I know you said you're heading out to LA, but if you want to change that up for the beautiful city of Miami or Atlanta we'd be happy to pick you up at the airport, set up a shoot for you to try the Phase One system, as well as have you do an entire workflow from pre-capture to processing/retouching.
Both systems are indeed great options; I'm openly biased (see my signature) towards Phase One and would be happy to show you were I think these backs have some very significant advantages.
For tethered capture you might consider looking at the trends among digital techs. Capture One is a favorite among digital techs for its very fast, stable, and feature-rich tethering. Having one program which can tether and process both dSLR and digital back files is also very nice.
If you're very serious about architecture the chances are extremely good that at some point you'll be looking at flat-plate technical cameras such as the Cambo Wide RS and here Phase One has a large advantage in that no external battery or storage device is needed since Phase One backs contain a battery in the back.
As noted several times above the image quality out of either digital back is going to be great in most conditions. However, you should test both systems at high ISO and long exposures where the Phase One system (IMO - please go test to see) really shines.
We have an upcoming workshop with Jeffrey Jacobs in Miami. This would be a really really great place for you to come and learn technique from an undisputed master of architectural photography as well work hands-on with the Phase One gear.
Doug Peterson (e-mail Me)
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Head of Technical Services, Capture Integration
Phase One, Leaf, Canon, Apple, Profoto, Eizo & More
National: 877.217.9870 *| *Cell: 740.707.2183
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