burke let me know if you come across any used d3 body for a good price, I am thinking id rather have a used d3 over the d700, unless i find a d700 for the 1999 price i just saw on the home page.. anyone work for a camera dealer in so cali that want to order it for me :)

The D3s is a fantastic camera, and in high demand. They are out of stock many places - but I have 5 of them in stock today,and we have had a steady stock level for several months! Chances are, other local & regional Nikon dealers have the same situation. Check us all out!

I think it's great that manufacturers are delivering products to specialty dealers who offer their customers a high level of service & instruction - along with great prices. The Nikon D3s is not just another SKU to us - it's an important part of our Nikon professional product lineup!

One thing is sure, you won't see a D700s untill D3s sales slow way down.
My understanding is that NASA, the Army, and the US & Canadian Governments are also buying all they can get.

Depending on the price of a D3x sensor, we may actually see a D700x next.

Its about 50/50 around here.

Yeah all of the press photographers who use canon need them before the games start :^)

Nikon Japan is shipping them all to Canada, so the press can be ready to shoot the Olympics.

With some of the very high profile bankruptcies (Circuit City, Ritz ect.) here in the U.S., Nikon USA lost a lot of money which was charged back to Japan. Nikon japan is rather annoyed with the U.S. subsidiary for extending so much credit to these companies, and has eased off on shipments to the states. That along with the value of the dollar (which will only get worse) against the yen make U.S. less favorable to do business with.

One interesting thing I have noticed here in Vancouver is I have seen a few ads on craigslist with people selling D3s's. There have been a few ads and they have been asking between 4500-5800 dollars for them.
I'm not sure why, but it sure seems a bit odd to me. I know one photographer here that works for a publication that ordered 3 D3s's and was selling one, but seeing them on craigslist this early is not something I expected.

I have had mine for about 4 weeks now, and I was at the Olympic media centre Monday and saw a lot of D3s's. Pretty much every Nikon User there had one or two of them, and every photograper I talked to said the same thing, "Fantastic Camera", at one point I counted 47 D3's before everyone started moving around and I couldn't figure out who was who anymore. On one interesting note, there is even discussions between photog's here about new Nikon items expected soon. Even these guys are dying to find out what's coming next.

Hey Nikodoby don't you know? Every advanced amateur has to have a D3s! haha and Nikon loves ya for it^^

fully available in my part of world :) - price app $5850

The D3S replaced the D3

Welcome to the forum Oli13

Looks like the D3 is also on backorder. As a matter of fact, Adorama doesn't even offer it anymore new, only used.

But even if they don't announce anything there is still a chance they will announce something in March or April. Seriously! However what is it that you are looking for? Are you a working "pro" who needs a D3S? Or are you just an advanced "amateur"?

The D3S is a new camera and won't be replaced anytime soon. The D700 looks more like it will be replaced in early summer 2010. The D900 will more than likely be a new model and not a replacement.

I'm waiting until the end of February to make my decision. If Nikon doesn't announce any new cams between now and then, I will decide among what is available.

Which is why stock of their best products are often not on the shelf. I'd say not to worry about why it is not in stock. If you want a Nikon item, just order it and wait for them to come in, since most reputable dealers wont charge you until your item ships.

NikoDoby said:
... Nikon is a relatively small company.

True, but they make a relatively marvelous series of cameras and lenses.

Darrell Young

It's a popular camera. Demand is outpacing supply. Nikon is a relatively small company.

After the first batch shipped, seems like they were in stock at places the first week or so. Now, some places say PRE-ORDER instead of out of stock / backorder. What gives? Seems like hardly anyone has them. Did they make a tiny batch then switch the line over to start the batch of d700s / d700x / d800 / d900?

Lots of newer Nikon equip has been hard to get for a while, but the pre-order comments seem odd.