One site reader pointed out something to me in an email that really needs some extended commentary this time of year.
Consider this dilemma: right now you can buy a Nikon V1 or Samsung NX1000 for US$350 (with kit lenses). Now the factors that most people are using to determine whether to buy these days tend to be price, size, and image quality. What happens when one of those factors is the same, and the other two are opposites?
We're back to my old bugaboo: what's your goal here? Are you buying a camera just to buy a new camera, or do you have a particular need in mind that should drive the decision? The NX1000 is the clear winner in image quality, but it is somewhat bigger than the V1, doesn't have an EVF, and has slower focus. In other words, we start tallying pluses and minuses.
Or consider this: you can get a Nikon V1 for US$350 and a Sony RX-100 for US$650. Both use 1" sensors, though the Sony divides that into 20mp (and very competently). The Sony will slip into my shirt pockets, the V1 takes a big jacket pocket, minimum.
You really need to start your shopping with a tally list of needs and wants and priorities before you start looking at what's available and what price it is. If your tally list was "viewfinder, smaller than DSLR, compatibility with Nikon," that V1 at US$350 will look really tempting. Indeed, it's probably a slam dunk. But if your tally list is "fits in pocket to carry everywhere, best possible image quality," then the Sony RX-100 starts to look very good, and you have to then compare it to other options that fit tally point #1 (pocketable): Olympus XZ2, Panasonic LX7, Canon S110, etc. Oh, there the "best possible image quality" point suddenly picks the Sony, doesn't it?
But we're back in the old joke: cost, speed, size, pick two. That's the way the camera market is right now. There isn't likely going to be a camera that hits all your tally points perfectly. That RX-100 is a great camera for carrying all the time, but it's expensive.
The camera makers just want to move hardware. Some of it they want to move more desperately than others. They know that price is a factor everyone picks up on when all else is equal. Just make sure everything else is equal! If it isn't, make sure you know what it is you value most.
Technology always impresses me with one thing: over time we tend to get more and more competent products at (inflation adjusted) lower and lower prices. My mom paid more for her Nikkomat FTN and lenses back in the 60's than she would for a very high-end DSLR set today. Don't get too hung up on the price side of the equation. Make sure that you're getting what you need.