$3500 Marketing Psychology

We'll see shortly whether the rumored price of $3500 (body only) is correct. I'm betting it is.

Why? Simple: Canon marketing will want to price it higher than the $3k D800 to convey that the 5DII is better.

Of course, comparing specs only, Nikon wins. But Canon's pricing strategy will imply that the intangibles of the 5DIII (image quality, Canon quality, etc.) make it a superior--and hence more expensive--camera overall.

If Canon were to price the 5DIII below the D800, it would seem be admitting that its camera cannot compete with the D800 except in price. So, I wouldn't hold my breath for anything less than $3k any time soon.