"Have you forgotten the Mamiya ZD? Mamiya is in direct competition with Phase because it also sells digital backs. I'm certain that the only reason Mamiya hasn't closed the door on Phase is because they just don't have the capital to R&D a series of higher performance backs and compete with Phase's entire product line. Remember how long it took them to get the ZD out?
There are many Mamiya users out there. Must be tempting for Mamiya to bring out a new camera with a proprietary mount for their own backs, and have that entire user base to themselves. Perhaps that's what Cosmo planned to do with the platform when they bought it a few years ago. Who knows. It's certainly an opportunity waiting to be siezed.
Phase needs Mamiya but not vice versa."
I don't think so. The ZD does not compete with Phase or any of the big boys in the new, never owned market. Even in the used/refurb market, most commercial photogs would choose an A17 or a P21 over a ZD. The advantage of the ZD is price, and the price is, I suspect, artificially low. I suspect that the ZD price is a little over cost of materials and perhaps labor and does not include recovery of any R&D costs. These costs were born by Mamiya's previous owners.
I also think that Mamiya's user base would dump their AFd's for Blad's or F&H products if the only back we could use would be Mamiya's own. I'd rather have an H3D-22 than an AFd with a ZD back. I believe that much of the remainder of the user base feels the same way.
I don't know if Mamiya plans on releasing any other backs. Perhaps they want to compete, maybe they will. Maybe Phase will help them out with a ZDII at 33 mpix., who knows. I think the money is there from Cosmo, but really, would you want to enter a market crowded with established, successful competitors with few buyers? The smart money says NO. It would be smarter to compete for 1ds2/3 users who don't need a sports camera and don't shoot commercially. Just my thoughts, I could be totally off base.
There is also the issue of selling bodies and lenses. The new lenses are amazing, but without a competitive back to take advantage of these new optics, who's buying? To shoot film? To use the ZD back that can't be used in a commercial environment? They need Phase and Leaf and Sinar and even Hasselblad back to fit the AFd mount to sell lenses and new bodies. Thus Mamiya needs Phase, and the other back makers, very much. Due to a lack of a proprietary body, Phase also needs mamiya.
OK, I'm done for the week.
