Congratulations, a D800 also arrived at my house last week, just in time for father’s day.

The point is it is a diffrent mm range and if you check it out the going from DX to FX on the D800 will not work well and reduce the D800 to a 16MP camera.

On the D7000 the lens has a factor of 1.5 making it a 105-300mm.

D800-$3000
Nikkor 24-70mm 2.8 - $1,888
Nikkor 70-200mm 2.8 - $2,645

D7000-$1,092
Nikkor 18-200mm 3.5 - $900

Incompatible on lens if he decides to go to an D800 in the future after purchasing the D7000.

It would be interesting to know the stats broken down on camera sales for professional photographers, armature and just the general public.

Though I don't argue with getting quality lens, I do argue with less quality body. Just like taking a good picture is a matter of balancing aperture, shutter speed and ISO, so is the same with the camera. A cheaper body on a good lens can have the same effect as a good body with a cheaper lens. The body's main components are its sensor and processor, as an example some can handle high ISO at lower noise and others cannot. My take is buy the best bodies you can afford then save and skimp for the best lens. If you buy a cheap body and best lens you will never be satisfied either and you will at some time look for a better body to match your expensive lens.

Yes it would be great, maybe in the future the will be able to make an intelligent sensor chip that could also act like a shutter by turning it on and off.

In truth mirror-less technology in cameras have been around for a long time. In the film days we called it transparent mirror technology and back in 1967 I had a Pentax transparent mirror camera.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pellicle_mirror
Today’s technology makes the revival of the concept better than the previous film cameras with transparent mirrors.

Understood, however if you are going to buy a new camera and you have the funds to support it, you don't want to buy a model that is old and will be replaced soon. Don't be afraid of the cameras (professional or armature cameras), any camera you buy you will need to get to know your camera and what you and it can do together. Remember in photography there is basically three items you control for balance:
1. Aperture - the opening on the iris of the lens that allows how much light the lens lets in (also responsible for depth of field, or how far in front and behind your subject is in focus).
2. Shutter Speed - how fast the shutter closes when you depress the shutter release button to open the shutter (used to freeze motion for moving subjects).
3. ISO - the sensitivity of the sensor in the camera (usually the higher the number the more sensitive the sensor becomes, drawback is electronic noise at high ISO speeds.
You balance all three of these in any camera to take pictures either by letting the camera make choices or you make them on behalf of the camera. Other items on the camera such as white balance you can pick up easily. Just get the best camera you can afford and learn it well, then learn how to become a great photographer from all the members on UHH as well as written material and practice.

I agree and the two best lenses (though expensive) is the Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 and 24-70mm f2.8. The lens is almost as expensive as the D800 body but well worth it. On a fixed lens side I would recommend the 50mm 1.4 and either the 40mm, 60mm or 105mm for macro.

I have both the D800 and D7000. The D800 is FX while the D7000 is DX, therefor to get the full benefit from the cameras I need two set of lenses. The D7000 is lighter and better as an all-day walk around camera, the D800 is a tad heavier (I have the power packs on both cameras) as a walk around camera. D7000 16MP and D800 36MP can make a difference on the type of photography or PP you do. Each camera has its benefits and drawbacks and is usually a personal preference.

I use Tamron lenses with my Sony and find them to be a good lens (better than the kit Sony lens and cheaper than the "G" or Ziess). I also use Minolta AF lens and they are also quality lens at far less cost than Tamron (eBay has many of them). All of these lens works equaly as well on the A77.

Beautiful pictures, and one of my own.

Taken in bright sun

On my Sony cameras I use a lot of Tamron lens and find them adequit for my needs. On my Nikon I use a mixture of quality Nikkor and Tamron lens. The Tamron lens range from high grade to low grade, but their price range is ussualy a bit cheaper than the manufacturers high grade lens. It is all about budget and what you can afford, to me the sensor, processor come first then I work my way up to better lens.

I have the A77 and love it, it is well worth the cost. I don't know how good the A580 is so I can't comment on it. I also have the A700, A850 and A900 which are in the professional category. The EVF on the A77 gives great views in low light, however the auto-focusing has problems in too low a light. I have not experienced any fall of due to the 3% light pick for the EVF and meter. The upgraded BIONZ processor really does a good job on noise reduction at the higher ISO levels.