Nikon responds- "rapid deterioration in the market occurred and fiercer competition"

Well said. Except that I would add that for a hobbyist an "expensive" (ie hard to justify for hobby use even given a decent wage) camera that spends months in repair is a huge disappointment and a real problem. As is spending time chasing up repairs. If I'm not confident that I'm not going to get a lemon, or my only choice is to spend as much on my camera as a second car for the family, I just won't bother. If Nikon no longer wants to cater to a family man that occasionally takes pictures of his kids running engaged in sports, do a little occasional birding, visit an airshow, and does a bit of zoo photography I think you'll find that there are other brands that will. If it comes to that I will go there. Right now I'd be spending a whole lot of money with no certainty that I wouldn't face other problems.

You guys can tell me I don't need top of the line gear to shoot family snaps and all the rest until you go blue - that's true but that isn't ALL I do, and I aim to take the best shots I can. I don't think that's unreasonable or any reason for a put down. I'm unlikely to ever purchase a camera in the D800 or D4 price bracket. That doesn't upset me at all. What does upset me is I can't upgrade to an improved camera without having to take the risk that it's going to be a lemon and a headache to get fixed.

Right now I've got D70 and D90 bodies. That allows me to have a backup when something goes wrong, and lets me give my wife her own dedicated camera to use without having to give up mine. I'm considering a used D300S, though it would have to be a stellar deal for me to justify it. I won't touch the D600 as I have decent DX lenses that meet my requirements and don't cost me a fortune. I'm not about to sell or shelve them just to go FX.

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Sammy.
My forum postings reflect my own opinions and not those of my employer. I'm not employed in the photo business.