Luminous Landscape Forum

Equipment & Techniques => Medium Format / Film / Digital Backs – and Large Sensor Photography => Topic started by: ChristopherBarrett on September 07, 2012, 09:57:38 pm

Title: MFDB Release Cycle
Post by: ChristopherBarrett on September 07, 2012, 09:57:38 pm
It looks like it was about 2 1/2 years between the P65+ and the IQ series.  I've had my P65+ since June of 09 and while it's every bit as good as an IQ160, I could see myself upgrading late next year.  With already more than 40k exposures on it and never a day down, my little digi-back has definitely served me well.  Summer or fall of next year would match the previous upgrade cycle.  Right?  I wonder what phase is going to have up their sleeve to top the enticing IQ series???

CB
Title: Re: MFDB Release Cycle
Post by: Jim2 on September 08, 2012, 12:10:33 am
I was just doing a calculation while driving in the car - I take maybe 12-24 "keeper" shots in a year (landscape). Many more toss away shots of course :) So if I got a 40K gear, each shot 'costs' $333 over 5 years, not counting the cost of travel, printing, etc. I'm sure in 2-4 years I'd be tempted to upgrade. I guess I need to take more photos.

Title: Re: MFDB Release Cycle
Post by: Doug Peterson on September 08, 2012, 12:22:02 am
But the 65+ wasn't really a new generation of back. It was a new sensor in an existing generation back with a few new options (e.g. Sensor+)

In my opinion there have been three major generations and three minor generations since 1998.

Major generations:
Lightphase/H series (1998)
P/P+ (2004)
IQ (2011)

Minor generations:
- going from light phase to h series (2002)
- going from p to p+ (2007, added long exposure, moderately better LCD)
- going from p20+/21+/25+/30+/45+ to 40+/65+ (2008, switch to , sensor+ and addition of full frame sensor)

So from that point of view the IQ will be the platform/chassis for 5-6 more years, and a new feature, new sensor, or other minor generational improvement might be seen in a year or two.

This of course is all educated speculation. The past informs predictions about the future, but does not guarantee them.