Nikon D3x - $8000

So, the big announcement has finally come, and the new Nikon flagship, the D3X, should be hitting the streets before the month is out.  Let the rejoicing begin!

Or not.  The forums are crazy busy, as expected, but what are they discussing?   Not the new 24 megapixel sensor. which is what we’ve all been expecting for a long time now.  Not the other enhancements, because there don’t appear to be any substantial ones.   But the price.

Nikon Flagships have always been announced at US $5000.  I paid that much for my D2X, and again for my D3.   I wondered if the D3X would come in at a bit more, or if the D3 price would drop when the D3X showed up.

What I didn’t expect was a US$8000 price tag.   Taxes and exchange included, that’s a Cdn $11,000 purchase.

It has been my intention for some time to own this camera.  D3 for indoor/people work, D3X for studio and landscape work.  I never doubted it would happen.  But even though I could buy it, I’m really not sure I will.

My first thought, after I got past the OMG stage, was that Canon has had an $8000 flagship for some time, why shouldn’t Nikon do the same?  But the more I think about that question, the easier it gets to answer.

Canon’s 1Ds Mk III was announced at that price last summer.   At the time, if you wanted that quality, there were no lower cost alternatives.  At the time, flagship cameras not only offered pro quality build and features, they were also the only game in town for high resolution sensors.  It had been that way for some time.

Things are different now.  Nikon’s D700 has the same sensor as the D3, for considerably less money.  Canon’s new 5d Mk II offers 21MP for a list price of $2700, with street price soon to be lower as the initial demand tapers off, and Canonites are comparing the sensor favourably to the 1Ds Mk III.  Sony’s new flagship boasts the 24mp sensor that the D3X sensor is based on, for $2999.

Now some will point out that these sub-$3000 cameras do not have the build quality of my D3, and they are right.  Pro’s are used to paying a premium for faster recycle times, bigger buffers, better weather sealing, etc.  But it has never been a $5000 premium before, and the premium has always included a better sensor.  Viewed in the context of today’s market, this is the worst deal we’ve been offered in a while.

I’ve been shooting Nikon for more than a decade.   Yesterday I began the rather large task of becoming better aquainted with Canon’s offerings.  Depending on what I find, I may switch my more serious work to Canon.  I’ll probably write more about that soon.