They are sorta like shutterstock in that aspect because I don't believe they review on weekends.

Not so.  I'm getting Shutterstock reviews on the weekends.  Heck, I've had two batches reviewed this weekend already.

YMMV, but I've had good results at 123RF.  Right now they're close to Fotolia and way ahead of Dreamstime and BigStock, with CanStock barely registering.  Deposit's a question mark; sure, you can get a first payout from uploads, but will there be anything after that?

I don't know that the number of sales matters, unless there are search engines that use that as part of their calculation.  I do believe that the number of images in your port matters.  Most sites will display more of your work once a client has found an image, and all will provide a link to your port.  I've seen way too many cases where a client buys several related shots at one time, and sometimes several unrelated shots.  Having a big port improves the odds of a client finding something else they'll like.

I'm a few percent ahead of December thanks to some surprise ELs, with two (weekend) days left to go.

Show me some software that makes this more than an iPod, and I might change my tune. Until then, I don't see how this would benefit me any more than my iPhone already does.

You mean like the word processor and spreadsheet Apple showed at the launch?  That's a pretty interesting start for a product that's 60 days away.

It's smaller, lighter, has a touch screen interface and much longer battery life.  Whether any of that's essential is a personal decision.  I'm curious to see what happens when developers start producing apps specifically for the iPad.  Could be interesting.

I've had a payment request in since November 1st.  I'm already half way to another payment, and I have little confidence I'll see either one.

I don't know if anyone's interested, but here's the end of the story.  I submitted the rejection to Scout for review, and he (or she) agreed that it was in error; the tattoo in question did not require a property release.  However, and there's always a however, he decided that there were some hot pixels in the image and re-rejected it for that reason.  So I was right about the original issue, at least according to Scout, but the victory doesn't get me anywhere.

Don't let Sean discourage you.  This isn't about easy money; to paraphrase Tom Lehrer, microstock is like a sewer: what you get out of it depends on what you put into it.  For me, it was about improving my technique and exploring different photographic subjects long before I saw much of a financial return.  If having your images reviewed, first by the gatekeepers at microstock agencies and later by their customers, appeals to you, then jump in.  But be prepared for some ego bruising as you figure out what they want and what you have to do to achieve it.

There are two parts to producing stockworthy images.  The first is getting the technical details right, the second is producing something a client can use.  Find an agency that's more lenient as to subject, and you'll be able to improve the quality of your images while you work out what makes something better stock.  For me Shutterstock is that agency, but I was lucky enough to join before they put the initial evaluation bar in place.  Now I might start elsewhere and then try SS when you've reached a reasonable level of skill.

Good luck.

Also keep in mind that it's January, which in my experience is the slowest month of the year.  Things have picked up for me in February every year; we'll see if that trend holds.

Images of the Queen are protected by copyright, which would explain English Pound coins and Canadian coins. 

Makers of playing cards use unique graphics on the back and on a few other cards, like the Ace of Spades.  I had a couple of decks made with my own images on the back to get around that problem.

I'm using the equivalent Canon on the 5DII but I found it a bit short for portrait (Full Frame).

Not an issue for the original poster, since both the cameras he's considering are DX.

I would say the D90 just because of the in body focus motor. It opens up a wider variety of lenses for you.

If you're wondering which lenses, I'd put the 85mm F/1.8 and the older 50mm F/1.4 or F/1.8 on the list of must haves.  The newest 50mm F/1.4 has a built-in motor (the AF-S version), but the earlier version is cheaper, faster to focus and reputedly a little bit sharper in certain situations.  I don't use my 50mm or 85mm primes all that often, but often enough that I'd regret not having the option.