Large Format Displacing Your Old Medium Format?

[D. Bryant]

Ugh- I had the same reaction to it that Frank did - Thomas Kinkade on acid... AND crack. That's got to be about the worst dreck from a major talent I've seen. Makes Michael Jackson's "HIStory" seem like the Beatles "White Album".

I personally love Dan Burkholder's Katrina series. Who says that photography can't be over the top and non-representational.

Don Bryant

[ondebanks]

I am aware of the third party plug in, have tried it and am very familiar with Burholder's Katrina and other HDR work. I HATE it. It is so obviously HDR'd, completely over the top and obviously manipulated.

http://www.danburkholder.com/neworleans/

I agree fully. To me, that series is eye-catching but in a repulsive way. The images look like they have been Laplacian filtered from every angle. Weird and ugly.

[ondebanks]

Back to the original question...yes, I do seem to be migrating up the formats. I sold all my Minolta manual 35mm gear in 1992, swearing at the tender age of 21 to use only medium format from then on...with Mamiya 645 since 1992, Kiev/Pentacon 6x6 since 2003 [being sold off now], and Mamiya Universal 6x9/Polaroid added just this year.

But 35mm had a way of dragging itself back into my life, for its compact convenience, faster lenses, and being the standard for telescope prime-focus attachment - a Rollei XF35 in 1995, EOS 500n in 1998, Praktica VLC with various finders in 2006.

I hardly ever use 35mm now, and use the M645 less often than I expected even 1 year ago, since going to 6x9. That's probably as big as I'll go for the time being - because at 4x5 and up, the lenses get slower and there are no fast films.

When I add a DSLR, probably in 2008, it will probably be a used EOS 5D - for its clean high ISO and ability to take fast lenses; although I will start off using it with my M645 lenses which are no slouches either (e.g. 80mm f1.9, 200mm f2.8 APO). Then things will get interesting - will I ever shoot 35mm film again? will my M645 film-based rig come under threat of disuse? We shall see. I doubt I will ever sell my M645 stuff, though...I just love that system too much, even if I end up using it rather less!

[Jay W]

I think the final vestiges of the romances of my younger years are periodic 'crushes' on my various cameras. I'm sure it's an adolescent holdover to become reenamored with one of them to the exclusion of the others. But....decades of maturing have given me the wisdom to return to the charms of each of them in turn....AND....they're not jealous of each other....they don't hire lawyers.....and we always pick up where we left off before the embers flickered out last time 'round.

Boy you said it. There's a certain feel and sound to cameras that's hard to describe. I love the sound of my old Nikonos IV, but hardly ever use it. The Rollei 35S and backpacking across Europe, the Hasselblad...basically any of the cameras, all have a special place in my heart. I don't think I could sell any of them because they're like old friends with great memories....and I'd get pennies on the dollar. Large format? Yeah, the 4x5 is the first pick lately, but on vacation I bring 35, 120 and 4x5 gear.

Jay

[alec4444]

I have a Rollei 6008 series medium format SLR, which is not a cheap system. I sold a 40mm lens for it that purchased a Wisner 5x7, a 4x5 reducing back for it, and a new tripod to support it. I love my Rollei - it's SO sharp. Here's the problem I've found - with the built-in film winder and a few film backs and a couple lenses, the camera is darn heavy. Comparable to a large format system. I'm also having some battery issues...so when it comes time to pack up and shoot, I'm finding that I'm taking LF over MF.

I still love MF, though, and if I can find a lighter weight replacement for the 6008 I think I'd still be using the format. No, my Holga doesn't count.... But I'm having a hard time convincing myself to sell the Rollei. It's a phenomenal camera system!!

--A

[Ken Lee]

Like musical instruments, every camera has its own "mojo" or "personality".

I love my 6x6 and 6x9 folding cameras, and use them now and then...

...not only because they are small enough to carry in one's pocket, but also because they have a special feel, and the images I make with them, I can't make with other equipment.

[ericantonio]

I wish someone was displacing their Hassy SWC for a large format. Or even a 40mm Distagon. Seen THOSE prices?!

[Scott Davis]

I wish someone was displacing their Hassy SWC for a large format. Or even a 40mm Distagon. Seen THOSE prices?!

