Different markets demand different things. Some niches in advertising have very little requirements when it comes to resolution and print-detail. Architecture, interiors, cars, many types of product photography, and others are often very resolution-dependent. ..............................
The other question is of course this: by the time RED has a shipping-available-and-bug-free product what will Phase, Hassy, and Leica be shipping. Since Phase has changed policies to only announce products at availability the answer to this question is entirely unclear.
When I began shooting a combination of stills and motion, most photographers I knew replied that the only reason I'm getting this business is because I offered it.
I kind of shook my head on that one because I guess that holds true for everything every artist or business person does. The reasons I send web galleries is because I own computers, the reason I shoot digital is because I own cameras, hell I guess if I could make sculpture or paint I'd be selling that.
Regardless, all of these conversations will go round and round. Still Medium Format will hold their territory and say the image quality is better, still dslrs will say the same thing and maybe RED is not the solution, but it's honestly refreshing for some, heck any professional camera company to get close to giving me more than I asked for, not less and maybe RED dreams big, but I dig that because that's our job as artists, image makers, communicators . . . to dream big.
To have success I know I have to offer more than whoever I compete with and in todays world offering more is the only thing that works.
Doug, actually in the world of image making for commerce we don't just compete with other still photographers we compete for a part of the overall marketing budget, whether that is interactive, print or broadcast and if we don't move forward our industry will become even more marginalized than it is today. Maybe Phase/Hasselblad has a way to do that. I don't know, because as you mention there is no information.
I do know this . . . few people would think it's a good idea to stop buying professional tools, because one or two makers decided to not give out any information.
I have to admit I look at medium format still cameras almost with nostalgia and nostalgia is now a 2 year cycle, because even though the camera/backs can produce a superior still image if all the stars align properly, lighting, still subjects, planned singular poses, the world is moving past still subjects in planed singular poses.
I'm kind of amazed that medium format digital continues to give up territory. They lost the most of the commercial guys to the 1ds, all of the wedding photographers to the dslrs, most of the fashion photographers and I kind of wonder at what point they decide that maybe higher iso, bigger better lcd's, more focus points and even the ability to add fast frame per second imagery would be a good idea?
I know that the traditional camera makers and their followers will scream to high heaven about the disadvantages of RED, you see it on these forums already, because everyone wants to hold onto and protect their territory but that's not how you win a war.
You take the other guys territory.
Anyway, whoever makes what matters little to me as the camera is just a tool like a brand/type of light source and even that is changing.
The one single thing I am sure of is I do not plan on holding pat, standing still or even going backwards.
I know the results of that.
JR