Many Internet forums were bursting with disappointment during Photokina, as it seemed that the DSLR wars were suddenly confined to consumer cameras (Sony Alpha 100, Canon 400D XTi, Nikon D80, Olympus E400, Pentax K10D, etc.). Where was the rumored Canon pro model, the Nikon D3h or x, the pro lenses? Sure, a Leica M8, Fujifilm S5 Pro, and Hasselblad H3 announcement were enough to keep our hopes up, but the two big horses didn't show. What gives?
The short answer: Photokina this year was about protecting the meat of the market. With only slightly over 5m DSLR unit sales to go round amongst many increasingly hungry vendors, and with the vast majority of those being US$999 or lower in price, the heavy action was destined to be at the consumer end. Nikon, Canon, Sony, Pentax, and Olympus all need to hit the market center hard first before worrying about the much smaller pro market.
Some also lamented that the megapixel wars continue unabated (now at 10mp and rising), but I think that's seeing the wrong message. What I take from early test samples of all these 10mp DSLRs is that the underlying differences in image quality are now mostly gone (yes, that means that I think that the Nikon D80 and Canon XTi are nearly equivalent in noise handling at high ISO values). If you're making camera choices based upon pixel peeping, I think you're out of step with where the products now are--the lens you choose may have more impact on your imaging. For consumer cameras, at least, we're now squarely starting the handling and feature war zone (to be followed by the lower pricing shootout). Anti-dust-stabilization-live view-superbuffer anyone?
But if you're looking for pro equipment, don't despair. 2007 is looking like it will launch the next round of pro gear, and probably from more directions and with higher quality and feature sets than you expect.