Large format vs. medium format

[Brian Ellis]

Like someone stated earlier...make prints of same subject and composition from both negs sizes and then make your comparison. 8x10 prints should suffice. Even though the medium format negs will hold up very well, the LF neg will win.

I don't think so. See my earlier post.

[Arne Norris]

There is one other quality that is perhaps a bit alusive, but quite a part of the look of 4x5 and larger format film vs. smaller formats.

This is something beyond resolution and contrast. This is the subtle differences in modeling and three-dimensionality that larger formats give the image. To my eye with small formats like DSLR and 35mm the image looks "flat". MF images look more dimensional, and large format looks even more dimensional and natural.

This might have to do with the increasing range of tonality as you go up in film/image size, but I'm beginning to think the difference is in the increasingly larger sized lens/image area for a given angle of view.

Every format, film or digital, has it's strengths. I am most interested in photographing people, and I'm not all that concerned about camera movement. So for me this somewhat subjective quality is the draw of using a larger-sized image capture. If they made large format digital and if (in my wildest dreams) I could ever afford it, I think we would see similar qualities.

By the way, this is the first time I've read that lenses with larger image circle such as the SS 110mm (that aren't shaded with a compendium) could contribute to a loss of contrast, but it makes perfect sense. Thanks for the info!

[james zhou]

This could be due to the fact that you see relatively a larger part of a medium format slide compared to that of a 4x5 or 8x10. I have compared all sorts of negatives and transparencies under a microscope, the difference is not obvious.

[Jon Warwick]

Something of a follow-up ..... As a newbie to LF, thank you the multitude of ideas and advice above that you gave in response to me querying why my "medium format negatives apparently look sharper on a light-box than my 5x4 negatives?"

I have now had a pro lab produce two hand-printed 24"x20" B&W photos from 5x4 negatives using the SS 110 XL lens ........ suffice to say, they are extraordinarily sharp. At that print size, to me at least, the critical definition appears at least as good as what I achieved with Mamiya 7 .... but the significantly greater "smoothness" and total lack of grain is what makes the 5x4s look much sharper overall than the 120 format, even against the fantastic rangefinder lenses on the Mamiya 7.

So, my conclusion is basically what you guys said .... don't just rely on looking at the negative, it's all about the final print! As yes, Bruce, you are right ..... now that I compared them all on a light-box, for whatever reason, the 35mm negatives do indeed look apparently sharper than the 120s, and the 120s look sharper than the 5x4s!

The second conclusion I've made as a newbie? ..... I went into LF photography with the primary reason of wanting a big negative. That aspect is still crucial to me, given I hope to make prints up to 50"x40".

But what I've learnt is that the biggest change to the "look" and overall quality of my photos owes to the camera movements that are possible in LF. The importance of camera movements in improving the final image was something that I'd not previously considered would be anywhere near as beneficial as I do now, now that I'm using the camera and seeing the results that can be achieved.

Already, I've had various people basically say "These photos you've taken with the large format camera look amazing! ..... they look completely different to what you were creating before". So whether it's the benefits of the LF camera's movements that they're unconciously responding to, or whether it's the extra "sharpness" and smoothness of the print, I can already tell from people's responses that these technical aspects are favorably working somewhere, somehow, in the final image.

[Bruce Watson]

Addicting, isn't it? Welcome to the club!

[Eugene van der Merwe]

One of the best threads i've read recently! Lots of interesting and well informed views, and very generous sharing of information! Thanks to all who have contributed. I'm just wondering where i will find an appropriate barn door type attachment for my new lens shade...

[dsphotog]

While there are many variables....Lens resolution, film, processing, camera shake,
mirror slap.....on and on.

As the drag racers say" theres no substitute for cubic inches"