You miss the point. Hasselblad reduced the choices for its OWN customers. I actually agree that the H4d is for many a better camera than the Phase 645DF (this hopefully will change with the arrival of the new Phase body). This meant that H3 and H4 buyers can ONLY mount Blad backs on their beloved cameras. This was all ok when they had product that was competitive with the standards being set by other manufacturers. Alas this has not been the case and with the launch of the Aptus 12 from Leaf and the IQ series from Phase the gap just opened up further. In practice, the back is the most important part of an MF system, so having choice here is more important. Who knows who is going to be the next champion back? If it isn't Blad, then H3 and H4 owners will not have the option to mount that back on their cameras either.Absolutely. Isn't it ironic how Hasselblad's decision to "close" the H3D did not lead to photographers having fewer choices, as the pundits lamented back in 2006, but instead is inexorably leading to photographers having more choices. Unclear on the timing and we don't know exactly what Phase's new camera will look like, but it appears that we are heading toward a future with two, modern and really first class MF digital camera systems. Had Hasselblad not closed the H3D, it is entirely possible that the only remaining manufacturer of backs would be Phase, and Hasselblad would be the only one still making MF cameras, probably as a subsidiary of Phase.
As a business owner, buying into a platform that locks me into using only backs of that brand does not make any sense at all. Faced with this, I chose the Phase 645DF over the Blad, despite my concerns about it's limitations. Fortunately for me, one of those limitations was the lens range, which Phase has improved massively since I retired my Blad for the Phase DF. The Schneider LS lenses, the D-series and the announced and soon to me released new lenses now give us all abundant choice and superb quality.
I can only speculate that Blads agreement with Fuji, who manufacture the H series cameras and lenses, is not commercially viable on price. Thus they do not make enough money from the sale of a camera system to a customer who is going to buy a back from someone else. Viola! the "closed" system is born.
For me, the solution was simple - buy the best back, then choose the camera that I can live with. Sadly, Blad could not be part of that consideration.
At the time, the P65+ was the king of the hill, so that's what I bought. I've since added the Aptus 12. Now that the IQ180 is out, I will sell my P65+ and order an IQ. Sadly, the H3/H4 cannot mount any of these backs. A shame, really, that the people who pay the highest price in reduced choice are Blads own customers.
Cheers,