mircea nicolae
23-Aug-2014, 15:03
I recently came across the Graflex Xl camera system, and it is starting to look appealing.
However, while researching it on flickr, I came across some examples of photos taken with the camera that raised some questions that I could not answer.
1. the Polaroids all look very soft sharpness wise, the DOF is very thin and usually not very well spread across the whole field of view. outside a very thin layer of good sharpness, the images seem to all have a blurry foreground and background.
one example is here, even if this is not a very severe case:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/lucybellecrater/7274601438/in/photostream/lightbox/
2. the 6x9 images on film seem to have a completely different image structure, the DOF is evenly distributed, and they look properly focused and sharp all around.
one example is here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/r6/5947441692/
Are Polaroids, as a photographic medium, softer than 120 film?
Was the focus intentionally 'blurred' for effect?
Would it be possible to get Polaroids just as clear in terms of image as 6x9 film?
If any of you have some experiences with the camera and these media and you can share, it would be greatly appreciated.
My main interest in the camera is its portability coupled with is Polaroid + 120 film capacity.
To these I would add rangefinder focusing and the fact that it's equipped with something more similar to a large format lens.
Thanks,
MN
However, while researching it on flickr, I came across some examples of photos taken with the camera that raised some questions that I could not answer.
1. the Polaroids all look very soft sharpness wise, the DOF is very thin and usually not very well spread across the whole field of view. outside a very thin layer of good sharpness, the images seem to all have a blurry foreground and background.
one example is here, even if this is not a very severe case:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/lucybellecrater/7274601438/in/photostream/lightbox/
2. the 6x9 images on film seem to have a completely different image structure, the DOF is evenly distributed, and they look properly focused and sharp all around.
one example is here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/r6/5947441692/
Are Polaroids, as a photographic medium, softer than 120 film?
Was the focus intentionally 'blurred' for effect?
Would it be possible to get Polaroids just as clear in terms of image as 6x9 film?
If any of you have some experiences with the camera and these media and you can share, it would be greatly appreciated.
My main interest in the camera is its portability coupled with is Polaroid + 120 film capacity.
To these I would add rangefinder focusing and the fact that it's equipped with something more similar to a large format lens.
Thanks,
MN