What also has to be considered, is the law of diminishing returns. Phase One, to their credit saw this chip coming over a year ago. Did they push for a technical camera favorable design, or a chip with great DR and low noise. No one will know but a few.
Phase One has been slowly working up their lens lineup, with the 35LS, they have a winner as with most of the blue label glass. These lenses can work with the new sensor, and work with the older CCD chips. Phase has a good line up of glass and again to their credit, with the XF body and the vibration reduction setting they have done a very good job. It's not VR in the lens, or on the chip, but something different, but it works and works well. Schneider may have seen the writing on the wall, and tossed in their cards on tech lenses. But they are still right in the mix as all the new glass from Phase One is designed in partnership with Schneider, albeit, made in Japan probably in the old Mamiya plant? Still Schneider is showing their abilities for sure with the lenses they are producing for Phase One.
If I was on the board at Phase One, I would be pretty happy right now. The market I am going after is pretty limited anyway, and I can offer it a full range of products.
There was a period of 3 years where Sony and Phase I am sure had a lot of conversations on the other side, the Tech Camera.
But Phase and Sony had a lot less control on that piece. You have a small spattering of companies making the equipment, Arca, Cambo, Alpa, Linholf and Rodenstock and Schneider. Phase One can't control much if any of this, and when you consider the total number of digital backs sold (new or as upgrades) world wide, I can't see it being more than 20K if that. More Nikon and Canon Pro DSLR's and now Sony cameras are sold in a month than this or maybe in a week. Many photographers have moved to the Sony A7rII and adapters that allow the Canon shift lenses to work or solutions like the Universalis Arca or Cambo Aptus. Both give the use of the tech glass in a very price affordable package, (but not much wide support).
I have to believe based on the results of the 100MP chip that Sony and Phase did the best they could within the technology available today. And Phase One has done a lot of work on the LCC to go along with the camera. Just look at any of the test shots on the market now, where movement was involved and you can judge for yourself just how much work is going on under the covers to get that amount of red cast out.
Will Rodenstock come out with a new lineup? Anyone's guess. They probably make a lot more in the eye glasses market then camera glass. It's all about the bottom line. Copal is gone, the supply will dry up soon. The 32mm HR-w has already reached a point where the mass of glass in front of the copal is too much (very delicate and easy to mis align the shutter even Rodenstock has pointed this out). So will new glass be any lighter? I can't see that happening, but of course maybe e shutter will finally be out there.
Others on the forum talk about creations of sensors like they are just something that can be made in a few weeks, from start to finish, without the factor of figuring out the recovery of that R&D in sales. This market is very small and sadly getting smaller and the technology is surrounding it from all sides putting a lot of pressure on the few companies that continue to product the products.
Phase One, now really has 2 products, the 50MP and 100MP CMOS, sure there will be sales of the 80MP, 60MP 40MP CCD backs, but you have to wonder how many of them will be new and or upgrades vs used/certified used sales. Will Phase come out with a 75MP or 60MP CMOS designed for tech cameras? Hard to say when Canon and Sony are at 42MP and 50MP right now, and a lot of people already don't see any difference in the output from the cameras.
The only possible mistake I have seen is where Phase One priced their 50MP back. I believe that a more reasonable price point could have really lead to a market share growth for them. But they have their own ideas on where they want this back to go. It would be interesting to see sales figures for IQ150 vs Hasselblad 50c, personally I don't believe the IQ150 had many sales, even Adobe was un aware of it until myself and a few other folks pushed for months to have it added to LR camera raw support.
It will be interesting to see what happens as the year rolls on.
Paul C