I would hope there are 2,000, or 10,000 or 20,000 digital backs sold a year.
These numbers might be a stretch, but the more professional equipment sold, the better the signs of a healthy industry.
I know some people think mfdbs are priced high, heck even at times I've felt like that, but when you step back and look at it, professional equipment always cost more than prosumer equipment and should.
But just for the record I don't believe that anyone has a right to know what a privately held company sells or receives in gross and net income.
That's between the owners, the government and well . . . that's it.
You know for years I've heard photographers say, ___________ (fill in the blank with any well known celebrity photographer) makes 6 figures a day and that's waaaay too much.
I've always felt the opposite, because the more the top person in any industry makes, the higher the bar, the more respected the industry is.
The sad thing is this thread started out with a negative title and now has even taken a turn for the worse.
Steve, who I know well, answered a question about tech camera use to be helpful and did so without any intentions other than to inform.
That now has been once again twisted to the negative for reasons that make absolutely no sense to me.
For the record, this week were shooting a day and mostly night time project with a Canon 1dx at about a gazaillion ISO. (whatever ISO is).
The file is pretty good, the focus is pretty good, but this is a very specialized project with a lot of low light LEDs and a lot of night shooting.
I rented the 1dx(s) and today asked for quotes to buy one or two. The thing is I'm almost positive that at the end of two years I'll probably sell it and I'll just bet you in those two years I'll still own and still be working with my digital backs.
The d800 might be a good camera, but I've got 30 something megapixel cameras that are paid for and work very well and have deep rich ccd files which I find superior to any cmos file I've shot.
They don't do what a 1dx does, the 1dx does not do what they do.
Others may feel different, but that doesn't matter to me.
What does is this week we have three magliners full of cameras and we're using them all. From Canons to Nikons to RED Ones, a Scarlet and our Contax/Phase(s).
Clients noticed them all and the cameras they noticed the most were the original RED 1's and the Contax, mostly because they are just different looking than the standard dslr.
Now does that make me a better photographer . . . no . . .did owning those cameras get me the gig . . . no. . . but in a client's mind does this add to the professionalism of the project. I believe yes, because it was mentioned.
This is a competitive industry and everyone that prospers must be 100% complete with presentation, estimation, creative treatments, performance, crew, equipment, post production, and final billing.
So, I hope the medium format industry stays healthy.
I hope all segments of the professional photography industries prosper . . . myself included.
IMO
BC