), brand

Feel free to add others that I missed as they matter to you...

My opinions:

1 - DR (shooting outdoor weddings in Arizona I need all the headroom in the highlights I can get - so yes, I shoot RAW)
2 - high ISO noise (churches, churches, churches - often can't use flash)
3 - resolution (often heavily cropping, can use all the good quality MP I can get - here's hoping the D3x is decent)
4 - AF speed low light (need it to lock the brides face in the church and at the reception/dancing)
5 - AF speed tracking (when you need it, you really need it - I only do once in a while)
6 - shooting speed (same as AF speed tracking)
7 - low ISO noise (they are all so good now, does it matter? and LR removes it quick and perfectly, otherwise NoiseWare in CS3)
8 - build quality (not that important as they are all decent and I am very careful with my gear, althought the D3 is an absolute beast)
9 - ergonomics (not really an issue, as you get used to what ever you shoot with - I've had Canon, Pentax, and now Nikon in the last few years - don't think I will ever leave Nikon...)
10 - brand (does anyone that is a true photographer really care, the only reason to a like a brand is so you don't have to sell off all your lenses and gear)

OK, lets here your ranking...

[Guy Van Hooveld]

ergonomics (handling), DR, resolution (MP - although other factors apply, like AA filter), low ISO noise, high ISO noise, build quality, shooting speed, AF speed (tracking), AF speed (low light), brand

1- ergonomics/handling (I put brand as 10 but in reality there is a link, I find Nikon more consistent with that respect)
2- high ISO noise (to get the proper shutter speed in not too ideal light)
3- DR (avoiding highlights without losing details, and BTW I am a big fan of active D-lighting for quick processing)
4- AF speed (tracking) - for sports and birding
5- build quality (linked to handling - I like pro-bodies, but I also like the build quality of a small camera like the D40x, very good in that segment)
6 - low ISO noise - until now not too relevant since I am not really a studio shooter but things might change soon
7- AF low light - interesting, but I have been happy with cameras like the D200 and D2x, so I am not waiting for an improvement
8- shooting speed (I am using this sometimes for birding and sports, but I could live with 5FPS+ )
9- resolution (in recent cameras, I don't have a problem if I have at least 10MP, that's why I could be interested in a D3x, because the DX mode has 10MP)
10- brand - not relevant as such, but I find Nikon a bit more consistent in their approach/system and I prefer their user interface, so in a sense, brand is somewhat important, but not because of the name only (I hope I am making myself clear)

[Guy Van Hooveld]

I forgot a few other factors playing a role:
- flash system performance (I love CLS, flash consistency and wireless possibilities)
- compatibility with old lenses (I have quite a collection of fast manual lenses, 24f2, 28f2, 35f1.4, 50f1.2, 85 f1.4, 105f1.8, 105f2.5 etc), hence my choice to stay with Nikon
- availability of excellent glass (Canon and Nikon are on par to me, but Sony for instance would be a problem) - I love the "extremes" 14-24 2.8 and 200-400VR
- quality of the viewfinder

[DirkVermeirre]

1- DR
2- high ISO noise (to get the proper shutter speed in not too ideal light)
3- resolution (The more the better for me (if they are good) because for an exposition they asked me 2x3 meter prints
4- ergonomics/handling
5- AF low light
6 - low ISO noise
7- build quality (linked to handling - I like pro-bodies, but I also like the build quality of a small camera like the D40x, very good in that segment)
8- AF speed (tracking)
9- shooting speed (I am almost never interested in speed)
10- brand

[Leen Koper]

1-DR
2-resolution
3-high Iso noise
4-low iso noise
5-AF accuracy
And the rest is pretty indifferent to me.

[Osku]

1 - DR and smooth tone gradation, preferably 16-bit RAW (shooting outdoor architecture I need all the headroom in the highlights I can get - so yes, I shoot RAW - I want to have full tonality recorded like Fuji S3 does with RAW and Wide-2)
2 - resolution (not much cropping, for stock minimum is 17 Mpxl or I need to upsample, for own projects I prefer the same or even bigger, LF film scanned was 120-150 Mpxl)
3 - high ISO noise (interiors, and general people at home etc, I avoid flash at all cost until it is no possible to shoot without)
4 - low ISO noise (as long as ISO50-400 are fine I am happy with a high resolution DSLR, but if D700 like high ISO is available I like it for the reason mentioned above. In general, I am not bothered of noise if the noise looks good)
5 - AF accuracy low light / low contrast (need to lock on a facade that may not have any details near the center and would not like to bother changing AF point:-)
6 - ergonomics (I like the Nikon ergonomics, dislike Canon ergonomics, but Nikon quality is not a must have and S3 has served me fine even the battery is still tricky compared to li-ion - if large format was cheap enough I would use almost only LF so it seems I prefer quality over ergonomics to the extremes)
7 - build quality (I prefer items that feel well built, but OTOH I do not beat my gear and all my gear are still in perfect condition except the Sigma 12-24 that has lost some of its chrome coating from its mount ring because of lots of use).
)
8 - brand (for me that is perhaps also related to available lenses and such but other than that, all DSLR manufacturers are good enough brands for me not to be concerned about brands)