Photography - in the artistic sense - is rapidly losing grip on economic reality.
Don't think so, it's just becoming more 'up front' as opposed to years of buying and processing film, nevermind scanning. A DSLR and especially a med format system has to be seen as an investment that will prove worthwhile and more profitable than the equivelent film usage, after a year or two not straight away.
Where it falls down is for those who are buying the camera or back then upgrading it before it has paid for itself in film savings. As with any business expense it has to be done sensibly. If you speak to your accountant it may be far more prudent to go digital, I'm sure that once the quality was there, that is the reason that the big boys are changing over, not necessarily because they like digital better though it may be an added bonus.
To put it into perspective, I bought a 2nd hand 1Ds for £2500. It was paid for in film _savings_ within 3 months of a wedding season. That means that for the amount of frames shot during that time, the same amount spent on film or processing would have bought me that 2nd hand 1Ds. And I was charging the clients the same amount of course. Yes I had to sit infront of the computer, but I'm very fast in ACR, I can process 200 pics in an hour and actions do the rest. For all that film would be 'easier' there is no way I can afford to lose that level of profit by going back to film period.
Then I sold the 1Ds for £2200 and bought a new 5D +grip in December for approx (I bought it as a package and sold the 24-105L) for £2050. It has dropped in price quite seriously by now, but I've shot over 20,000 frames with it, weddings, portraiture and commercial. It was more than paid for when I bought it, it is now coining money for me. The trick is to charge the same under the title 'Digital Capture Fee', that is how to pay for your DSLR and how it will make you money fast! The cost difference in capture mediums is your business not the clients instead of paying for the film, now they have to pay for the percentage of the cost of your digital equipment, plus your time. Streamline your workflow and they end up paying for your equipment for you. As it should be.