All good points John.

I only think they subject themselves to greater scrutiny and more critical outlook by the high starting price. When an E-PM1 or GF3 or an NEX-3 can be had for $500, or a GF2 or an E-PL2 can be had (all in stores now, I might add) for $400 what does Nikon put on top that adds $150-$250 of value? Its almost like Nikon (and Pentax for that matter) cant be bothered with being competitive in cost.