Very interesting reading Stefan and hopefully true because if one MF manufacturer jumps on to a decent full frame CMOS 645 chip you can bet all will follow very shortly after.
MF development seems to take tiny steps where as 35mmm and CMOS technology is taking big leaps over the last few years. While I'm very contented with the IQ of my P65+, the lure of the IQ/Credo screen is pulling me but in light of the posts I've been reading over the last few days about the file quality of the D800 the upgrade cost to a IQ180/Credo80 for a new screen and only minute IQ differences seems ridiculous.
So this leaves me hoping and waiting that this technology makes it into a Leica/Phase/Leaf/Hasselblad camera very soon. Better full resolution higher ISO, 2 stops more DR and 20-30fps live view would be a wet dream of a MF back.
Just wondering out-loud here ...
I wonder if this is the route for MFD to take?
I wonder if "decent" should be the objective for MFD, and "all" should follow?
Maybe CMOS would be a good move for the Pentax 645D, since it seems they positioned themselves to appeal to the enthusiast/generalists photographer with a self-contained camera at a competitive price-point. Yet, even in this case, what would constitute a differentiating target consumer appeal over where 35mm DSLRs are now at, and will be going? What would need to happen to a Pentax 645D to sustain sales that warrant continuation into future R&D, development and bringing another camera to market while retaining that competitive pricing?
I think Leica is a different matter, their appeal lies in the lenses, and for the most part it always has. The R system bodies were always a decade behind if the measure is implementation of current technologies. People bought R bodies to get to the R lenses. As it stands today, the S system retains a real estate advantage over 35mm DSLRs, so any current technological development in either CMOS or CCD sensor technology can be used to leap-frog to a differentiating pixel level IQ factor, and the ground-up S lens designs are more than up to the task. It is the Leica lenses that help make the S system a bit more future proof, and a competitive price structure has never been an attribute of anything Leica.
A reaction to the MFD upgrade quandary such as yours is understandable. Yet, I wonder if the IQ differences are as "minute" as you suggest? Personally, I've yet to see it despite all the hype and enthusiasm that is natural when something new and ground-breaking hits the market. I think the new Leaf backs are just as news-worthy ... and I have yet to see anything from the 35mm DSLR world to equal the look and feel of the Leaf aesthetic approach to IQ ... IQ as a package concept.
I feel the same way about my H4D/60 ... A much larger Dalsa CCD back, with a lens system that is all Leaf-Shutter, fits not only my aesthetic needs in file rendering, it fits my application needs better than any current 35mm DSLR.
Just wondering.
-Marc