Going by the definition of "killer" the choice
would depend on who he was trying to impress.

The Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III would be a good start.

Thanks..He showed me one in a newspaper article..It was a "Canon" I think it went around $1600 or $1700..I think he wants to stay in that price range..He said someone told him that Canon wasn't a great camera..I told him I am a Olympus gal myself..

If he's going to spend that kind of money he should get a balanced,informed opinion and stay away from, "Someone told me"...unless of course they have something solid to say.
I'm sure he could Google "The pros and cons of Canon (insert name of camera)"
And any camera store should let him demo a few brands.

I agree with abr4xii, don't listen to someone else. Canon is one of the top seller for Digital SLRs. I'm sure this is enough indication that not everyone agrees with that "someone".

I agree too that he should go to a camera store and check out the different brand. What we like, may not be what he likes or his priority. ie: The comfort of a camera that is hold or felt in one's hand depends on the structure of his/her hand and fingers. The grip/comfort of handling the camera is important since it may influence the stability and time period of taking photos. Some people may like the weight and some may not.

One other thing. Although, he wants a "killer" camera, for the set price you've mentioned, he seems to have a limited spending. If that's the case, will he be looking into investing in lens or other accessories in the future? If so, he may want a camera brand that would allow him to upgrade with minimum cost. ie: Canon Lens are interchangeable. Meaning that if your friend upgrades the camera body in the future, most likely, he would still be able to use the same lens he had invested on.

This was the reason why I started with Canon since the age of 35mm, and I'm still on with it. Some of the lens I had for my 35mm camera still work great with my old and new digital SLR camera bodies. Even some accessories still work with my current DSLR camera.

Remember when we each prefer certain 35mm film brand due to the result of its color hues? It's the same way with the lens of each brand. I prefer Canon's lens.

He's probably talking about a Canon 40D with the lens. That is my next camera!
JoanMN/FL

Olympus, Canon & Nikon all make GREAT cameras. I have cameras of all three brands I didn't like the early line of Nikons, but The D3 and D80 are on my want list. Canons are equally as good but none of them peek my interest. Sold my Canon because I was never using it unless I was shooting in extreme low light situations. The Olympus I had at the time had the best colors and required less post processing than the other cameras I was using. I found myself using it all the time, unless it was dark.

They are all good, there a lots of 'Fan Boys' out there that will dog the other brands. He needs to prioritize what he wants out of the camera - Lens availability, value.... Then go try them out.

FYI: My want list- Olympus E3; Nikon D3, D80.
Zjoe

Thank you all