New camera dillema...

[clarnibass]

Background: I bought a Kiss X4 (aka 550D), probably a bit over a year ago. I have a couple of EF-S lenses and I use sometimes and an older manual lens I use more often. Originally I just planned to take photos of musical instruments for my webiste but since then I really got into it and take my camera to differnet places etc. I now shoot a lot more at art exhibitions, concerts, performances, etc. than instruments for my website.

Problem: My Kiss X4 isn't good enough in high ISO. The places I shoot at are varied but often I need ISO 1600 or more and using an f/1.4 lens, I sometimes need to use a shutter speed of 1/50 which is not good enough. Most of the time ISO 1600 is the most I can accept. I sometimes use ISO 3200 but it really depends on what I shoot. It is more likely that ISO 3200 isn't good enough for most subjects. ISO 6400 is not even a consideration on my camera for me. So I want to upgrade. If I can use ISO 3200 without even thinking about it then that's pretty good. If I can use ISO 6400 and get "good for me" photos then that's great. If I can use ISO higher than that and it's still ok/good then it's a nice bonus.

Options: I considered 5DIII, 5DII, D800 and D700. Any of those would mean changing my lenses anyway so in that regard Nikon or Canon doesn't matter. I always thought Nikon photos looked "better" to me, but I preferred Canon photos for some unexplanable reason... maybe something with the colour. But I recently check it again and it seem that although I still sometimes see that "look" that I like in Canon, I prefer Nikon by far most of the time.

So... there are advantages to each option.

Pros and cons of Nikon: I think I prefer Nikon overall. I am considering the D800 but the problem with that is it costs $4,000 here and I won't pay that for one. A friend might be able to bring one from the USA where it costs $3,000 but it doesn't seem to be available anywhere there and that would have to be in August (except some places that have it in stock for over $3,500, but this difference might not be worth it to give up the local warrenty). The D700 doesn't have video and although I don't use it that much I wouldn't want to give that up completely. I will most likely use a 50mm lens the most and since I won't buy the f/1.2 Canon lens, I prefer the Nikon version of the f/1.4. The D800 will allow a lot more cropping when using a prime lens in a "stuck" situation (when I'm just sitting but shooting different distances). I can get a D700 and some Nikon lenses and maybe upgrade to a D800 later (if I buy a used D700 I will probably not lose a lot when selling it) but it is a hassle and I'd rather not to do that.

Pros and cons of Canon: They still have that "look" that I sometimes prefer, but it's only about 20% of the times or less. The other times the Nikon just looks "technically" more correct and detailed. I prefer some of Canon's lenses except the 50mm. Canon cameras and lenses are probably significantly easier to sell here and they are definitely easier to find used (e.g. I found no Nikkor 24-120 lenses for sale but several Canon 24-105 lenses).

My preferred option is the D800, but $4,000 is definitely more than I will spend on a body. So in the lead is the 5DII used. But I would hate to go through the hassle in a couple of years if I decide to get the D800 then. It's a tough choice...

Prices locally are:
Canon 5DIII - $4,300 (extra $250 for three years warrenty instead of one)
Canon 5DII used - About $1,800 (occasionally a little less, almost like new ones a bit more usually)
Nikon D800 - $4,050 (one year warrenty)
Nikon D700 used - About $1,700 (sometimes a bit less or more)

Any suggestions considering all of this...? The main issue is to be able to use a faster shutter speed (higher ISO) than I can now with the 550D. This is about 50% of what I shoot. the other thing is, well, if I'm upgrading I might as well upgrade to what I really want... but there is an issue with that...

Thanks!