If you haven't noticed, the D700 body only is now $2700 at B&H and $2600 at Adorama...

With the damage to the fabs for both Canon and Nikon...no telling how high the prices may go, or how long they will be down...or at limited production. I know that from what I've read that in some cases it's a matter of the power being off...and then there is the added problem for the employees that may have lost their homes and or loved ones in this disaster.

I guess what I'm getting around to, without trying to be insensitive, is to buy one if you want it...

Seeing prices go up, a possibility of unavailability, can start a run on products...

Me, I've got a good D300 and am going to wait for the D700 replacement.

Comments...

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I got my last week at Amazon for $2400

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lenses are jumping too..the 70-200 f/2.8- I was watching Beach camera's eBay buy it now listing. Last night was 2,159.00 This morning and lunch was 2,189.00 then around 2 pm or so went to 2,199.00 B&H went from 2159.00 yesterday to 2,299.00 last I checked today. Beach wouldn't even tell me through eBay if they had the Nikon 5yr warranty paper work on the new lens Just an email telling me to call service. Had 3 listed ( 4 yesterday)

Sheri Becker

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Just out of curiosity, I checked Amazon a few minutes ago...they still have the D700 Body Only at $2400. Good for them.

So, if you are interested...there's a good source...reliable...quick shipping...easy to return...etc.

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I just received an email from Buy.com where their price for a D700 body is $2230 with a $80 instant rebate for a final price of $2150. Not sure how long it will last, or the quantities.

http://www.buy.com/prod/nikon-d700-digital-slr-camera-with-12-megapixels-8-frames-per-second/q/loc/33409/listingid/86043328/208504437.html


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It could be an imported model at that price. Better check first

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No, its a US model. Click on the link I provided for more info.

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>With the damage to the fabs for both Canon and Nikon...no
>telling how high the prices may go, or how long they will be
>down...or at limited production. I know that from what I've
>read that in some cases it's a matter of the power being
>off...and then there is the added problem for the employees
>that may have lost their homes and or loved ones in this
>disaster.

The scale of the disaster in Japan is indescribable. Inventories of D700 bodies in the various retail and distribution channels will run out, and then people waiting for the D700 and D300 replacements will - forsooth methinks - have to just keep on using whatever they've got and become better photographers. Hey - that last bit could really happen. Anyway, there aren't enough D700 bodies in any of the channels to make it worth any retailer's efforts to jack prices. A few extra hundred on a handful of bodies? It's not worth it.

The whole service, parts fab, assembly and JIT supply chain infrastructure in Sendai and the prefecture has been bashed to pieces by the forces of nature. So many industries are affected that it's essentially impossible to keep count.

Frequently, when supply chains are interrupted by long delays, advance order prices go up to account for potential shear in the dollar/yen exchange rates which frequently have an effect when the time between an order placed at a certain price and actual fulfillment is particularly long. This applies to existing SKUs which will eventually be restocked. It doesn't apply to advance orders for new/announced products that haven't yet been released.

One of the most horrific possibilities is that as some of the plants begin to reopen, quite a significant number of the Nikon employee family may no longer be able to answer the bell, and worst of all, some others may no longer be alive to answer the bell.

If Tokyo Electric and the resources that have been marshalled can't get the raging mess at the damaged nuclear power station(s) under control - real soon now - we're not going to be talking about D700 production any time soon. Frankly, in that situation, I don't think any of us will feel like talking about it anyway.

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>If Tokyo Electric and the resources that have been marshalled can't get the raging mess at the damaged nuclear power station(s) under control - real soon now - we're not going to be talking about D700 production any time soon. Frankly, in that situation, I don't think any of us will feel like talking about it anyway.

Howard,

While my heart obviously goes out to everyone in Japan, I'm becoming increasingly fearful that we may look back on this disaster and see the earthquake and tsunami as relatively minor aspects of the event. While it's possible to estimate the horrific losses of life so far, no one really knows what eventual toll the nuclear aspect will take and it may be half a century before the history of it is accurately written. I sincerely hope I'm wrong.

Stephen

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The UK price is stable - around $2160 equivalent plus taxes.

Photography is a bit like archery. A technically better camera, lens or arrow may not hit the target as often as it could if the photographer or archer does not practice enough.

Len Shepherd

I believe the price increase from B and H photo and Adorama was based on the price increase that was set by Nikon USA from their website.

