sorry,
I'm joining this discussion kinda late, but I've been following it since it started, and I'm very excited about what I've been reading. This interview was an eye-opener to a camera, that IMO, will be a game changer.
let me 1st say though, I'm a current college student, a photo major here in LA. I know that many of you participating in this thread are established pro's, so you're looking at it from a standpoint of "will this give me and my clients what we need/want for a reasonable price?", please correct me if I'm wrong.
since I'm a student, and making photographs is my passion, I've been considering getting a 5dII, as my 1st digital solution in cooperation with my MF-film kit, as well as LF(when time is permitting,etc...). I've really wanted to go to MF digital, since 35mm never really felt "right" in my hands, but I've gotten so used to the quality and the "look" of MF film, that its been hard starting to shoot assignments, and my own work, with a digital solution that can match MF film quality.
After this camera was announced, and at the supposed pricepoint($6500), I almost jumped for joy, thinking "hey, this camera I can (almost) afford, and it can get as close as I can afford to MF/LF film!
I know that many of you will answer with, "film, wtf is film?", but since I picked up an RZ kit for less than a grand, and since then have added a few lenses, I'm still less than the cost of a 5dII body, much less in terms of price. The thing that really gets me about digital capture(at least to my eyes), is the creaminess of it, its just smooth(when done right obviously). And the 5dII with L-lenses is a great camera to shoot with, light and fast, and easily bump it up to 800 or 1600iso, and shoot available light into the dusk, no problem.
motion ain't my thing, yet, but as BCooter and others have made us aware of, going from a stills to motion camera is about a 5 min change. Easy as that.
so, for my stills-only game, from a student's standpoint, this camera is a game-changer. PHASE, MAMIYA, LEAF(P1), watch out, once this camera hits stores I think it'll fly. And when it gets to the US, it'll rock!
just my $.02, from a budget-limited student of photography.
-Dan