I just got back from getting all "touchy-feely" with some cameras, and here is what I found. (Might get a bit longish, but I want to write down my first impressions for my own future reference and inform you guys at the same time.) Cameras I held (in alphabetical order): Canon 400D/XTi, Nikon D40x, Olympus 510, Pentax K100. Before I get into the impressions these cameras left with me, three remarks: (1)For a guy who is 5'10"/178cm tall I think I have small, long hands. My right middle finger is 7.5cm long, my right palm about 9cm wide. (2)From way back I am used to (non-digital) SLRs that are rather boxy, without the grip so common in current DSLRs. I was surprised to find that the grip - and the placement of some buttons that comes with it - makes very little difference to me. Felt quite right with all the cameras, even when I held them like I would hold a "box". (3) I wear glasses, and I must say I am impressed how well the viewfinders of all cameras agreed with that. Not once did I feel my glasses were getting in the way. Nice! :) Now, for the cameras: (I) Pentax: Nice handling, solid viewfinder, but a bit heavy compared to the others - or at least it felt a bit heavy to me. Might be a matter of the mounted lense, but it was the first thing I noticed about this camera. All in all I think it might work for me, but I would call it average, i.e. a good solid camera, but perhaps nothing spectacular from where I sit (at least when it comes to handling it). (II) Olympus: Feels good to hold, but somehow the position of the viewfinder felt somewhat... "wrong" to me. Sorry, can't describe it any better. Might be a matter of the size of this camera, which seems a bit wider than the others. At first I thought that would be a good thing, but the other three just felt better in my hands, as I could really wrap my hands around them. That aside I am still somewhat tempted by the in-build image stabilization and live view on the monitor. (III) Nikon: Nice to hold, the viewfinder really agreed with me (both in terms of size and placement). One thing I am less certain about is the dohickey for the shoulder strap. It didn't really cut into my left fingers, but I am afraid it might make things uncomfortable if I handle this camera a lot. Apart from that the Nikon felt really good in my hands. (IV) Canon: IMO the viewfinder here falls somewhere between the Nikon and Pentax, i.e. good, but not superb. But holding this camera felt really good, at least as comfortable as the Nikon, and I like the placement of the controls on the right side of the back, which really agrees with me. The "button circle" is placed low enough to leave me more room for my thumb than the Pentax, while it is still easy to reach. The 400D/XTi may lack one or the other feature the other cameras provide, but now that I've held it I am more tempted than ever. I'll mull over the decision for another day or so, but right now it seems a close call between the Canon (feels nicest to hold) and Nikon (a viewfinder I really love). I'll probably end up with the Canon, but right now it is just a little too early to tell. :D