I've written this before :-p but again I wish Nikon will kick Canon's a** to release competitive products in the mid price range. Given the resources Canon has, I don't think they'll withdraw from the race, so the only way is forward.
Personally when it comes to FF I'm not really invested in Canon much(only a 100mm macro I bought relatively cheaply used) so if Nikon offer a better cheaper option I'll be switching if/when I upgrade.
I'd agree though it seems like its Canons turn to learn to cater to the prosumer market more effectively the same way Nikon learned to cater to the entry level and higher end markets a few years ago.
But what are the "pro" features of the 5d3 that only "pros" will need? Good af? 6fps? sealed, durable body? It would be interesting if they cut these specs to that of the 5d2 or even further in some entry ff body.
I don't think you could get away with the 5D mk2's AF anymore personally and I wouldnt expect Canon to take that route given that this seems to be an area there universally upgrading this generation. There is alot of room between that and the 1DX/5D mk3 AF though, 20-30 points widely spaced would I'd guess me enough for many.
The rest of the 5D mk2 plus a high MP sensor seems like it could be a sucess to me though provided the price is right.
To me the sucess of the 5D mk2 and the D800 seem to hint that with amatures resolution is still what sells best, areas like landscape are afterall largely amature or semi pro.
Rather than offering high specs/high MP and lower specs/lower MP together as Nikon seem to me doing with the D800/D600 offering high MP/lower specs seems like it could be an effective way to target this market. If you take that route Canon could also potentially target the the former 1Ds market aswell if they wanted to, a 1DX body with a higher MP sensor and say 6 FPS would be heavly differentiated from a 5D mk2ish high MP body.
