Some price increases are very small – a few pounds only. Some other prices are horrific – nearly 20% in some cases.
I see the SB800 has disappeared.

FX is the next thing and will eventually be rolled out across the range. You make a fundamental error in your analysis. An FX camera dos not need to be the size of a D3/D3x or, even, for that matter a D700.

You have to understand how marketing works – OK, I have an advantage in that I work in this area alot – but by introducing FX in the first place, Nikon created the aspirations and demand for MORE FX, first step D700, obviously the D3x has been added but thats not really a step in the big picture, merely an addition. The next step will be either a D90 style FX camera or Nikon will, stepping away from their traditional conservative approach as they have been doing lately, produce an FX camera in a D60 or even D40 type body.

I am surprised that you really cannot see this. Most people I know saw it coming ages ago – long before the intro of FX… WHEN for example did nikon last introduce a serious DX lens???? If there was any future for DX they would continue to develop and introduce them even now.

As the size of the camera is not, for the most part, influenced by the FX/DX sensor – OK we know about the taller, fatter prism!!! which is ONLY the same size as any 35mm film SLR anyway – anymore than film, this is not a factor. There is an ideal size for these products below which their own lightness and smallness is a negative in both handling and performance.

Once anyone looks through a FX camera finder they do not want to go back to that awful DX format viewfinder.

The quote below also makes no sense. I have added comments where you’re comment is confused and senseless.

“As soon as the resolution gets high enough in the lower end cameras… (eh? lower end being D40/D60/D80? help me, I am confused!)… so that using a FX camera in crop mode provides exactly the same resolution as a DX does today (about 12MP), you will see a heightened interest in DX lenses…(er, why???, when you shoot FX you really do not want that viewfinder cropped – its awful!)…, especially as there will be substantial price increases in the higher end of the lens line.” (Nonsense, pro FX lenses or traditional or film – whatever you wish to call them have always been priced at a premium. There have also always been more inexpensive versions of them just as there are cheap DX lenses and very expensive DX lenses!

What is certain is, unless the world economy really collapses, there will be a FX in a polycarbonate body a la D90/D40/D60 WITHIN 24 months! You can quote me on that!!!

DX is DEAD… people can face that and sell off their gear now or bury their head in the sand and end up using their D90′s D300′s as a worthless doorstops in a couple of years, with matching 18 – 105 zooms as bookends.

But cheap FX is at least two years away.

There’s one other factor and I personally think there’s going to be a trend away from large bulky cameras and lenses. The size/weight of pro-level cameras and lenses has gotten a bit absurd. I remember when almost everything took 52mm filters. The new 50mm is 58mm and most of the pro zooms are 77mm.

That will be driven when we start seeing releases in the micro-four thirds format from Oly and others. And while it’s questionable whether Nikon will support the format, I think it’s going to reinforce DX as a by-product because a large part of the market is going to want something smaller and lighter.

I am not saying anything negative. I work, amongst other things in international economics – specifically for the British Government on some occasions – as a consultant.

I am simply drawing your attention to the errors on your part relating to your apparent views on the economy.

Please sir, go through the list you have just written and actually think about what you are saying. Hilarious! For example, do you know what the original inspiration for the iPod was? Do you your homework please!

Yes, the actual ‘iPod’ is American – designed in California infact – BUT WAIT… let me phone a friend who has one……….. YES, made/assembled in China!!!!!! Oh yes, cheap labour!

Remember, without the cheap Chinese labour putting them together, you and nobody else would have them because the cost of manufacture would be so great that the price point for retail would be out of reach of all but the very comfortably off and consequently they couldn’t sell enough to recover development and manufacturing costs, so they would then have to increase the price again – greatly, then an iPod would be about the same price as a small European country – but not Iceland which is now offered FREE to a good home!

Just a point of interest though, I don’t have an iPod, don’t have any blue jeans – don’t have jeans actually – have a computer but check your history books and you will find that the computer is NOT an American invention! This is crazy, why am I having to educate you on these points?

Are you for real or a sockpuppet?

I use neither windows nor OSX… but hey, I will give you the actual internet as yours, but NOT the idea or inspiration for it! Again, read up my friend!

FYI – I love the United States, I love the energy, the enthusiasm, the go get attitude,the can do attitude, the positive energy and the fact that there are few hurdles to success – whatever your beginings – contrasting so much with the UK for example. I just wish more Americans would see the bigger picture and not assume that anyone who doesn’t agree with them is an enemy or just WRONG!

Interestingly, I have just been to my optician this morning and one of the managers their actually was the manager of a camera store that they took over when they were on their mass expansion programme (which was always unsustainable even in a booming economy). He was retained as manager of the new store – though it was one of those which barely six months later Jessops axed when they were about to collapse – way before the credit crunch was even thought of – and he just confirmed to me this morning when I was talking about photography and dealers with him, that it WAS policy, arguably illegal and MOST DEFINITELY A MORALLY BANKRUPT modus operandi!

The person who sold you without cross-selling and up-selling, or even attempting to, will no doubt now be included in the first round of job cuts at Jessops. I am serious – if they made no attempt to sell any other product they will be for the chop! Selling is what you are paid for in those roles – putting aside questionable practices, you must still try to sell more!

And to answer the Jessops basher – I bought a D90 recently in South London. It may be that I told them that I already owned a couple of bodies up front, but I got no pressue to buy any extras, haggled £20 off the store price (which was the same as the price listed on the web) and got a 4gb Sandisk UIII SD stick thrown in. You can’t paint the whole chain with the same bad brush on one experience.

I always find it funny that people who love to say negative things about the U.S. do so while listening to an iPod, wear blue jeans, type on a computer running either Windows or OS X and use the internet. All American inventions.

The Yen has increased in value vs. the Canadian Dollar. Japanese companies have to raise prices in countries whose currency have weakened against the Yen or they will lose money on the FX loss. It’s that simple. When European goods became more expensive in the U.S. up until late 2008, it was due to the Euro strengthening. No one cried that it was unfair then. The same holds true for the GBP.