How about a firmware revision for older Phase backs?
Marc
The "semi" official response to this by the Phase dealer was to use
better finder rename. I use this software, but rarely and of course it's just another step in the chain that requires another batch processing effort, though fast, the more steps you include, the more room for error.
It's interesting to me that Phase touts the new P65+with sensor plus technology as a system that will be constantly upgraded through firmware additions over time. Sounds like a good idea, though the first addition (the sensor plus tech) required sending the back to the factory for the upgrade (not a good idea). Same with upgrades to the actual Phase camera.
If medium format is going to continue to sell itself as a long term investment, then some backwards support for still viable products should give the impression that owners that previously "invested" in the Phase Kodak sensored backs or any Phase product will be long term viable. Does the almost new Mamiya III work with the soon to be delivered LS lens, or do you need the IV? Has anyone received a Phase e-mail to clarify this?
From backs to cameras it's not a big leap to develop the impression that unless you put down 20k more for an upgrade, your might to be sitting on something that will eventually be Phased Out (no pun intended).
In regards to the price of upgrades is there any clear published source that shows exactly what it costs to upgrade from product A to Product B?
The information stream from the factories, especially Phase seems to be a mystery and has no single point of origin. We get information from Michael on this site that Phase will not announce new products until they are ready to ship. This is the same site that a few years ago published Phase's roadmap that didn't come to pass, so at some point we have to ask ourselves what to believe.
We get information from the phase dealers on this site about upgrades in software, new products/accessories that are yet not shipping (think LS lenses and right angle grips) and the same dealers have these items listen on their websites.
We get e-mail blasts from the company that are pretty much just sales tools.
Unless something has changed Michael is not the official spokesperson for Phase One, the dealers need to be all up to speed on what the official factory policies are and it's up to the maker to police their own information stream.
The recent announcement that Phase did/did not, might have bought the controlling interest in Mamiya is another example. Somehow all the Phase connected people got excited about the news, but stopped short of giving the details, even changing information on the fly.
There really needs to be some single point of information that comes direct, lives to the maker's own deadline and gives the buyer some assurance that what they buy today will be viable tomorrow and the user continue to do their work without spending a zillion hours keeping up with what is or is not available, how firmware updgrades are implemented, what version of software does or does not work with each operating system, etc. etc.
It seems that today, every big ticket item drops to half price the moment you turn the key and start it up, so if you make a mistake on your purchase it's a costly one. Less so with $7,000 dslrs, or $8,000 used backs, much more so with new $40,000 camera backs.
I think that's the reason you see a great deal of interest in people buying used or demo equipment or just saying to hell with it and going with a Canon, Nikon or Sony, or if you actually "need" a medium format back, most working photographers, either buy or rent a 39mpx back stick it on a Hasselblad H and get to work.
Good economy/bad economy, it's not just the front end savings, it's the back end penalty that worries people and clear information is the start of giving the buyer assurance that they won't get stuck.
IMO
B
