I don't understand this statement by Phase that the resolution of the 65+ over the 45+ is not a good reason for upgrading. To me the iso 1600 at 15 mg.pixels is a joke for me personally at this upgrade price point and is not even a consideration for a upgrade. I have a 45+ and find the increased resolution a very good reason to upgrade as I do landscape work with lots of very fine detail which can always benefit by very fine resolution. I'm also interested is the prospect of having less color cast in the P65+ files along with a slight increase in dynamic range. A clean iso 400 at 30 megapixels is definitely an attraction to me but not 15 at 1600iso. Just my personal opinions. Eleanor
Eleanor,
I suspect (but don't know and do not have any inside info) that the reason Phase makes that statement is that for the most part modern sensors are now lens limited.
In the case of your 6.8u P45+ sensor, most of the current AF lenses from Mamiya or Hasselblad H will meet or exceed the demands of the central 2/3rds of the sensor at least stopped down a bit, and a few will render corner to corner. The best of the older Mamiya or Hassy MF lenses often only barely render that level in the center. However, drop from a 6.8 u to 6 u pixel pitch, and you've likely just exceeded what a large portion of even the newer AF lenses can deliver; some can still deliver for sure, but I suspect that is two or three from each manufacturer.
Fortunately the latest digital lenses from Schneider (Digitars) and Rodenstock (HRs) are exceptional, and I suspect will deliver in spades to the 6u sensors, and also suspect the most demanding photographers will use the P65+ predominantly on a tech camera that utilizes that glass. In that vein, the P65+ will deliver the best image possible, and yet still fully capable of being used on a contemporary MF body giving it broad appeal to that group.
Final issue is defacto CoC. As we go down in pixel pitch, we can print larger prints from the same sized sensor, but if our viewing distance remains unchanged -- which it seems is the case nowadays -- then we lose visible DoF in the larger print...
From a strictly personal point of view, their are two more issues with the upgrade: First my finances dictate I am *not* an upgrade candidate, at least for this year. Second, I do actually make exposures longer than one minute on a fairly regular basis; I enjoy shooting in early pre-dawn or post-sunset light, and these exposures can regularly go to 2 or 3 minutes at f16 at ISO 50 or 100 -- and in fact, this is the main reason I originally chose a Phase back over the other options.
Cheers,