You've got to love competition (and a strong $AUD).
Gamma now has the QHY9 listed for $3,000 which brings it close to the ST8300 and well below the new Orion cameras.
According to the website, the Colour version of the QHY9 (expected soon) is also expected to list below $2,000!?!? Typo???
http://web.aanet.com.au/~gama/QHY9%20prices.html