For what it's worth, I have had good experience with CPS (and heard mostly good reports from others and not the case with Nikon).
When it comes to which camera is more reliable - an H body or a Mamiya/Phase body, I do not believe it is possible for you or anyone else to really say, in critically accurate terms, no matter what is posted here. Meaning, even the highest volume dealers, including CI, will have a good sense of it, but even then, there are so many variables that unless you are a high volume shooter, choosing an H body or a Mamiya/Phase body based on the expected durability will not provide a clear advantage for either.
Are they reliable? This question does not provide the basis for an objective measurement. For someone who has never needed a repair, they are very, very reliable! For someone who needed a repair within 4 months after purchase on their 3rd outing with the camera, they are not very reliable at all. For someone shooting high volume who suffers a failure 18 months after purchase, the camera might not be considered unreliable, but they would probably wish it was more reliable.
These are electronic devices with moving parts inside them - they are often bound to fail at some point, some sooner than later. Even the most reliable automobile, while it may go for hundreds of thousands of miles, for some, they have a failure within the first year. These cameras are reliable enough - otherwise, they would not be selling, I understand there are exceptions, and certain cases. But you'll mostly hear of the failures, and you'll never really hear from the others who have not had a problem. Certainly anyone who suffers a failure would like them to be more reliable. But to your pertinent question - which is more reliable, I don't think there is an answer one way or the other and it would not be my reason for choosing one of the other.
When it comes to the digital backs, I would state that they are more reliable than the cameras (or the lenses/shutters) in either case. Although don't believe you cannot suffer a failure there - I would certainly state that yes, we have digital backs, both old and new, that require repair. But a significantly smaller percentage than the cameras/lenses. Generally, it is quite common that a digital back captures x00,000 actuations without ever needing any service or repair whatsoever.
Your camera and lenses are what is most likely going to need the servicing and repairs, but between the two systems, I don't see a difference in terms of the likelihood of these events.
Steve Hendrix
Capture Integration
