If someone or some test said something like, "The D3X is capable of capturing detail that the 1DS3 cannot produce, no matter what post processing you use"--now you have my attention. That is saying something substantial, although the extra detail the DX3 does produce may be tick terds in any real test, such as large printing. But it would still be saying something not so general or ethereal.
I wonder why one poster thinks the DS3 will be around for another year and maybe two? I'll bet it's gone with spring when Canon announces their new 1DS4 model at 25+MPs. There is no way Canon is going sit around and have the top end line suck second to Nikon, not even in pixels. Canon hasn't even worked on the 1DS3 anymore as far as firmware or anything else, plus the 1D model was from what I've read, a disappointment. Canon has some catching up to do.
And look what we have here:
AMAZON:
Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III 21.1MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)
List Price: $7,999.00
Price: $6,549.88
You Save: $1,449.12 (18%)
Nice, I just lost 1500.00 dollars in less than a year. I actually lost more than that, because if that price hadn't dropped so radically, I could have probably gotten 6500 for it today, if the Nikon hadn't forced the price down.
This is good though. The next Canon flag ship may open at 8000, if it equals or betters the D3X. But it won't stay that way for long because people will say, hmmm, Nikon, good, Canon good, Nikon 6000, Canon 8000, Nikon good. Same thing that Canon is trying to do right now--keep people from moving or initially going to Nikon by dropping their prices 1500.00US You buy the 1DS3 and you have enough to buy a 70-200MM lens too. Nice. Or, Canon 1DS3 with Canon 70-200mmL IS 8000. NICE deal!
The way, and this is all speculation on my part, but somewhat educated in this game, I see it is that right about the time Canon was getting ready to release the 1D3 and 1DS3, they had this vision that Nikon was about to steal their prize. So they hurried to market the 1DS and 1DS3, and immediately started working on the updates for those two cameras. They probably found out about one year before they were going to release the 1DS and DS3 that Nikon was planning to knock their blocks off with a 24MP FF camera that would out resolve and have less noise and higher ISO. Canon got lucky--they got both the 1DS3 and the 5DMKII out before the release of the D3X. They got very lucky indeed, even though the 5D2 would probably gone over well anyway, since Nikon has nothing to compete with in that area, especially price wise. Canon was very savvy.
I think we'll see the release of a 30sih MP 1DS4 this spring. Can you imagine that? I mean have you thought about that? Canon not only reclaims the high end FF market share--given that the quality is up to task--but also begins to REALLY bring in the medium format people over to FF. So Canon not only gets back it's top position from FF people, but the MF people start buying the new Canon too. At that point, unless MF has something that you just gotta have, MF is in trouble big time, and Canon is there to lick up the profit. I jsut wish Canon's felt as good in my hand as the Nikons. Am I the only one who "feels" that advantage from Nikon?