This is wholly dependent on your creative intent, style of shooting, and perhaps more importantly ... budget.
As soon as you add digital to the equation, budgets like $1,900. go out the window. This forum section's theme: "Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here" is mostly because of digital equipment, not Medium Format gear.
When shooting with a V system, I LOVED the CFV line of digital backs. The CFV is unique from all other digital backs you can use on a V camera because pesky sync cords are not necessary. The only draw back was the 1.5X crop factor ... which I personally never cared about since I rarely used super wide lenses. Unless you are printing beyond 30" X 30" the files hold up just fine. I usually printed at 17" square or 17" X 22" cropped. As many here will attest, there is a certain magical equation between the so called "Fat Pixel" CFV and the Zeiss V lenses. Now there are 39 and 50 meg versions of the CFV ... which has continued the support of the V system by Hasselblad.
You can read my initial CFV/16 reaction & see photos using this combination here on the Planet V section of the Hasselblad website:
http://www.hasselblad.com/planet-v/word/marc-a-williams.aspx
For other words and pics on Planet V go here:
http://www.hasselblad.com/planet-v/word.aspx
Note that I also used a V to shoot wedding work with, so they are not just relegated to static situations. I also shot a ton of film with one and scanned it on a Imacon 949 scanner. That work holds its own against the best digital backs because the look and qualities of film are different than digital.
But the ease and instant gratification of digital made me lazy, and for commercial work digital wasn't a luxury, it was a necessity ... so I surrendered to digital and eventually moved to 645 digital for the financial upkeep reasons I already mentioned.
Other possible ways to go:
Hasselblad V 200 series cameras ... these are focal plane type cameras that can use the faster aperture Zeiss FE lenses and with a simple modification can use a CFV digital back. Plus it can be used with all C, CF and CFE Zeiss leaf shutter lenses. It has the meter built in and can be used like a SLR with automation of exposure and shooting. (the 203FE was my favorite camera of all time, ever ... and I still miss it
). The RZ mentioned is a viable option ... but it's no V IMO ... far less portability than a V. I know this because I also have a full RZ Pro-II system.
Any of the 645 camera systems that can shoot film and digital is a possibility ...
Hasselblad H1, H2 (which will take most any digital back), H2F (film back capable, takes Hassey CF and CFH type digital backs, and is different from the H1 and H2 in that it takes all the current digital lenses and accessories like the H/TS tilt-shift unit) ... the H2D/22/31/39 & H3D/22/31/39 (which all are digital already but also take H film backs).
Mamiya AFD, AFD-II, & D series focal plane cameras.
Contax 645, which is a discontinued line, but still very popular. You won't see this at PhotoPlus : -)
Digital backs are available for any of these. Older backs are reasonably priced but still not cheap. I'd avoid really old tech backs which are relatively limited in use, ISO ability, and meg count.
If a hobbyist, I'd personally spend the money on a decent scanner initially as way to get images into the digital domain. Frankly, for most applications up to 15" square prints from a V, I did pretty darned good scans from a $500. Epson V-750 Pro high-end flatbed and good 3rd party software like Silverfast.
A basic 503CW with 80/2.8 T* lens and 2 film backs coupled with a high-end flat bed won't suck your bank account dry, and provide a true introduction to MF with some digital ability ... then you can expand from there. Nothing will be a loss ... even the flatbed ... everyone should have a good flatbed anyway to scan prints with :thumbs:
-Marc
