I believe I am known here on Lu-La for saying honest and with integrity...
Have you guys payed a visit to Fotoman in Shenzhen, China??? I have, including attempting to develop new product with Charley who owns and runs it. I also attended his mediocre tea session "invitation for press" for the launch of his Dmax. My recommendation is to forget them for anything relating to digital --- PERIOD. I will explain why.
Some background; Fotoman was originally run out of Hong Kong by an American and Canadian in team with Charley on China side (Charley sold the products in China, the others internationally). Apparent, Charley had come up with a 617 camera that the American and Canadian "developed further" and with "CNC" machining. Sure, those where more well built than other China brands, weighed a ton. However the "CNC" machining part was somewhat overrated in my opinion. I bought my 617 from old stock directly from Charley in Shenzhen late 2009 but have since sold it. The above explains why Fotomancamera.com has "ceased" fabrication and Charley try to continue his business in China, but... of course also in China people nowadays use digital, and more and more professionals and high end amateurs use digital backs. All that is left for Charley is thus a shrinking market in China of old film users... unless he would make a very high quality digital product for digital back, which seems he does not understand how to make. Apparent Fotoman China also have left over bills to a main supplier who prior had supported them... which I read makes some problems for Charley...
At time I first visited Charley, he showed me a prototype for Dmax and saying it was for digital as well as film. He showed me the digital back he developed it with, an old 6MP back!!!! Go figure about tolerances... and what tolerances you need for a 6MP back compared to film, and tolerances necessary for latest 80MP backs or even around 20~30MP backs compared to a 6MP back... There is a major difference. Add to that all the sliding planes on Dmax and his backplate interface, and you have a camera that absolute not is reliable for any digital tolerances. Now he shows on website he sells the smaller "Dwide" with a P20+ back. My guess is that is the prototype since he had agreed to me to not use the Dwide name!!! The idea for such a camera for digital was mine, however Charley would not listen to design for digital and digital tolerances, nor for a quality small camera that were well suited for the digital back market. Thus he went with his own design, which places very high doubts on tolerances and if it will be reliable for digital. Perhaps it can be shimmed after you receive it, but it also depends on the accuracy or lack of such for his back plate interface, and the accuracy or lack of for his COPY of dedicated Mamiya 645 mount.
In short: I have no confidence in that his cameras are acceptable for tolerances required for digital, which are to at least 0.02mm as compared to film 0.2mm. While Charley may now understand that CNC machining to 0.01mm tolerances are required, I can witness that he has absolute no comprehension how tolerances of each such part should be assembled and designed in order to MINIMIZE the tolerances to within 0.02mm for digital, nor of the adjustments or design that is required for a digital back. His business is very small and he does not have his own factory but outsource from even people that have never made any cameras. Helical focuses? Last I heard he had major problems with a new supplier... Old stock was different. His cameras for film? I would suggest to buy a used Linhof.
Above in frank and honest, and I will decline to provide further info. At current I use latest 80MP Leaf AFi-II 12 on Hy6 but am saving $$ for Alpa STC. Alpa knows tolerance and their STC is the smartest design out there.
Best regards,
Anders