Hi Eric:
A bit of information on the flip side:
I have worked with MFD since March of 2008. In that time I have used the P45+, 160 and now 260. I feel that there is more complexity between the DSLR's I have or have owned and the MFD backs. A few more thoughts.
1. In the US, it's very hard, if not impossible to contact Phase One directly, with either a warranty or support issue. They are based in Millville NY, however when problems arise, it's not easy to contact them. The dealer channel is the preferred route, maybe only route.
2. Each of my backs, has had issues, that needed service. To initiate this service, even though I had a value add warranty, I still needed to contact my dealer. I have used both DT and CI in the U.S.
3. My P45+, had several issue, but the most severe was the fact that it could not reach a 1 hour exposure without a controller card update. Even though I was under warranty, trust me, getting Phase One to admit to this openly was not easy. I actually needed support from 2 US dealers to get the process rolling and even then the process took 4 months to complete. Was I satisfied at the finish, yes, I was. But without dealer support to get Phase One to make the repair process possible, it would not have happened. My P45+ also needed several re-calibrations to be done, and I had to column readout errors, that had to be mapped out. So in the 3.5 years I owned it, I had at least 6 service issues.
4. My IQ160, only had 1 issue, and that was a tiling re-calibration. I was able to work with my dealer CI, to fix the issue but the back still had to back to Phase One.
5. My 260, has had one huge issue, created when I sent the back in to have the top plate replaced. The WiFi tops, on the IQ2 backs are plastic, to allow the signal to pass through. Early IQ2 backs, this plate would release over time and raise up. I also had an issue where my IQ260 would get condensation inside the LCD, especially if I used the back on a cold morning, and bright sunlight warmed the LCD. Both repairs were under the value add, and I sent in the back. When I received the 260, back from Phase One, the calibration was totally off, I could not shoot anything even at iso 50, without blowing the highlights, to total pink. I knew this was not the way the back should work and it happened right at the end of the year, in the week between Christmas and New Years. Phase One
's push back was that I was doing something wrong since I was using a "tech" camera. Of course I knew this was wrong, and I knew what the back should do, in the conditions it was being shot in. I was able to show Phase One that the same behavior happened when using a DF body and 35mm Mamiya lens, but I still had to get a lot of push into Phase One to get them to fix the issue. The fact that Phase One was blaming the "tech" camera and was implying that I didn't have any knowledge of the both the camera and process still gives me a bit of consternation.
Just think about this situation, you have a 39K back, sent in for a simple top fix. It comes back with a new top, but totally blowing out highlights, and not useable. Who are you going to call? It's not a good feeling. And shipping around a bunch of raw files is not an easy process even on high speed internet which at the time I did not have.
My 260 also has had to have one tiling re-calibration (something the P45+ did not need due to chip).
I guess my point to be made is, the backs work well, but when something does go wrong, it's a bit harder to engage in the repair process. When the "repair" comes back worse than the original condition as with my 260, then you really get a feeling of hopelessness. Having a dealer to get in the middle and make a few calls to get Phase One back on track is very important. The repairs when needed tend to me more complex than a fix to a DSLR, that goes back to Nikon or Canon. Each MFD back is unique in it's calibration, and I feel if put 2 side by side, each will shoot a bit differently. Not true with a Nikon D810. There is just more to tweak on the backs. This is how I see it. Phase One has a working model in place, but (at least in the US), it's very important to have a Phase One dealer that can get involved. I don't know how this model works in the rest of the world, i.e. Europe, Asia, etc.
Paul
