Btw, lest we forget, this equates to a 3 hour exposure experience as the Phase backs insist on dark frame LENR. Been there, done that ... (and it's why I stack images with my D800 with no LENR for these star trails).
VERY nicely executed though and a testament to why Phase One need to consider keeping a long exposure option in their MFDB suite. I'd trade all of my MFDB's and the Nikon D800 system for an IQ P45+ equivalent with OPTIONAL LENR.
I completely agree with you in that regard. I absolutely love my p45+ and wish they would continue making a back with longer exposure technology and all of the new IQ features. The LENR is annoying in all honesty, and I wish I could disable it at times, but am thankful that my images have little to no noise from it.
In reality a d800 with LENR turned off and using some of the star trails software with it left on continuous drive mode and a shutter release cable would be somewhat more sane because you could dial in your exposure, shoot at a higher iso, and ultimately control the lengths of your trails.
In most instances I will not be doing an exposure longer than 10 minutes, and believe that adding support in future backs for long exposures for up to 10 minutes would be an ideal compromise, as this is the first time I have tried do do anything over 10 minutes, let alone an hour, and only think I will use it again out in the the desert's of death valley, or somewhere else in nature to achieve a similar effect.
On the plus side, no IQ version of it means it will continue to hold some decent resale value, and means I won't be spending more money that I don't have to get the IQ version of it