Word.
Bottom line on the Pentax is this.
If you work in commerce and your shooting 6 figure projects 9.999 times out of 10 you'll use a phase or a leaf if the job requires medium format.
Pentax played their hand with the D having virtually no tethering, a tiny buffer and no immediate solution for any professional processing suite.
Now with the Z, tethering is in the future, professional support isn't mentioned.
For some that's fine, for me that's not.
I hear Pentax will do this, will do that, set up this, offer that, but that's not today and today most of us are working for a living.
And BTW:: Having a good dealer for Leaf and Phase doesn't mean the products are faulty or lack maturity, it just means you have a true professional to assist you and all of us or only as good as who we work with.
EVERY camera company has had issues. Even deep pockets Nikon, Canon and Sony have pushed stuff out too soon.
Example: (One of many)
Steve Hendrix has helped me source equipment at 9pm at night. When I bought my S2 from him, I got goofy and tried to put an old tilt shift on the contax adapter (bad move) the night before the shoot. It jammed and I called Steve who was on his roof clearing his gutters.
The next day I had a new adapter. That's the service professionals need.
I own broncolor HMI's, the blue ones. Nobody has them, nobody in the U.S. knows anything about them. If I want a part, a fix, another one . . . Steve finds it. So yea, a good dealer is priceless and when it comes time for me to buy a new medium format anything, Steve is first on my list,
second would be Doug and Lance.
I just wish CI sold motion equipment because they'd get all of my business.
I'll tell you I don't understand why everyone loses their mind over the price of professional cameras, especially medium format. Phase/Leaf/Hasselblad/Leica don't have supenoa power, they just offer a product and it's up to the buyer to make the decision.
If you think there price is too high, don't buy. If you're mad that they won't sell you a $26,000 camera for 8 grand, go a different direction. There is more to costs than upfront.
My ancient Phase backs are still very viable, produce a unique look and the service I get from Capture Integration is the same today as it was when my backs were new, the software is improved every year.
That's a professional requirement that has made me money for a lot of years and I have no worries using it today, or tomorrow and btw: my phase backs have never had one single service. Not even a loose screw. With Leaf I loved the look, some of the best work in my life with their backs, the ONLY issue was way back then with their software which they fixed a billion years ago. Yair is one of the most honest and stand up guys on the planet and will go to extraordinary lengths to save your ass.
So for anyone to get mad at the dealer system is just damn silly. These a pros that should be rewarded for their efforts and none I know are driving 911's or moving into 5,000 sq. ft. beach houses in Malibu.
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Now in regards to my comments on RED, I don't care who uses an Arri. I know a lot of operators and dps that prefer Arri, none (absolutely none I know) own one as the production company sets the budget and arranges for the equipment. Most DP's own a dslr or a small black magic pocket cam for fun.
Though the dps I know that don't like RED uses them when their shooting on their own money, so it can't be that bad.
Me, I hate renting, I buy.
My RED's (two R1's and the Scarlet) work reliably and professionally, make me money and have never had a repair after going around the world multiple times. I've had one break on a Rocket Card and one EVF had some issues, other than that their bulletproof and my RED rep helps me whether I'm in our London, Dallas or LA facility.
Maybe Arri does also, I'll probably never know because an Alexa is 80 grand my reds were about 24k a body and the Alexa weighs twice what the RED's do, so for my style of work, the Alexa is too big.
And though I work around the world, use equipment from every company, I'm kind of proud that the RED's are made in America. No other pro camera is.
Also I never said RED made a still camera to equal medium format, or even a mid range dslr, but I did say they make cameras for the new media world where motion and still content come together in an electronic pallet. But honestly if the "special frame" is more compelling from the motion grab than the still shot a client will always pick the most compelling image.
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We have an upcoming print ad that we co op with another company that will run in CA. Today I'm doing concepts, This is my studio's money, the media buy is as much as a Pentax the production costs even more and I know I'll probably shoot it with my ancient Phase backs.
Since this is my face to the world and probably the most important imagery we produce I could use anything.
IMO
BC
P.S. And for a disclaimer, nobody gives me anything for free. I don't ask because knowledgeable people and companies should be compensated for their services.
