Good thread! I'm not a Phase user and probably never will be ... the Leica S2 pretty much maxes out my needs and I can use the lenses for Cine work. So that will be the MF camera I will buy and use for a long time. They might tempt me someday with an S3, but it will probably be a "want" decision not a need ...
One thing that's interesting, Harannar, is that on other forums and threads I've heard people actually happy about the same thing you're complaining about -- regarding Leica. They like that the rich guys and enthusiasts in Asia buy up their cameras ... because it's allows Leica to grow, enhance, improve, ultimately produce more products. I mean, I don't ever really see their production getting mega-fast or huge, just not their model, and so their prices will have to be high. But there are literally countless enthusiasts (and pros) overjoyed with their M9's now because there is a market for their stuff, even at the high prices.
I would think likewise with Phase, their sales and growth has helped fuel these latest innovations. I'm impressed ... again, not going to buy, but impressed and their innovation will force others to work to catch up. Right now, given the demand and readiness of people to buy, they are clearly selling at the right price point. I guess that makes me a capitalist. Sorry
I do understand your frustration to an extent though ... in the world of Cinema, Arri and Panavision have been the leaders for many years. Then Red cameras came around offering 4k for a lot less money, and disrupted things. Since then, Arri responded with a 2k camera (Alexa) that has some cool features ... but is a whopping $70,000-80,000 and still not even the resolution of the original RedOne (although resolution is not everything.) Now, Red is about to release a new camera called the Epic that's technologically superior to anything there is ... it does 5k raw ... HDR ... high frame rates, low compression, the list goes on. It's been used on the latest Spiderman, Peter Jackson's coming film, and many other huge blockbusters. And it's smaller and ergonomically superior to the Arri cam.
So given all of this, you would expect it to be more expensive than the Arri Alexa, right? I mean ... if Red were like many companies they would charge huge bucks for it ... and yet Red is going to be selling it for $28,000 -- less than half the Arri cam. And they are offering their customers amazing upgrade options as well.
So all this is to perhaps echo your frustration that Phase is not being more like Red ... catering to the needs of mid-level pros who own their own gear, while also producing technology/innovation that can be used at the very highest level of the profession.
But I guess that's just not their business model.
Anthony
P.S. -- As far as the mid-level guy being dead, last I checked you could get an H4D-31 with lens for around $12,000 ... that's pretty attractive and I think there's a LOT that any professional could do with that camera/megapixel combo ... I don't think many clients would reject you because you used that camera rather than a Phase 140 or 160.
