If an affordable 18-24mp FullFrame Nikon Camera is not announced by the end of February, I will be buying a used D3x.

I don’t expect any D700s announcement until September.

However, It seems to me that Nikon has all the Camera slots filled now and will wait untill 2011 to upgrade their cameras with the D4 and D400.

However…..somehow the D900 with 18mp could be an attempt to combine D700x’ish spec’s and D700s’ish specs into 1 camera. Higher rez then D3, lower then D3x, Less ISO then D3, more then D3x, Framerate Less then D3, Noise somewhere between D3 and D3x. Al packed in a D700/D300′ish body.

If such D900 would be put on the market I think that was the end of the D700 line: No X or S model.

A single instead of 2 systems would releave nikon also from fabbing two camera’s and increase scale of economics for a lot of parts including the 18mpx sensor to drive down costs and either pass that on to consumers or increase their own margin

この画像は日本で発売されているカメラ雑誌『ＣＡＰＡ』の編集部が発売して欲しいカメラを書いたもので正しい情報ではありません。

Either Nikon have had the chip modified or more likely have their own inhouse 18MP or 20.3MP sensor. With them moving away from Sony sensors the later makes more sense.

D700x derivate from D3x as D700 from D3, thus ff 24mpx in a smaller body, performance in one or the other way a bit crippled. Maybe just to be able to sell of all the Sony Sensors they agreed with Sony to source from them.

D4 having the new rumoured 18mpx non sony design non sony fabbed sensor
D4x having a new hi-rez sensor.

Canon seems to be (still doing the same or vice versa for that matter):
1DsmkIII as Hirez body
1DmkIV as Hispeed body

Here they differ:
Canon did create the semi-pro 5d as a derivate of the 1ds where nikon choose to create a dericate if the hi-speed offering.