Medium Format?

[flyb0y]

So I was thumbing through my newest edition of Digital PhotoPro and I couldnt help but notice how many ads and depictions of pros using medium format there was. Is medium format comming back? What is the advantage of it? Anybody here shoot medium format?
I guess this also could just have been an ad ploy by the medium format companies to try and bring it back.

[Longwatcher]

Well consider that you can get a 39MP back for a medium format camera and even I am jealous.

Medium format is still superior for B+W even using film, but I consider my 1DsMkII to be superior to my Hasselblad MF camera for doing color. (especially until I get the Hassy back from repair)

We are close to the physics limits on digital sensors versus pixel size so the only place to go is larger sensors, thus Medium format.

But I suspect a touch of it is showing off and advertising for the relatively newly available larger MF digital sensor backs that came out a few months ago.

[mbze430]

That is because the major magazines and ad agency still requires the high quality of MF. the 1Dsmk2 does a fairly good job, but you can't beat the quality of MF w/digital back. (lens quality, image size, multi shot capability)

You didn't hear much about MF in the general public is because it was expensive, and is not practical for non-working pros. Right now, with newer 30mp+ backs. the older 8-10 backs are really affordable, so more people are buying used.

Not even pro personally own a digital back of such. Usually it is leased or rent to own. It just doesn't make business sense to tight up $25k-$40k on a single item when it can devalue within 1 year.

I still MF, because the clients requires it. Both Digital and Film

[chtgrubbs]

Medium format digital is top of the heap for alot of commercial work. I still shoot medium and large format film. But so far I haven't had any clients whose requirments called for mediumformat digital. If I did I would rent the back, since I can't afford to invest $20K or so for a camera I may use just a few times a year.

[DocFrankenstein]

How is 16 megapixels not enough for magazines?

they print at 150 LPI

[mbze430]

"....That is to say that, in the case of a laser printer, an image would require 170dpi for the best appearance on a printer using 85lpi. A color magazine would require an image be 300dpi for best reproduction at 150lpi. Anything less will cause an image to deteriorate and pixelate. The amount of the deterioration depends on how much lower the resolution is than what it should be. Monitor and Web resolution (72dpi) is a far cry from printing resolution. Don't even consider using that."

that's based on 8x11. When you have to make a print of 11x14 with a 2 page or even a 3 page spread. Need more resolution.

[DocFrankenstein]

Oh yeah... I forgot about the 3 page spread.

Also, the bayer pattern doesn't really give us one line for every two pixels. Truly, the 16mp bayer camera is a 4mp camera.

Of course few people will agree with my logic. ;)

[StealthLude]

intresting thread!

[mbze430]

Oh yeah... I forgot about the 3 page spread.
Also, the bayer pattern doesn't really give us one line for every two pixels. Truly, the 16mp bayer camera is a 4mp camera.

Of course few people will agree with my logic.

Well, I guess if you are in to Foveon way of thinking... 10.2 Million Pixels (3.4 Mp Red + 3.4 MP Green + 3.4 Mp Blue)

[dietcookie]

show me a 1dsmkii that can flash sync at 1/500.

[Longwatcher]

a couple of notes (Only if getting picky):

1. a 1DsMkII has 16MP that each record intensity value of the light, however the pixels have filters in front of them so that only 25% record red, 25% blue and 50% green. So it could be a 4MP red or blue camera, but would be a 8MP green camera. If converting to monochrome then it is 16MP.

Foveon sensors have all three colors at the same photosites, so a 12MP Foveon only has 4MP of photosites. Each color may record separately, but the same light is recorded by all three at the same site. so in monochrome would only have 4MP, so it is really a 4MP camera at that point.

2.My 1DsMkII has high-speed snyc with a EX series speedlight (such as my 550EX) it will go to apparently 1/8000 in that mode. Does that count as better then 1/500.

Outside of that yes it is limited to about 1/250 at best with external strobes. (although I tend to only get 1/160 without occasional problems with wireless flash trigger)

Just being picky and technical, :)

[Wilt]

<<My 1DsMkII has high-speed snyc with a EX series speedlight (such as my 550EX) it will go to apparently 1/8000 in that mode. Does that count as better then 1/500.>>

But don't forget that your effective light output is REDUCED when the flash has to output the light over the entire time interval of the shutter slit moving across the frame (which is how HSS works) rather than instantaneously in a brighter burst of light at or below the X-synch speed!

[dietcookie]

a couple of notes (Only if getting picky):

2.My 1DsMkII has high-speed snyc with a EX series speedlight (such as my 550EX) it will go to apparently 1/8000 in that mode. Does that count as better then 1/500.

Outside of that yes it is limited to about 1/250 at best with external strobes. (although I tend to only get 1/160 without occasional problems with wireless flash trigger)

Just being picky and technical, :)

nope, like you said i'm talking about external strobes.

[DocFrankenstein]

show me a 1dsmkii that can flash sync at 1/500.
How about 1/800 like the new hassy? :D

If you can put up with higher costs and larger size, then medium format is better. No question about it.

1. a 1DsMkII has 16MP that each record intensity value of the light, however the pixels have filters in front of them so that only 25% record red, 25% blue and 50% green. So it could be a 4MP red or blue camera, but would be a 8MP green camera. If converting to monochrome then it is 16MP.
In no way it's not a 16mp in the pure sense of the word. With the foveon you can select ONE channel and have it just as sharp as your RBG image. With 1Ds MKII you can't.

[neil_r]

Is medium format comming back? .

Trust me, it never went away......

[Wilt]

<< Is medium format comming back? What is the advantage of it? Anybody here shoot medium format?>>

Basically any format larger than 35mm has the advantage that there is more film area per unit area of the subject on film, so that much more realism and presence is seen in the photo by virtue of the increased tonality and gradation of colors/greyscale (more grains or more color clouds). Audience who see 35mm slide and then see MF slide projected onto the same screen will spontaneusly Ooh and Aahh at the MF projection.

Most comparisons are flawed in taking first generation digital file from DSLR and comparing them to a SECOND generation digital file (film which is scanned into digital form), and no matter how good the scanner is, ultimately the scanner *is* part of that chain of succession and cannot be truly considered to be totally transparent in the process! And most comparisons concentrate on 'resolution' or 'sharpness', and ignore the other reasons that larger format film has always beat small format film in the past.