Both are ancient technologies that have had decades to mature. So far,CMOS has mostly been in higher-end cameras, so the rest of the electronics would also be a major contributing factor. It appears that makers feel that CMOS has better long-range potential than CCD, but it is more of an engineering choice than a consumer choice. Evaluate the whole camera. There are superb cameras built with either of the technologies and the choice of technology the engineers chose should not be the deciding factor for the consumer.

Pretty well covered, but I thought this was a very good explanation and comparison. good luck on what ever you buy.

http://www.dalsa.com/markets/ccd_vs_cmos.asp

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My question is really for the enthusiast/amateur to answer, but any pros can chime in as well. For those who have used both CCD and CMOS sensor dslrs. Is the difference in image quality as different as all the literature says? Thanks for answering a silly question.

A sensor is a small part of the imaging chain (camera electronics have a huge influence too). Forget about it for all practical purposes; technology changes every 6 months. Real images from the Nikon D3 and Canon 1D series should be 'enuf said.