Ceriwis - Making the switch? (first post, with some photos)

I have been shooting for about a year now with the canon t1i and the 2 kit lenses. I really enjoy the set up, but I am finding that my needs are becoming more than the basic kit can handle. I was planing on buying a few lenses when a question came up. Am i sure that I want to make a life long investment in canon? I know this is a bit of a taboo discussion, but I find that this is all I've been thinking about. I also don't plan on buying a new body for at least a year. I will do my best in describing my needs as a photographer.
 
If I was a dedicated sports photographer, this probably wouldn't be a discussion, but I'm not. It aslo seems like nikon is favored by those who are more into shooting artsy shots, which is something im interested in. I will be doing a lot of wildlife/nature photography, street/art photography, macro shoots, and portraits. Along with stills, video mode is very important to me coming from a large background in video making and communications. I understand that that canon is ahead now, but i won't be buying a new body for at least a year.(I've been wanting a professional hd camcorder for years now, but with this awesome video coming from dslrs, I wont be needing it). I also have a couple questions that will help me with my decision.
 
1)Will nikon be coming out with a strong competitor to the 7d in a year or 2?(keep in mind that I am wanting something with great video quality)
 
2)Are there any older used nikons on the market for around $300 that could give me a good feel for the nikon cameras?
 
3)If not, does any one know of any places i could rent one in south jersey?
 
4)Which company is looking stronger with inovations in the future?
 
5)If any one made the switch from canon to nikon or vis versa, I would love to know why.
 
Basically, if i make the decision to go nikon, i can live with my current set up for a year or two and if decide to stay with canon, I will probably go blowing my $ soon. I know this decision is ultimately going to come down to how the camera feels to me, but i would love some help in this decision. I am certainly not ruling out nikon what so ever due to the video mode because I am not planing on replacing my body for at least a year. Also, nikon stepped the video quality up with the d7000 and i would love to see what they can do with an extra year or 2 with a higher performance camera. Thats about it so here are some pictures.
 
<img src="http://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd476/shaller77/IMG_2047.jpg" border="0" alt="" />
 
<img src="http://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd476/shaller77/IMG_1883.jpg" border="0" alt="" />
 
<img src="http://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd476/shaller77/IMG_1825.jpg" border="0" alt="" />
 
<img src="http://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd476/shaller77/IMG_1664.jpg" border="0" alt="" />
 
<img src="http://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd476/shaller77/IMG_1495.jpg" border="0" alt="" />
 
<img src="http://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd476/shaller77/IMG_1381.jpg" border="0" alt="" />
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