I guess the rumor for the D90 got busted – we still have few hours.
I have another one for you.I received this email from a reader today
that works for a major authorized Nikon reseller in the US (* the name
and company were taken out):
Hello. I work for * and just wanted to make a few points based on what
i’ve seen on the various rumor sites. When we start for the company,
we sign a document stating that any internal documents are for company
use only, and releasing them to outside sources would be grounds to
immediately lose our jobs. Since I would assume Nikon employees have
the same restrictions, I would be incredibly suspiscious of any
‘leaked’ photos that resemble official material (i.e. product shots).
However, to the best of my knowledge, the company really doesnt care
about cluing people in about new models, moreso that they dont want
the public knowing our profit margins on various products, plans for
sales or promotions, or the like.
That being said, at a product training seminar back in March, we did
get to handle a demo P80 several weeks before it was announced. and we
have a similar seminar this Friday. If there’s anything new coming
down the pipe, either it will be there or the rep will tell us about
it. Usually these seminars consist of a trip to some sort of local
photogenic location like a zoo or flower park, and the reps come with
several rolling cases full of cameras and lenses. We then spend the
day shooting to familiarize ourselves with it. Usually it’s a mix of
the consumer end stuff (D80’s, 40’s, Coolpixes) and the top high-end
bodies and ‘brag lenses’.
Another bit of information that may or may not be news relates to our
current sales contest. Usually during the summer and winter seasons,
the various manufacturers will run contests to award prizes to
associates who sell the most of their particular brand of product, To
avoid bias, the brands will usually all run contests simultaneously so
it can’t be said that our reccommendations to customers are being
skewed. Anyway, one of the prizes listed in the Nikon contest is a
“D30 Outfit”. Wether this is a new model or a typo of D3 I don’t know,
but in a past contest they did offer as a prize a model of Coolpix
that wasnt announced until a few weeks after it started. Knowing
Nikon’s affinity for consecutive product numbers, it wouldnt surprise
me for them to set up their top tier lineup as D300, D30, and D3.