Untitled by
Peetey, on Flickr
http://ESt by
Peetey, on Flickr
Untitled by
Peetey, on Flickr
.. by
Peetey, on Flickr
you get a flat field of view - very different to using a wide and the panorama format allows for different' cropping capabilities .
It is difficult to replicate the XPan look with a cropped lens from other formats panoramic perspective when used up close to subject matter doesn't have the cropped tele look that merely cropping delivers- because you don't have the tele-photo perspective.
The further 'away' one gets from the subject matter- the less these differences come into play - so a cropped panorama using a high resolution digital back works for landscapes - however as you say you cant replicate the XPan's strengths up close and personal with normal cropping very easily. The reason why I still keep a full XPan11 system in my kit - a pity I am too lazy to develop film much these days - because the XPan has always been by far my favourite camera system.
we wont get a digital XPan - but some clever company might actually incorporate an in camera XPan cropping mode with EVF framing to help - and then we wont have the magnificent XPan lenses from Fuji - which is another story.