8 shots a minute? on the 1D? or 10D? The 10D has always been 3 frames a second/9 shot buffer. The write speed hasn't changed with firmware....it doesn't take advantage of write acceleration, but is still pretty quick. I'm not sure what it'd be per minute with my faster CF card, but well over 8/minute written out to the card.
No clue on the 1D, but that's old news with the introduction of the 1DMKII. I believe it's the only 8MP digi-SLR out there...the 1D was 4mP, 10D is 6.3, and the new Nikon D70 is only 5 or 6? Are you talking about a digi-slr?
It's not all about higher pixel count, as higher pixel density on the same size sensor introduces more noise. Anything over 6mp on a 1.5 or 1.6x crop factor sensor is probably overkill.
If you're ditching everything, I'd look at Canon DSLR's, as they seem to be one step ahead of Nikon in that arena. If you're looking at other 8mp digi cams, I don't know what to say, as I've never looked at them.
J