Price rise from Nikon

[jet_kit]

Nikon have just hiked the price of their new D800 and D4 by a whopping 8%
They're blaming a 'Pricing Error' and have promised that anyone who ordered before 24 March will still get theirs at the original price.
What do you think of that?

Just realised this should be in the Nikon Chat room. Can a Mod move it?

[Jediboy]

I saw this and was a bit surprised that Nikon would make such an error. I wonder how many people have been put off because of this?

[OldBoy]

Originally Posted by Jediboy

I saw this and was a bit surprised that Nikon would make such an error. I wonder how many people have been put off because of this?

My guess is none, as you can't get hold of one at present.

[Jediboy]

That's a fair point Oldboy. I'm put off by the price though, before and after the rise.

[OldBoy]

Originally Posted by Jediboy

That's a fair point Oldboy. I'm put off by the price though, before and after the rise.

To be fair, where would you get a medium format camera for under £9,000?

[amk1977]

The price rise by Nikon I personally doubt was due to an internal error. The rise coincided quite neatly with the release of DXOMarks lab testing of the D800, which gave the camera the highest score ever achieved. My guess is that on the strength of those numbers, Nikon decided they could squeeze a few more quid out of their customers. Annoying? Definitely! They even make you pay a couple hundred quid more for the D800E, which has the low pass filter removed. Pay more for less - the power of marketing

I agree with Oldboy though. 36MP is well into the realms of medium format resolutions, and although you aren't going to achieve the same depths of field that a Hassleblad, Mamiya or Leaf sensor is capable of delivering, the results are by all accounts still pretty spectacular.

£2600 is a lot of money to lay out for any camera body but, like Oldboy says, try finding a brand new medium format camera for that kind of cash. Add another 0 to that £2600 and you might lol.

Even with the price hike, the D800 still offers incredible value for what it is. Aside from the thumping great resolving powers it has, the low light ISO capabilities are almost identical to that of the D4. The dynamic range of the D800 is also well above the D4 up until ISO400 at 14.4EV. For photographers that shoot landscapes and studio portraits and those that print HUGE copies of their work, the D800 really does look something quite special. For sports and Paparazzi the D4 is going to be the weapon of choice. The FPS and buffering on that camera is just insane.

Not that any of the above will affect me any time soon. Unless that big golden finger in the sky points at me with a huge cheque from Camelot, I'll be rocking the D90 for a while to come yet.

[OldBoy]

Originally Posted by amk1977

The price rise by Nikon I personally doubt was due to an internal error. The rise coincided quite neatly with the release of DXOMarks lab testing of the D800, which gave the camera the highest score ever achieved. My guess is that on the strength of those numbers, Nikon decided they could squeeze a few more quid out of their customers. Annoying? Definitely! They even make you pay a couple hundred quid more for the D800E, which has the low pass filter removed. Pay more for less - the power of marketing

This price rise was applied to both the D800, D800E and the D4 and may reflect the drop of the Pound against the Yen during the last six months. As to the extra price of the D800E I thought the same as you until I found out they had to add something to make it work.

Originally Posted by amk1977

I agree with Oldboy though. 36MP is well into the realms of medium format resolutions, and although you aren't going to achieve the same depths of field that a Hassleblad, Mamiya or Leaf sensor is capable of delivering, the results are by all accounts still pretty spectacular.

£2600 is a lot of money to lay out for any camera body but, like Oldboy says, try finding a brand new medium format camera for that kind of cash. Add another 0 to that £2600 and you might lol.

Remember it's not just the camera but also the lenses and the price of the medium format lenses is almost three times as much. Also, I think you will find it hard to find a 400mm F2.8 and if you did could you afford it?

Originally Posted by amk1977

Even with the price hike, the D800 still offers incredible value for what it is. Aside from the thumping great resolving powers it has, the low light ISO capabilities are almost identical to that of the D4. The dynamic range of the D800 is also well above the D4 up until ISO400 at 14.4EV. For photographers that shoot landscapes and studio portraits and those that print HUGE copies of their work, the D800 really does look something quite special. For sports and Paparazzi the D4 is going to be the weapon of choice. The FPS and buffering on that camera is just insane.

Not that any of the above will affect me any time soon. Unless that big golden finger in the sky points at me with a huge cheque from Camelot, I'll be rocking the D90 for a while to come yet.

The only problem with the D800 is finding one to buy as it appears that demand outstrips supply. That tells you all you need to know about the camera.

[jet_kit]

Originally Posted by OldBoy

The only problem with the D800 is finding one to buy as it appears that demand outstrips supply. That tells you all you need to know about the camera.

The price hike and the unavailability in UK could have something to do with the Olympics, because every 'tog covering the Games is after one of these.

If you look back at the D700 launch, I seem to recall it was well over the 2k mark, but dropped to 1,700 within a year. Maybe the D800 will do the same when the initial rush is over.

My principal concern is that they are constantly shoe-horning more and more technology into the same tin-can. How long can this go on?