I did. A while ago. My Hassy outfit bought me a Canham 5x12 and three AWB film holders. While I miss it from time to time, I really wasn't using it enough to justify keeping the beast around - they need to get used regularly or they gum up.

[Carsten Wolff]

audioexcels said it basically; I think the trick is to find out which gear serves your needs best. Looking at all my camera stuff/junk at home I have to ask myself whether I'm a magic bullet chaser or want to take good photos. So many decisions about the gear we end up owning (or want to own) are either based on personal sentimental bias/ego, or misinformation and market hype.
From the potential OUTPUT point it almost doesn't matter what (reasonably professional) camera gear you own as long as you're comfortable using it: A mix of a nice LF camera with 2-6 lenses and a more mobile kit of any MF or digital, or even 35mm ilk should do it, right?
Back to the original question: My short answer is: sort of I've sold most of my 35mm and MF gear, but have recently picked up a Pentax 67 with just 2 lenses for street work and portraits. The (4x5/6x17 and) 5x7 Arca is kept for the more demanding work and landscapes.....and I have drifted from 4x5 to 5x7, at least for b/w.

[Denis Pleic]

Has the medium format, the middle, dropped out of your shooting? Ditching the 4x5? If you still have your MF gear, do you at times feel that it would be more satisfying to crush the stuff or literally shoot it with a 44 instead of selling it for a fraction of a cent on the dollar? Is their any help for the anguish of parting with the trusted old MF friends? Does anyone care about MF anymore?

Back to the original issue of "ditching" MF...

I guess it depends on the type of photgrapher you are. If photography puts bread on your table, chances are that your MF will be gathering dust (if not already sold)... long ago replaced by the top of the line DSLR.

If you're an amateur with "disposable income", I bet all your MF gear is still with you, but probably not used much. Depends what kind of MF gear it is.

I shoot all formats I have - from 35mm to 5x7 (not equally, and not at the same time). One of the previous posters likened it with past love affairs. Yes, I guess it's something like it. For me, it goes in waves - for a month or two I'll mostly use a Leica + 50mm Summicron, then I'll be drawn back to LF for a while, to pursue an idea (or style) that seems worth doing in 5x7... Other times, it will be MF.

But, regarding MF, I did notice one thing - I have a 2x3 Speed Graphic, and I haven't used it in years
It's too bulky, and when I want to go slow(er) and apply more deliberate shooting style, I simply use the 4x5 Speed.

I also have a Koni Omega (6x7) - it doesn't get much use, despite excellent lens - the main reason being the bulk and weight.

But, I found a perfect use for my Rolleiflex - I take it on vacations. A couple of years ago I was agonizing on what kit to take with me on a family vacation on a beutiful island we go to every summer:

- Do I take the Leica plus 3-4 lenses? (Yes, it's portable, but those filters are fiddly, and it's not really well suited for landscapes... And I guess it will mostly be landscapes and seascapes.... And using a polarizer on a rangefinder is kinda masochistic...)

- Do I take the Nikon plus 3-4 lenses? (Some of my favourite color landscapes were done with 24/2.8 and a polarizer.... But the weight of that Nikon bag with the N90 and 4 lenses, spare batteries, etc.... hmmmm)

- I would die to be able to take the 4x5 Speed, plus couple of film holders and 2 lenses, but... (It's a pain to load and unload holders without a darkroom, and I'd have to buy a changing bag, and all that stuff IS heavy and fiddly to operate..... and being under the darkcloth under the scorching sun.... hmmmm)

Finally I decided to go simple and take just the Rolleiflex, a small and light tripod and a couple of filters. It turned out to be the PERFECT solution. Light enough to carry around in the heat, and the negs are still large enough to make satisfactory larger prints... And with the Rollefilex T lenses being 75mm, just slightly wider than "normal", suited for the kind of lanscapes (seascapes, cloudscapes) I wanted to do...
Some of photos I took that summer with the Rolleiflex were the best shots I took in a long while...

So, in short, yes, my MF does see use. But, it's mostly the TLR. The Koni-Omega and the 2x3 Speed Graphic, for all practical purposes, have been demoted to display pieces...

(But, I do intend to burn a roll or two in the Koni-Omega soon.... I just wish processing 120 color negs wasn't so complicated - I don't have a local lab which can do it... Well, it's B&W and darkroom, then...)

Denis