Hi folks,
I'm sure you've had to put up with this question a lot but I'm hoping my rather specific niche requirement might let me off asking this question again.
I run a large Reproduction studio for an antiquities museum in Jerusalem. Over the past 5 years we have digitized well over 1 million pages from ancient manuscripts dating back over the past 900 years.
We did use a Leaf Aptus II-8 back on a DF camera but due to ongoing issues with the camera system we changed over to Nikon some years ago with the D800e and lately the D810 and haven't looked back. Our first ever repair on a Nikon has just gone in after 4 years of constant daily use of around 2000 frames a day. The issue is the USB port which had worked loose dropping the tethering. That's the sum total of repairs. Repair within a couple of days. In comparison the DF shutter and/or mirror box would die about twice a year requiring shipping to Denmark for repair.
We are currently looking at a higher resolution solution for our studio for at least one of the copy stations and for use with more precious works which require the additional resolution.
Until recently we had not looked back into medium format solutions due to our previous history with them. The release of two 50 megapixel cameras which are mirrorless is making us rethink our options. No mirror and a far better shutter rating than Mamiya system ever had brings these tools right back into the spotlight. Please note that for various reasons technical cameras are not being considered at this time. Chief among which is price, local availability and a required integration into a specific custom electronic workflow.
Currently we shoot tethered directly into Capture One. Using Live View in C1 for framing, precise manual focus and indeed shooting. With our Nikons we can shoot for hours straight directly from live view in C1. Incredibly useful when working with piles of documents which need to be placed accurately within the frame and photographed without hesitation before moving to the next one. Not a deal breaker though, however useful. We never had this ability with the digital back of course. Another essential element is the use of custom ICC profiles (currently made with our Gretag Colorchecker Digital SG chart). We cannot achieve true accuracy without this ability.
Which ever choice we would use for our higher resolution option would need to include these two abilities. Tethered Live View and ICC profiling. Please note that we will probably not be using native lenses with either option.
Fuji:Pro's: Cheaper, reliable in country service and parts availability (confirmed today actually).
Con's: Does it do tethered LV at all? Cannot be processed in C1 and LR will not allow 'real' ICC profiling.
Hasselblad:Pro's: Phocus software allows LV and in depth colour calibration.
Con's: Dealer here has a bad reputation and I personally did not get any feeling of confidence from him, is there any ability to photograph during LV? Has to be sent out of country for service.
A big con for both systems, albeit a temporary one, is that neither has had enough field time to be considered a reliable workhorse within the industry. Like any new system or software or computer, etc. That has to be taken under consideration and we are not 'running' into either solution quite yet.
Any thoughts or suggestions?
Thanks!