As James said
There were some great prices on Aptus 17's. You can get into Valeo's for $5k-$7k and they do produce stunning images. although the whole Harddrive QPAX viewer is a bit cumbersom it is not terrible. The RZ was a lot heavier. You already have a Contax and there are mounts out there.
You can pick up P20's for under $10k as well, even though it gives you a Square chip it still gives you an amzing file and lets you use the waist level finder on the Contax which is great.
On the profit margin. This is all debatable. Retail locations only make 8% profit on Apple products. That is nothing. But they want to draw you in to buy all the other accesories you will need. Like camera stores used to do as wel. They wanted to sell you film, CF cards, wipes, lens caps, camera bags, tripods, paper, gels, etc..etc..etc..
As someone said that they would have to sell twice as much to make it profitable. I know they would sell four times as much if they made a P20 at $5k and a P25 at $8k. You have all the weekend warriors and photo vest crowd that don't want to spend $15k on a used back. But would spend under $10k.
Backs are out there being returned and the people getting the sweet deals are the people that know the retailors of these systems. This is why I don't care about retailors, no retailor ever helped me and the only retail I use is B&H and K&M and don't expect anything from them other than ROCK BOTTOM PRICES. The only good retailor I use on a regular basis is Sammy's and they have been great. I have never met a person there either, it has all been phone orders.
With the way the internet sells today. Phase and all the makers could sell online only and cut out the retailors. They stock it at their facility they drop ship direct where the customer pays shipping. No need for US warehousing. You have SVEN in the warehouse being told what mount to put on the back. He tests it for accurate focus and you ship it out. You buy on line if something happens you have an AMAZING warranty return from Phase. I am sure Leaf and Sinar can do the same thing. You then make all the backs available from the Hassy V to the Contax 645 and everything in between. You reopen the use of the Hassy V and the Contax not just the AFD II and H1. The greed of the retail market is what killed the other cameras. If the retailor wants to order it and have his customer. They can order the same way and mark it up 8% and then they can talk the shit that for the extra 8% you get the support we can give you and have come to trust. They then can sell them the flying butterfly, air rocket, lens cloth, camera bodies and lenses. As a MFDB maker you can hire a teacher to give classes once a month in the cities that require, so they learn your software. Won't cost you anything, you hire the guy to teach the class rent the studio for the day. Charge $175 to $250 per student and your set. Leaf does this in NYC and LA every month.
The only retailor I like was Ken Hansen. FC, L&R and MOST of the others only care if you're Weber or Meisel and if you think otherwise you are wrong and they have snowed you.
Hell you can even have SVEN making Bronica mounts, Hassy V mounts that do not require a cable, plates for the RZ so you can fit any mounted back.
Why isn't this being done? Because all the backroom behind the door deals that goes on between all the greed of the retailor, manufacturer and reps. Why doesn't B&H sell this stuff? Because they do not need all the BULLSHIT that goes on here. They are laughing all the way to the bank every Friday at 1pm.
I go to B&H once a month and everytime I go there I see some one famous and I am NOT talking screech. Francis Ford Coppola, Rod Stewart, Billy Joel, the Albino Priest guy from Davinci Code, David Bowie and the list goes on. Do you think Coppola can't call his rep at Arri and say I want this and get it.
SO TO ALL MFDB MAKERS. MAKE SOME MONEY AND KEEP EVERYONE HAPPY!