Edging toward a d7000 and 35mm f1.8 a good choice?
Excellent choice.. (was on my shortlist a while back!)
I would just say that whilst it's a high end body (advanced amateur), it does lack of lot of bells/whistles..
I would also put a shout in for the Sony A57
- In body IS is handy for low light (all prime lenses get IS), and the 50 f/1.8 is super cheap as per Nikon/Canon
- EVF and Rear live view offer identical full Phase Detect AF experience with all the extra info an EVF brings (not to mention showing you what the final shot will look like before you take it). The ability to see if things are a bit dull before you take the shot allows quick pre-chimping.
- Fantastic video mode with fast AF using normal lenses (full 1080p)
- Articulated rear display works well with fast AF to make it a joy to use (normally live view is for occasional use)
- Cheap at the moment (under £500 with kit lens), 50 f/1.8 is £100 or less due to cashback offer that's on at the moment)
Sony have a good range of well priced lenses and flashes that mean Nikon/Canon don't have to be the first choice these days..
I had my heart set on the D7000 myself, it was the Sony A77 that drew me away, it's brought 'fun' back to photography for me, and at the end of the day, all the image performance of these camera's is much of a muchness..
Of course, we all like different things, I personally like to test drive them in-store a little, or research reviews (e.g. DPReview).
I have zero issues with any modern DSLR's, from Panny/Oly/Canon/Sony/Nikon.. most of the APS-C Brigade (Pentax/Nikon/Sony) all use Sony sensors anyway (bar the odd exception like the D3200).. it's more about what you like the look/feel of and if any feature sets apply more to you then others..