The new Pentax 645Z has a rated shutter life of 100,000 frames. Not as many as the 007, but on par with the previous Leica S versions. I haven't heard of any tethering problems with the 645Z. The Pentax lenses are not as good as the Leica ones, but the sensor is technically larger, 4:3 is more commonly associated with medium format, and you can build a lens kit for a whole lot less. A pentax 645Z is something like $6,500 from Japan or Hong Kong. A 4-lens kit is maybe $6,000, $10,000 if you must have more than 1 modern design. The same system in Leica S is probably in the $40,000-$45,000 range, and for that you get a set of slightly better optics and a sensor that's probably still 1 stop behind the 645Z, and a little lower (of course, this really doesn't matter in actual printing) in resolution.
And even if you buy every single modern Pentax 645 lens there is, the total system is still probably only half of what a good S system will cost. Of course, I'm sure that there are people who won't care about an extra 20 grand and people who must have the best lens, but if you're shooting the thing in a studio anyways, what's not to like about the modular (and therefore infinitely more cost effective) Phase One?
Leica is being criticized and laughed at because this S body is both too little and too late. In 135 format 35MP-plus bodies have been around for years. Sony has a 42 megapixel body with in-body stabilization and full sensor 4k video for a pedestrian $3,200. You can argue that those are very different cameras, but I've never believed the medium format "look" for digital sensors as small as 44*33 or 40*35, and the S is clearly designed with outdoor, on-the-go work in mind. So you have direct competitors to the S system at 1/5th the price, and arguably better choices at 1/3rd. Not a good formula for success.
