El Gringo wrote: The 645 digital on the other hand has massive potential. It could be made smaller than it is, more in the range of a large 35mm, it could burst faster than any film MF camera, and it has a real viewfinder, unlike the Mamiya 7. Not to mention that it has a nice range of high quality Pentax 645 lenses. This could be THE camera to own if Pentax pulls out all the stops.
REPLY: Exactly! Provided that Pentax have any future in mind for their MF system(s) this is the natural path to take. Mind you, Pentax have previously shown interest in the high-end DSLR market with the MD-S. This camera was mainly intended for their pro MF user base who could use their lenses on a K-mount slr. At that time a wholly MF bases DSLR wasn't viable (nor the MD-S apparently). I don't think Pentax have changed their basic policy since. El Gringo: There will always be a place for portable systems, but for those who want the UTMOST quality, MF is the promised land. REPLY: Lets not forget that the Pentax 645 system IS portable. In fact it weights no more than comparable Nikon/Canon high-end slr systems. The 645 is down right small compared to EOS-1Ds or similar! I'm sure Pentax will make a 645 DSLR even smaller. Pål