Marc,
A minority? Seriously? Well, excluding soccer moms and uncle bobs from 35mm sales and excluding as well rich amateurs from the DMF sales, of course, I am pretty sure there is an incomparably larger number of people buying and using the features of D3s, D3x and the Canon equivalents for real, serious work than there are buying and using the S2 (or any DMF for that matter) for the same purpose.
Just one last note - a reminder, to what I said that started the discussion:
To me, the point is not wether
- 35mm will or won't replace DMF -
The point that the D800 (possibly E) and the D3x before it made is:
- 35 mm is now giving IQ and resolution high enough to be considered for some MF application, while offering body/ergonomics/speed of use/lens selection/accessories selection/flash control/size&weight/battery life/etc etc that are INCOMPARABLY better than ANY MF body/camera system out there.
So, if the only reason to use MF is squeezing that last bit of IQ out of one's images, IMHO 35 mm will very likely never make it. However, if one needs any of the above pluses of 35mm over DMF, the last generation of bodies/sensor combination is starting to get very, very appealing even for users used to or aiming to MF IQ.
You turned into a S2-vs-35 mm game, which has nothing to do with what I said
The new generation of high-MP 35mm DSLR & lenses, wether we want it or not, DO offer people who want to have ALL 35mm features PLUS a higher, close-to-MF IQ a lot of new options.
That said, at the moment I am maintaining:
- Nikon D3 system for low-light concert & stage stuff;
- DMF Leaf Aptus II 12R with Linhof Techno & lenses for architectural & landscapes; the same with Hassy V camera/lenses for studio stuff;
- Leica M( (now sold), & film plus Sony Nex-7 with Leica glass for street & reportage.
I just bought a D3x (very good price, very good conditions), and ordered some Nikon T/S glass and some of the new f1.4 AF-s primes (24, 35, 85) to try and see if I can do without the Hassy in the studio and gain back some of these features I was talking about without loosing too much IQ, and to see if adding a D800E I can do without the Techno (that's a very tall order, but worth trying). This doesn't mean that the IQ will be the same, of course; what counts is, will it be the same for customers and their needs? If so, why wouldn't I leave MF altogether, one system less to maintain...