Poulson's rant was an unfortunate embarrassment. I can't imagine what he was thinking.
Michael
I assume he's trying to communicate a clear message in a very confusing environment.
On the lower but more featured side he has Canon/Nikon/Sony even Panasonic vying for the same buyer's dollars, on the equal side he has Phase/Leaf (if it now Phase Leaf?) and somewhere above or below Hasselblad has Leica entering the scene.
Add in RED, especially the Scarlet and it's a very crowded market for a professional camera maker that is asking anything more than $1,500 or in the world of medium format stills 10 to 20 times that.
Phase may not be as publicly blunt about competitors though many of their dealers are so maybe that's Hasselblad's thinking.
As a photographer, even if your busy, it's confusing on what to buy. New medium format, almost medium format, new dslrs that are still capture only like the D3x, combination cameras that are pretty good at everything, not great at any one thing and then you see something like the Panasonic come to market and that seems like a slam dunk purchase.
Add into the fact as we move forward with more motion imagery, we need continuous lights rather than strobe, which for most of us means about 50 grand of lighting goes unused, different tripods, fluid/friction heads, new software, sound equipment, even different camera cases.
The upside is we have more choice than ever, the downside is everything is changing so fast it's hard to make a decision.
I've heard Mr. Poulson speak, he emphasized (at the time) Canon was the competition, but as things go, it's always Phase vs. Hasselblad battling it out.
Then as a business person I have this thought of moving forward, invest more, roll the dice, or the natural tendency to hold pat, limit costs, don't invest in anything until I absolutely must have it.
So in some ways, I feel for Mr. Paulson, because I know getting the message out is difficult.
In other moments I wonder why after all of these years medium format puts out such a confusing message.
Now if anyone asked me what I would like it would be a 20 mpx camera, that shot raw stills and motion, up to 60 fps, as slow as 8 fps, fast accurate autofocus, (see Nikon D3), high iso, great detail (see Hasselblad/Phase, intuative software, (see lightroom), great service (see Leaf Of America), huge lenses selections, (see Canon Nikon) and one single source where I can buy everything I need to get to work (see RED).
Right now, nobody's message is clear and Mr. Poulson does not have a monopoly on that.
BC
