only B&H mentions this rebate, anyone know why that is, or why sony are offering a rebate

the pd170 at 2700 is less than $500 over the vx2100

They've been running this $300 rebate for over a year (well, technically its a new offer that started 4/1/2006 and running until September, but they had an identical $300 rebate running from 4/1/2005 to 3/31/2006). So I wouldn't take it as a sign that they're going to be replacing the PD170/VX2100 in the near future. I think Sony considers the Z1U/FX1 to be its replacement, even though there's a considerable market for an updated SD camera with the low-light performance of the PD170 but in a 16:9 format.

There's been talk off-and-on of Sony having stopped production of the line for a while, but that was fairly long ago and, if true, I would think the inventory would have been gone by now. So its more a question of "is it the best camera for your needs?" The price difference vs. the VX2100 makes it a pretty good value if you need the XLR inputs, reasonable shotgun mike, wide-angle lens, and improvements to manual controls (manual gain, a few more steps on the aperture). I purchased a VX2100 in March and have been happy with the choice and saving a little money, but a few of those pluses of the PD170 might sway me towards spending the extra money if repeating the purchase.

-Terence

so is the $300 rebate from Sony or B&H? How long have B&H been offering the camera for 3K (before rebate) do you know?

The rebate is from Sony -- you can follow the link at:

http://bssc.sel.sony.com/BroadcastandBusiness/DisplayModel?m=0&p=2&sp=11&id=71949

I'm not sure how long B&H has had the PD170 priced at $3000 -- I think its been discounted for a while. Its a good value if you don't need HD or 16:9.

-Terence

I got my rebate.