I'm sure Phase did testing on a tech camera during development - or, at least, you would hope they did - this thing costs $35k after all. Why the results aren't made available at launch is odd.
Imagine BMW bringing a new car to market (costs about the same - yes, still hard to get your head around), and then after it goes on sale they declare 'no - we don't know how it drives in the wet - someone had better do some testing and find out'. Doh !
I had some of the same thoughts, but then gave it a bit more thought.
If you look at the previous big Phase One rollout from last year, the IQ260, I believe in the featured photographers area, Phase had at least one who was a tech camera user. So far on the Phase Site, all the featured users for the 250 seem to be action/wedding shooters. Phase is a small company, privately owned, so total resources are not published. It's also clear to me now that Phase had been working on this camera for quite a while as they are shipping it at announcement, something they never have done before that I can remember.
Yes they had plenty of time to set up a test with anyone familiar with the workings of a tech camera, either for landscape, architecture, or interiors etc. So far nothing on their site has shown any of this style of shooting, i.e non DF+ body. I don't know if this means Phase One did not have time, or their direction was for a different photographic market. They also may have interpreted the results from the P30+ which was not a good back for tech camera use, as possible reasons not to lead with a tech camera. However with the DF+, Phase One lenses, etc. they have much more control over the end results as they have a greater familiarity with these Phase One branded products.
It's also interesting to note that both DT and CI have been working to get the samples posted from various tech cameras/lens combinations and even Alpa added some material of their own. The fact that Phase One did not lead with at least one landscape tech shooter from the day of the announcement tells me that Phase focused on other photographic areas for this back in their own testing. Phase One has a very through website and they do seem to keep it updated with new products, demos, video etc.
The results seem to show that for wides, the 250 may not be the best possible solution but if you are in the 55mm range or larger it very well might work great.
I appreciate the fact that my dealer, Digital Transitions, was able to work with me for 3 days last week when my 260 came back from Phase One for a top cover fix with a definite problem at base ISO 50. This involved going through over 6 GB of sample raws from me, and then forwarding the images on to Phase One. This getting done so fast, along with the terrible weather that has plagued both my state and NY was greatly appreciated considering the duress that they are under to get a new product out to the market while they have the advantage of being the only product with this capability. It's a terrible feeling when your back comes back with a problem that wasn't there before which makes it non-usable at base iso.
I can appreciate the time it takes to get a test done, published, and put into a format that others can interpret it.
Paul C