The search and rescue missions are ongoing. I've seen a lot of foreign workers from Australia the other day from one of the Air Force base that were getting ready to fly in to the affected area. The nuclear power plant issue is a big concern for all which forces the USN to stand clear near the power plants due to the reported radiation leak by the Japanese Govt. The fastest means to provide more support for now is via sea or air using helicopters. Placing the power plant in stable condition is the key. Once it's contained, regardless of difficulty, more aid can be moved to the devastated area by using their ports. Restoring the airport will even expedite more relief so that cargo planes can provide faster supply at a higher capacity.

We are already on fuel rations. Food, water and other commodities are still available depending on the location. Subways are limited in operation due to power conservation. Rolling blackouts are in effect. My fear is if the radiation level increases for a prolong period of time (even though it is negligible) I will be forced to move my family out of the country. Air fare tickets have sky rocketed already from Narita Intl airport.

Back to topic. With the lack of power, employees still shaken due to loss of family members or friends, house to stay, cars, roads and bridges destroyed, it will be a long while before they can get the factories back to operation. Factories in Thailand may operate for a while but we all know that the sensor is manufactured by Sony. I wonder if the canon camp are going to keep their prices for the 5D mk II. Timing is everything. People who have ordered their gear during the Nikon instant discount with certain camera and lenses got the better deal. I got the deal but it's delayed due to items are not in stock with Adorama.


Regards,

Glenn
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Glenn:

This is off-topic, but our thoughts and prayers are with you all over there. None of us can imagine the horror everyone in Japan is going through right now. Be safe over there.

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I second that...what a terrible thing to have happen. May God be with you...

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Glenn I share the others sentiments, stay safe and well.

Bob Baldassano
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"Nikonians membership - My most important photographic investment, after the
camera"

Retirement is a gift of time - Don't waste it!

Glenn,

I add my sentiments as well Best wishes and blessings to you and your family.

Wm.

I don't wish to sound insensitive, but bringing the discussion back to prices increases, I don't really understand the sudden price increases as the D700 is made in Taiwan, not Japan. Obviously over time the price may increase as I'm sure Nikon will have to invest a lot of money in re-building infrastructure etc.

Of course, as other's have already expressed, my thoughts are also with anybody affected by this truly awful disaster. I find the resolve and heart of the Japanese nation and it's people truly amazing. Anyone not directly involved can't truly comprehend the enormity of the situation.

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>I don't wish to sound insensitive, but bringing the
>discussion back to prices increases, I don't really understand
>the sudden price increases as the D700 is made in Taiwan, not
>Japan.

My D700 and every D700 I've ever seen or heard about are made in Japan. Says so on the bottom of the camera. The Nikon plant in Sendai, Japan is specifically tooled for manufacture and assembly of Nikon's pro bodies including the D700 and the D3/s/x series.

I think Nikon's only Taiwanese operation is for servicing of IC/LCD Steppers and Scanners.

The rest of Nikon's camera and lens manufacturing and assembly plants are almost all in Thailand and Singapore.

Shortages + Demand = Higher Prices. Same is true for gasoline, wheat, rice, oranges, machine parts and most everything else. Cameras and lenses are either luxury goods or they're goods purchased using discretionary funds, but they're not necessities so the prices will float or sink according to the whims of markets.

IMO, nobody should spend too much time caring about these increases because, well, cameras and lenses are not necessities. Prices too high for someone's budget right now? Wait a month or two I say. If production of the D700 can't be restarted everything remaining in the retail channel will eventually be sold out and then there won't be a D700 to buy at any price. Now is unfortunately not a good time to be shopping for a D700, a D3/s/x or any of the Canon products made in Japan, and so on.

GM just halted one of its pickup truck assembly lines because of lack of parts supplied by makers in Japan.

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and to sound even more insensitive, maybe this would help our US economy if we would start up plants to make parts we need.

Sheri Becker

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>and to sound even more insensitive, maybe this would help our
>US economy if we would start up plants to make parts we need.

I don't think your comment is insensitive. During the course of disasters which affect us all in some way, I think it's natural to consider consequences and the future. Hindsight is 20/20 after all, and it's foolish not to use that clarity to begin discussions.

But Nikon is the only company that can make Nikon cameras. It's up to Nikon to consider manufacturing diversification with sufficient investment and globalization commitment to build a D700, D3/s/x/etc., plant in the U.S. or Canada. I think the same goes for Canon, Samsung, Panasonic, Pentas, Olympus, etc., etc.

As for car and truck parts, well, plenty of U.S.-based makers have made deals with Japanese makers, and plenty of Euro-based makers have made deals with Chinese makers and U.S. makers, and so and so on. JIT manufacturing of cameras, cars and trucks is globalized. Picking the right supplier sources and locations involves long-term commitments because of the huge start-up/tool-up investments needed to make it work in a profitable way.

