Nothing much, rest assured.
How many orders for the 1DsMkIII did he have?
I guess this will never stop until Nikon releases a D700x... People feel the need to report that the BMW 3-series sells more than the Merc S-Class implying that Merc should do something about it.
People have elevated comparing apples to oranges to an art.
Respectfully, I think you are mistaken. Canonites have had a meaningful, high-res, FF, MF-rivalling camera solution since the 1DsII came out in the late Paleozoic period (4!#^? years ago). They sold zillions of them. Nikon lost phalanxes of pros to Canon. Then, Canon upped the ante with the 1DsIII. The elation was more muted, since it was a mere upgrade. However, they have still sold boatloads of them, too.
Nikonites, on the other hand, have waited for ever and ever to have a camera in the same class. The D3/D700 are both spectacular image-engines, but they are not in the same 'class'. Let me be specific: this is not a normative description. In many instances the D3/D700 are *better* than the "MF League" Canons (and now A900). However, they do not rival the 1dsIII (or 5Dii or A900 or MFDB) because they do not perform the same function for the types of photography where the utmost resolution is of serious importance.
More ink (or bits) has been spilled by Nikonites pining for and predicting the high-res Nikon FF camera than on virtually any other topic over the years.
And now, it's HERE!! In all probability, it's an absolutely brilliant camera. AND, because of the brilliance of the D3 & D700, there are once again legions of Nikon shooters out there with great glass just itching to be unleashed on the D3x.
And the D3x drops and...............it's like a pebble hitting the water. Huh?? In one major city of a million people, the leading photo retailer has 300 5D2s on order and 9 D3xs ??!?!?!?
Two possibilities: (i) no one shooting the sort of work you need 20+Mps for still shoots Nikon. This is highly unlikely, since a clear majority of the 5D2 buyers are rich amateurs. Or, (ii) everyone is waiting for the price to drop to where the price for 20+Mp dslrs currently sits. Even at $5900 they'd sell container-loads of them.
But at $8K, only the really rich or really devoted or really impatient are biting. Sure, these are the fat, slow, Wildebeast of the photo-veld, and Nikon will feast mightily off them, but they are few and far between.
In the meantime, a lot of potential customers probably have the money to pick up a 5D2 or an A900 just to play around with it. Letting your customers 'see other people' until you decide to put out......that's a bad business model
So no, it's not apples and oranges. It's apples, and $10 a pound organic designer apples.....going stale on the shelf.
- N.