Nikon D3x

On December 1st, 2008, Nikon announced that it would release a full frame camera 24.5 megapixels. Everybody was waiting, getting ready to praise Nikon for finally having the highest pixels resolution in the 35mm format, almost, Sony has the highest resolution of the 35mm full frames with the A900 at: 24.6 megapixels, then things unraveled. Actually things started to unravel for Nikon the week before when someone from Nikon Germany leaked the Nikon D3x specs 4 days before the official release. Then everybody, and their dogs, started to pan Nikon for daring to charge US$ 8 000. Many people even called for a boycott of Nikon until they lower their prices, including Ken Rockwell dated: 7-Feb-2009.

Fast forward a month later, and now I'm dreaming awake, drooling and tripping over my own tongue over it. This is not for "pleasure" but for business. So now here are the questions:

1. Does it make business sense?
2. What's the payback period?
3. Is the money available if I decide to buy the mythical Nikon D3x?

Does it make business sense?

In business, we don't talk photography, we only talk sales vs. expenses.

• Will the new Nikon D3x generate more sales? It could be either through new markets and new customers that I couldn't do with my current cameras/lenses. Can I sell photos to high end/glossy magazines as double trucks, A pair of facing pages that stretches over both pages.? Or it could be through existing customers and sell them large posters, wall size humongous prints?
• Will my current lenses match the high-res of the D3x? or will I also have to buy new lenses to match?
• Will the high quality photos help me differentiate myself from the competition?

What's the payback period?

My basic way of operating the business, is that if the payback is less than 1 year, then I'll always go for it, almost always go for it. If it's more than 1 year, the decision will be lot more complicated. I will have to add:

• Career development
• Intangibles such as prestige, personal pride...

Is the money available?

Is the money available either as:

• Cash
• Credit card
• Credit line

Looks like I will make the decision by the end of the spring. So what will be for me the most important points: lenses. I will basically have to rent a Nikon D3x for a week, and try the lenses and do the dreaded "pixel peeping". If I only have to buy the camera, then the payback period will be around 1 year to 1.5 year. If have to buy new lenses, then the payback will go into the 2+ years range and that will be too much. Not now.

• Nowhere do I speak about how good is the camera or any of its technical merits. Stan Haggen, Robert Duval, the consigliore in the Godfather said:

Even shooting your father was business not personal, Sonny!

• What's the effect on the competition? Will customers use more of my services vs. my competitors because they can crop more and have more flexibility with photos from a Nikon D3x?