| +1 on not many price breaks thanks to earthquake and tsunami damage to production facilities. The good news is that the major producers have recently, or are in the process, of releasing the new models. As above mentioned, look for deals on the older models that are still on the market but are being superseded by newer models. I am not that familiar with Nikon, Olympus, etc as I'm mostly a Canon enthusiast, but Canon actually usually keeps the immediate predecessor to the most recent model in stock but at reduce prices, it isn't until a third generation model comes on board that they normally discontinue the older model. For example, when the 350D was released, Canon kept the older 300D in stock. It wasn't discontinued until the 400D came out. Price drop when a newer model come out is normally $150 to $250. For Canon, new models in each line normally come out every 18 months, with releases being staggered over the various lines. For example, Canon just came out with the 60D earlier this year in their mid-level SLR line, and it's predecessor was the 50D. So there should be a newer model in the mid-level SLR line around the end of 2012 or beginning of 2013. Whether or not they'll keep on that schedule with the problems they're having with getting parts, etc is another question. And as they're having problems producing enough of the new models to meet demand, there may not be as big a price drop with the older models.
I just bought one of the new Canon 60Ds, as a matter of fact, to replace my 350D which is several years old. Canon also has a cheaper line of SLRs in their 'digital Rebel' line. The 350D (also known as the XT) was one of the early digital Rebel models. For various reasons, I decided to upgrade to the mid-line model rather than buy another Rebel, mostly because I wanted some of the capabilities of the 60D that aren't used in the Rebel line, not because there is anything wrong with the Rebels. Current Rebel models run around $500 to $600, I paid a bit more than $1,000 for the 60D at BJs (store line similar to Sam's Club and Costco) on sale. I've seen the 50D price anywhere from $800 to $900 now that the 60D is out. Mind, if you are going into SLRs, expect that the combined price of your lenses - and sometimes a single lens! - will be quite a bit more than any camera body you buy, even if you spring for the 5D or similar top-of-the-line SLR ($5,000 or so...)
Don't know if this info will help or not...
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