Hi Marc just noticed the thread and your questions.
I've been shooting my landscape work 100% now with the Cambo WRS1000 and P45+ for several months now and enjoy it. I got the WRS last October and early this year decided to sell my Phase AFD and all the associate Mamiya lenses as I just wasn't using it.
I've shot the North & South Rim Grand Canyon last Fall and Winter, the California Redwoods January this year, Carmel and Big Sur, Monument Valley, Sedona, Canyon de Chelly and I just returned from the South Rim (again). I have a collection of very good to great lenses all Schneider, 24mm, 35mm, 72mm, and 120mm.
Here's what I've found and my general impressions based on being strictly a landscape photographer:
While I truly loved the P30+ I knew it would work with a technical camera so I made the move to the P45+ which is so good I no longer miss the P30+.
I shoot with the Cambo WRS-1000 a truly great little system; Cambo just released this body late last year. The WRS is designed to be used with solely with a digital back with all the movements on the rear so the lens is static. I have stitched multiple images having close to 99.99% of useable finished image to work with.
Your question regarding the worthiness of moving from an AFDII to a technical camera and associated lenses is good however the answers you'll receive will be based (or should be) on personal experiences. In my opinion the answer is yes. This is based on moving from an AFD III and the Mamiya 28mm, 75-150 and 300mm lenses.
I have found the image quality to be equal to or superior to the lens lineup I had used.
The WRS does not allow for a sliding back however you can use a groundglass; it also has an optional viewfinder. I have the groundglass however I don't use it for focus instead I use it mainly to assist me when I use a filter.
Focusing with the WRS: I have found that this really isn't as difficult as I thought it was going to be. I have never lost an image due to improper focus. Again remember I do nothing but landscape work. Nevertheless I've shot from distances of several meters out to infinity.
The most difficult thing I've encountered using a TC has been 2 things. Remember to take the lens cap off - I've gotten much better! And remember to cock the shutter - that is my number one error now encountering it maybe 1 in every 100 shots.
I enjoy the Zen like feel of shooting landscape with a TC. Setting up the camera on the tripod is a joy, taking my time to fully see the landscape and deciding on the proper focal length, f/stop and shutter speed. All this slows you down, slows the heart rate down and allows you to see possibilities that you may have missed otherwise. The simple act of closing the shutter release can be a joy. Okay enough of this..
You ask are front movement important? Again different answers from different people. I choose the WRS simply because all the movement are on the back. The back moves around the lens circle - not the lens around the back. The Cambo WDS offers a little of both with shifts on the back and rise and fall on the front (lens). I did a comparison of the two bodies June this year and posted my thoughts
here and
here.
Cambo has recently announced the ability to use tilt/shift on their lens boards as well. Go on Cambo's
website for information (click on June 26,2009 news pdf).
I haven't really touched on your last question of which lens do I prefer as that is based on location and conditions. I used all four of my lenses this past week at the South Rim. I love the colors I get with the 24mm/center filter however I equally like the large image circle of the other lens and the ability to shift to 20mm and the rise/fall they give me. My first lens was the 35 followed shortly my the 72. I didn't get the 24 and 120 till after I decided to sell my AFD/lens kit.
Okay this answer is now bordering on a novel and getting much too long. Good luck with your decision.
Cheers
Don