I am considering the purchase of a used DCS Pro back for my Contax 645. When I bought the Contax system last fall--prior to its being discontinued by Kyocera--my objective always was to go digital when I could afford to purchase a back, and make do with scanned film until then. My "back" moment may have arrived, but I have some trepidation about it. Of note, my primary subjects are fine-art landscapes, portraits, and abstract work.
As you all know, the COntax 645 will be an orphan after the end of this year, though Kyocera or its successor ToCAD will support it for a time longer. The same is true with Kodak and its digital backs, although I was not able to find the end-of-service date on Kodak's website.
I guess I'm nervous about investing in an orphan back, new or used, to hang on an orphaned camera system. (I love the Contax--best camera I've ever used, bar none.) It's more serious an issue with the back, given that no one knows whether image-reading/manipulating software will be available for its format a few years down the road. My intention would be to shoot raw, open the raw images in ACR (which works with the back's raw files but is not officially supported, according to MR), then convert them to DNG format for future-proofing as much as possible.
With the Contax being discontinued, one wonders how long Leaf, PhaseOne, and the other back-makers will continue developing backs for it. I had counted on prices to decline over time into the affordability range, but I am concerned that backmakers will not develop newer, less expensive, and ?better backs for an obsolete camera. The DCS Pro would fit my requirements nicely in the here and now.
Any thoughts re the advisability of this purchase? Comments re the quality of the back and its images? Reviews I've read elsewhere are good to excellent--has that been the experience here?
Thanks to all.