Kenafein - I think Spike's quoting Oz prices of the D3100 mid-kit. I get my gear at Digital Camera Warehouse in Sydney, so I'll quote their site prices. They're about midrange for prices here - but they're running a full shopfront with very helpful, well-informed staff, not just online. The last thing I bought there was a tripod - in the lower price ranges - but they set up 5 of 3 different brands to show function and stability, as well as fold-down size - I needed one that fits in a backpack to carry on public transport.
At present their site says $643.00 body only, $729.00 with 18-55mm VR, and the $899.00 kit is with 18-55mm VR and 55-200 VR. The next-up with 18-55mm VR and 55-300 VR for $979.00 seems a better deal - if moving up from Bridge-Zoom to DSLR and wanting more comparable 'reach'.
That's still not even close to US prices, though the AUD is around parity or just above the USD at present.
I'm told we pay more for cameras here because we're such a "tiny market". Hmmm.... This State, New South Wales - has a larger population than over 50% of US States - though you do have a lot more States! And I must admit the US can beat us on City population - it has 1 City with more than Sydney - New York.
So if "pricing" goes on "tiny market" populations - a D3100 base-kit must be about $10,000 in Wyoming... Ahem...!
No - I think it's what the Corporations think they can do to folk outside their US / Japan home markets. And that will probably continue until our very clued-up-marketing Chinese friends can produce an entry-level DSLR with functions 90% equal to a K-R - but they'd make at least "3 versions" - Pentax, Canon and Nikon mounts - and sell them with a "throw-away starter" 18-55mm lens - for about $199.95 at shop-counter...
The day those start flooding the entry-level DSLR market - is about when we'll see prices here drop to "US level" for the "actual-real" entry level DSLRs...
Unlikely...? About as unlikely, one would have thought - as China becoming a larger car market than the US....
Regards, Dave.