Tripod always, which basically turns the camera into the mobility and spontaneity of a view camera.
Everybody beats themselves up with the Canon this, the Phase that, comparing an M9 to a Nikon to a Hasselblad and to be honest the world has changed.
What use to be medium format is now large format and if you don't think so, walk into your friendly value added dealer and say you want the biggest digital format camera made and it's 645.
I've seen this stuff go back and forth for the last 5 years and the only difference I see in medium format today is the file sizes are bigger and maybe you get a 1/2 stop better iso.
It doesn't make a Hasselblad or Phase bad, it just means that when your talking mirror slap, iso, lcd's, shutter lag, etc. etc. medium format works more like large format than any smaller dslr.
Think of the previews. To really see a medium format preview you need a computer and a software suite (i.e. polaroid processor).
Think of the way the medium format cameras have evolved. The newest Mamiya finally has less shutter lag and three new lenses. By the time they have a whole series of lenses the 35mm cameras will probably be at 35mpx and shooting high def 4k video in raw format.
This isn't a knock on Phase, it's just the way these specialty systems evolve in the digital age.
On this forum the comparisons will rage on and probably never be resolved, but in the world of professional photography cameras have gotten smaller, project expectations have become much larger and the time frame to shoot and deliver halved and I don't see any indication of the clock going backwards.
This doesn't mean that medium format is not viable, it just means that you shoot it differently for different projects. You see people cross over, shooting still life with a Canon, some guy here wants to shoot night time aerials with a medium format back, but to me those are the exceptions not the rule.
Now I view a 35mm project as something that can be shot at 14 fps and have video.
To me medium format is a 22mpx dslr and large format is a digital back, regardless of the camera.
That's just not my view, it's also my client's views or better put expectations, because most clients don't see the format of camera, they see the format as the size of the computer screen, if that.
It's all kind of backwards now. In the film days I would do personal work with a hand camera, 35mm or 2 1/4 then when the gig came in a lot of times it was shot 4x5 or 8x10 because the client wanted to go larger or retouch on the transparency. Now I shoot nearly every paying project with some kind of 35mm camera because the expectations and pace have tripled though when I shoot for personal work I'll shoot it with my Contax because I'm working my own schedule and have the time.
BC