Camera purchase bullet points...

I forgot to note in my last post the issues with simply buying a new camera right now. 1. The D300S is long in the tooth and only has 12mp. It also may be plagued by the same AF sensor degradation issue I'm having now. 2. The Canon 7D is attractive, but has been on the market for a while and is due for a replacement very soon. Buying one now would simply leave me with a competent-yet-obsolete body I'd have to use for the net three or four years. Plus, I'd have to buy lenses and flashes for it. 3. The new Sony A77 is brilliant in some areas, and not so brilliant in others. Panning at the full frame rate would be difficult due to the EVF blackout. The aggressive noise reduction could be a problem too. 24 megapixels would be nice on a DX sensor, but shorter battery life would not be appreciated at all. And then there's the need to buy very good glass to make the most of the sensor's resolution. 4. New cameras are on the way from Nikon. Everyone knows this. Therefore buying a D300S or D700 now would result in a HUGE dent in resale value even as early as next year. Buying something else would lock me into having to use that camera for a few years in order to cost-justify the purchase (aside from the obvious need since my current body has this AF issue). That means when the new cameras do arrive this fall, I would be unable to purchase one of them (the D400 or D600) again leaving me behind the times in terms of resolution and other improvements. This is a very frustrating conundrum...