roxics
Veteran
I'd suggest it's a matter of perspective. If one is to look at the premium package price as being the actual price of the camera and the lower tiers as being a way to buy into the camera at a discount, with the option of immediate upgrading whenever you are ready to invest, it may actually start to seem like a positive rather than a negative.
I think you nailed it. My first reaction was the same as many here. They are crippling the camera through software so that you have to pay more. But really you could say that you are getting a discount if you exclude software feature X.
This camera is still well out of my budget to own, but hopefully rental prices will be decent.