i also expect the price to be on the high side. fuji's niche is cameras for photography enthusiasts and pros who either have money to spare to get something unique or want certain eccentric things bad enough to save up for it.
some people will think it's ridiculous, but i've pretty much decided that the design is so ugly, i'm not going to buy it. it's a non-starter. i like old stuff, but i don't like new stuff that looks like a lousy copy of old stuff. if it's a great "copy," well, that's not really a copy at all, but a new design inspired by the past. the product designers at fuji took a risk, but the design is a failure, imo. gotta give them that, at least.
also, it's probably just my disgust at the design, but i doubt that the contrast detect autofocus or manual focus aids will cut it for me. a DOF scale in the viewfinder is not the same as a DOF scale on the lens, and a plain focusing ring is not the same as one with a focusing tab. i can only hope ricoh gets their act together and puts passive af in a similarly viewfindered camera.
anyhow, just venting. maybe i'll change my mind later.