reasons for shooting different formats?

[John Kasaian]

If I'm deadly humorous about it I'll choose the 8x10 every time. The 5x7 Speed Graphic for places a tripod isn't welcome. Sometimes my image stealing requires a point and shoot for around the dinner table family stuff and since the noble old family Olympus Stylus went berserk my bride has given me a digi---I'm not in love with it yet though. Sometimes I like walking along a foggy beach and the Rolleiflex TLR with VP just seems right. When I feel downright funky and have a few extra $$ for some Efke 127 from Freestyle, I'll even drag out a fungus ridden Kodak reflex Brownie. The poor Nikon F2 hasn't seen daylight in years.

[Scott Walker]

My format of choice is 8x10.

It is the largest format that is easily enlargable and I hate contact printing. I have a 4x5 back for my 8x10 that I will use if I run out of 8x10 film in a day. I refuse to use a changing bag to load film. I also have an ultra light 4x5 that I use if I need to climb into a location.

I recently purchased an RB67 for times when travel dictated that a big camera was not apropriate. I have been finding that I am using this format more now for those occasions where I know there is not a great shot but I would still burn up a few sheets of film.

I use digi for work .

[SMBooth]

Weight, the further I 'm going (on foot) the lighter the camera.

[cjbroadbent]

If it doesn't look good on a small format it will look worse on 8x10.
The hope is that if it looks good small, it'll look better big.
4x5 does not quite make the difference.

[Ken Lee]

...what would cause you to choose MF over LF or 135mm?

It's fun to play, and I suspect that for many of us, a change of gear imposes a change of vision, or a shift in awareness.

I know that when I shoot with my 6x6 folding camera, the world becomes square: that's a matter of aspect ratio of course. Something similar happens when I mask a view camera to a panoramic format.

Even within the same film size and aspect ratio, some of us have more than one camera, and take different photos with different cameras, for a variety of reasons. Some reasons are obvious and tangible, others are... intangible.

[sully75]

I have one of everything (a nice leica no less) but I've been thinking lately of just doing Canon EOS DSLR and 5x7/4x5. I love the look of the Leica, but I can also get some pretty great pictures with the Canon at 1/100 the work. I absolutely love my Mamiya TLR, and get great results from it, but either hand processing or lab processing and scanning are both frustrating to me.

For me the 5x7 camera experience is not something I can duplicate with a smaller camera. I really like it for portraits mostly in the way that the subject reacts to it. I learn a lot from using it.

Leica is the first to go. I might hold on to the Mamiya. My Deardorff from my cold, dead hands. At least until 6 months or so when I see if I've actually used it enough to justify all the accouterments...

[Wayne]

I recently picked up an RB67, because unlike many of our contestants, I'm not a rich middle aged white guy. I'm a poor middle-aged white guy, and LF film is getting very expensive. I haven't used the RB enough to know all its pluses and minuses, but I think it has a place in my arsenal. I like that I don't have to remove the film back to frame a new shot. Advance, cock, frame, shoot. I can make more exposures quicker. I don't have to haul 25lbs of equipment just to go in the back yard for a quick shot.

Of course there are disadvantages. I have to develop all frames on a roll the same. I don't have even simple movements available. But there are times when these limitations don't matter. I'm still figuring out when those times are.

[stradibarrius]

Using all the different formats has really kept my interest level high. 4x5 has helped me to really learn about photography. For ME, my digital gear was not really helping me to learn as much about photography as about software to process my digital images.
The larger the format the more thought I put into the shot...I hate to admit but with 35mm, and certainly digital, it is easier to "waste" shots.
These are really great responses to the question that has no "correct" answer.

[jp]

for me, 8x10 is a chance to use certain lenses that won't work on smaller cameras and for images that might make nice alt process contact prints. I don't really like tray-processing negatives, so I make the shots count.

I can't enlarge 8x10, so I consider 4x5 the more versatile of the sheet film formats. It's portable and relatively affordable when used in moderation. I can develop 6 or 12 sheets at a time in daylight and enlarge as needed. Lots of lenses also for 4x5. I keep a 4x5 camera and accessories in the car at all times. 2nd most used film size.

The most used film size is 120. I have a yashica and a rollei TLR and they are easy to focus for people/action/candids and make images of nice enough quality for printing on 11x14 paper. I stick to "straight" photography with the MF usually and use it for practical things and opportune compositions when it's small size make it apt for me to carry. It's image quality might be comparable to a high end 35mm dslr, but it's got a charm that connects with people subjects; like LF does, but more so as it's not imposing. A TLR would be a good fashion accessory if I were actually fashion conscious.

I have a very nice 35mm slr, but don't use it much. MF is so much better image quality, though 35mm has a better lens selection. I mostly use DSLRs in the 35mm system. I use the 35mm camera so little, I might as well sell it, but I worked a whole summer in high school to buy it and it accompanied me through my fun times in high school and college, so it's sentimental value is slightly higher to this packrat than it's ebay value.

[DrTang]

what I'm shootin


if I don't have to pack stuff around..and I don't have to shoot a lot of exposures, quickly..I'll take my 8x10 with 5x7 back

if I'm out and about..I'll pack a 6x6 - mostly because I like the square format

if I may need to move around a bit (spot to spot), I might bring either my 4x5 or 5x7 linhof tech..it would depend upon how much moving around

and if I want to just make an easy shoot difficult - like a parade or event..I'll pack my 4x5 handheld set up and a bunch of holders and such


almost always I'll also have a small pocket digital to record photographic 'notes' with