Many businesses in the U.S., Canada and much of western Europe have spent the last 35 years pushing major sections of their operations around the world just like pieces on a chessboard. Undoing that won't make the quakes stop in California, Oregon or Washington state, won't stop massive volcanoes from erupting in Iceland, and it won't get us car or truck assembly parts any faster or better. We effectively give up certain things when we actively go for the lowest price and the best discount every time we step out of the house to go shopping. I'm often just as 'guilty' of that as the next person. Changing that, IMO, has more to do with collective will than it does with profitable business operations, subduction zones, fault lines, tsunami zones or the Pacific ring of fire.

I think that as long as we collectively agree to allow the lowest market prices and the highest possible corporate profits to govern the range of choices and decisions available to us, the status quo will continue.

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Sorry, I think I meant to say Thailand. I just remember looking at the bottom of my D700 a couple of days ago and it definitely didn't say made in Japan!

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>Sorry, I think I meant to say Thailand. I just remember
>looking at the bottom of my D700 a couple of days ago and it
>definitely didn't say made in Japan!

The accessory grip for the D700 is made in Thailand, but I don't think any D700 bodies have ever been made in Thailand. Could you check again? If your D700 body was made in Thailand, it's news I think.

Somebody correct me here, please! I thought that there was one - and only one - D700 line at Nikon and that it is located in Sendai. Thom Hogan says the same thing I believe.

If Nikon in fact has previously done a run of D700 bodies from a Thailand plant, then the recent disaster might not affect supplies as severely as anticipated now.

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If a sample of one is any use, my D700 was made in Japan. Like you, I thought all D700's were.

Brian
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Ditto - Made in Japan. Purchased in April of 2009

You are correct. That was the very reason that I sold my D300 and bought a D700. Sadly, the grip is outsourced but that is because the MB-D10 works on both bodies. Outsourcing is a cancer that bodes ill for every nation. I have spent some time in Japan and my heart is breaking for their loss.

You are once again taking this discussion into areas that are outside our Terms of Use, Robert.

This thread will be locked if you continue.

Brian
Welsh Nikonian
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Just cruising some sites in Canada and some places are gouging, upping the price on the D700 to $2700 Cdn. Nikon list price is $2499. And yet other stores are still selling at $2149. Always best to shop around but I'll still wait for the replacement. Hopefully it will also take the MB-D10.

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Hello Guy,

Just for interest, my D700 has "Made in Japan" on it.

Regards,

John

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My D700 is clearly marked "Made in Japan".

My D7000 on the other hand is made in Thailand.

Marcel

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I bought my first D700 (upgrading from D200) literally hours before the price increase. Mine says "made in Japan".
There was an article in Nikon Rumors about Nikon possibly moving some production from Sendai to Malaysia (see link below). I'm not sure if this would impact the D700.

On a positive note, I just heard today that our Freescale Semiconductor fab in Sendai had accounted for all employees. Best news I've heard all week!
Cheers, Joe Mac

Nikon Rumors (@nikonrumors)
3/18/11 0:43
Nikon may relocate some production from Sendai to Malaysia:
Bloomberg reports that Nikon is currently discussin... bit.ly/fdzl8o

Cheers, Joe Mac
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>I don't wish to sound insensitive, but bringing the
>discussion back to prices increases, I don't really understand
>the sudden price increases as the D700 is made in Taiwan, not
>Japan. Obviously over time the price may increase as I'm sure
>Nikon will have to invest a lot of money in re-building
>infrastructure etc.
>

Speculation is why there is a price increase. In the last few years everything that is produced and is shipped from one country to another has been prone to speculation. The price of the d700 has dropped in Britain possibly because of an impending new camera. Now that there is a hold up then the price drop will probably be discontinued. The law of supply and demand is at work. Or to be blunt profiteering for the sake of it is taking place.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/43019448@N04/

Oh dear, I'm never going to be able to show my face on here again. Sincere apologies to everyone on Nikonians - it is my battery grip that is made in Thailand, not by D700 itself. I feel like such a ****! That will teach me to post something at work when I haven't actually got the product in front of me.

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>Oh dear, I'm never going to be able to show my face on here
>again. Sincere apologies to everyone on Nikonians - it is my
>battery grip that is made in Thailand, not by D700 itself.

Forget about it. If you don't show up, we'll only get worried and send out a search party. Some of us are just relieved that you don't have some sort of weird knock-off camera!

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Lol. Thanks Howard.

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