We are close to the point, if we are not already there, where clients just see digital capture as it's all good and professional. Nobody usually mentions file sizes, or dr or anything like that.
Color, stability of software, lack of artifacts or moire can be mentioned, but I haven't had a conversation with a client about the file size or brand/make of a digital camera in a long long time.
I also think that we are close to the leveling of the brands.
When I bought my Phase backs, (for my style of work and workflow) I believe they were better than anything else and maybe in some areas still have advantage for me, (once again depending on what you shoot), but not having worked a new Hasselblad or Leaf or Sinar I can't say that one is actually better than the other, though from what I hear and read, they all seem pretty close.
The point of all this is I like the idea of buy it, learn it, use it, sell it if something better comes along, or buy the next one just because it has a different look in the file or the glass or the camera operation.
I see nothing about that sceanrio that limits medium format, in fact I think it will grow the format.
I have Nikons, Canons, Leica and Phase and switch between them all the time, sometimes on the same project, sometimes because each one (and the lenses) will give me a different look.
Michael does that, so do many other photographers. Nothing new about owning different systems, even in the same format.
Lower prices makes this easier to do.
JR
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I agree, I think the quality of the high end digital capture is reaching to a point which level of mega pixels will allow faster and more efficient post production work, it is more on how to get the best out of the digital raw than to continue to look for extra 10-20 million pixels, although certainly there are extra benefit, but may be for a common size print AD it is no longer that visible, or we are pushing the limit to the printing industries that when we output more, they cannot print more.
I use several systems, and all of them are very good - file quality wise. The workflow becomes more software oriented, which system perform more robust than another. My P45+ on Contax 645 works very stable, and my H3D39 - after Hasselblad released the new Phocus software, became easily as solid as Capture One, I shot in one assignment in a day more than 1,000 exposures and not once the software fail, which is very impressive. Sinar Hy6 and eMotion 75 is fast in real time, when tethered they are somewhat a little slower, but the file quality for beauty shot is perhaps the most pleasing skin tone and smoothness of all I have used, of course this is subjective opinion.
Me too like to grab my M8 or 1Ds MK3 in between digital backs but my only problem is that M8 only start from ISO 160 that is difficult to synchronize with the lighting set up for backs, most often at ISO 50, or 100 with Sinar.
But for all they are, certainly lower price the better, but I also believe a health operation should allow each segment of the industries to work, we expect reasonable pay from client and should also allow professional camera maker to make reasonable profit. We are too far out of the real manufacturing and operation of the camera company to snap judgement, but if bad price war lead to failing a company, I am not so sure it is a good sign.
