D4 and D800 jump up in price

[Gothmoth]

http://www.techradar.com/news/photography-video-capture/cameras/nikon-d4-and-d800-prices-rise-in-uk-1073556

just read that at techradar a second ago.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

It does seem like some price gouging. The UK seems to get it frequently, along with Australia. So far,USA camera stores have held the price.

 

[traveller]

This is not good news for all of us in the UK, we always get ridiculously high introduction prices for new cameras (even corrected for VAT). I was glad when Nikon introduced the D800 at a sane price (£2399), because I though that it would make the price that Canon wanted for the 5D MkIII untenable (£2999). Sadly, instead of Canon dropping their price, it seems like Nikon have jumped first and increased theirs.

I don't buy this "system error" excuse, they simply realised that demand was too high for them to fulfill at £2399 and have therefore increased their offer to improve their profit. This is understandable economics, but very poor marketing as it has really taken the shine off their camera launch. Much as I hate to use that hackneyed comparison, could you imagine Apple doing this with an iphone launch? The D800 is a great camera and I'm sure that most people will pay the extra, but this sort of treatment of your core customers leaves a bitter taste in their mouths. They will forget this taste when they get their cameras, but Nikon should be careful as the memory of this incident will linger in people's minds and may come back to haunt them if they ever make a mistake with a future camera: how loyal will their user base remain?

 

[psolberg]

Supply vs demand. System error or not, Nikon said the d800 demand was unprecedented. Amazon USA still ranks it #1 camera in sales 26 days after even when sales of the E variant are not factored in. Compare to the 5D3 which dropped to 12th place after just 24 days. Nikon hit out of the park and they know it even before the DXO bombshell.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Supply vs demand. System error or not, Nikon said the d800 demand was unprecedented. Amazon USA still ranks it #1 camera in sales 26 days after even when sales of the E variant are not factored in. Compare to the 5D3 which dropped to 12th place after just 24 days. Nikon hit out of the park and they know it even before the DXO bombshell.

If it were supply and demand, the price might be going up everywhere. The Demand has far outstripped supply in the USA, but the price has held. Our local small dealer says the Rep told him to expect some in two weeks, but exactly when and how many is unknown. I'm number 3 on the list right now.