Medium format camera or Digital SLR | FerrariChat
Buy

Medium format camera or Digital SLR

Discussion in 'Technology' started by jratcliff, Sep 10, 2008.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

  1. jratcliff

    jratcliff Formula 3

    Sep 7, 2004
    1,024
    Texas
    #1 jratcliff, Sep 10, 2008
    I've been thinking of going back to film. For years I processed my own film and enjoyed it (although messy). With the advent of digital cameras and their increasing refinement I am now at a crossroads. Should I go back to film or go to digital. I do mostly landscapes, buildings, and cars. The problem I have with digital is the fact that I don't have a way of doing enlargements myself and I usually like to do several before picking the one I like. This would mean me sending the work to a lab. Any thoughts on the comparison?

    John
     
  2. Stikyone

    Stikyone Rookie

    Oct 26, 2006
    41
    Santa Clarita, CA
    Full Name:
    Nick
    #2 Stikyone, Sep 11, 2008
    One question that comes to mind is, how large of an enlargement do you do with the pictures? I have a very small amount of experience with film and started out photography with digital, so I can't give you a very balanced comparison. If you go DSLR you will need to consider how many megapixels you will need depending on how large the enlargements are. I've read a few posts where some people do prints like 13x19 or 16x20 from just 4 megapixels. If it were me I'd rather be safe with a good amount of megapixels for large prints like those. If you do the prints at home you'll need a good printer which is another expense. My brother and I are looking at a Epson 3800(does prints up to 17" wide) which costs over $1300 depending on which edition we get.

    Hope this helps.
     
  3. davidgoerndt

    davidgoerndt Formula 3

    Oct 25, 2004
    1,420
    Orlando, FL
    Full Name:
    David Goerndt
    #3 davidgoerndt, Sep 11, 2008
    There are a couple of digital SLR's approaching medium format film quality, Canon sells one and Nikon has one and rumors indicate a new 20+ megapixel in the works. I switched to digital several yrs ago and would never go back. Having nearly complete control over every aspect of the process is very liberating. I use an Epson 1280 to make enlargements up to 13"x19" that are better than any 35mm slide enlargement I've had made. Currently Epson makes a complete line of inkjet printers that have remarkable output. It depends on how much you want to invest in a camera/printer combo. The only question regarding inkjet prints is the longevity of the inks, and they are getting better all the time.
     
  4. Fast_ian

    Fast_ian Two Time F1 World Champ

    Sep 25, 2006
    23,397
    Campbell, CA
    Full Name:
    Ian Anderson
    #4 Fast_ian, Sep 11, 2008
    Hi,

    Why not go for the best of both worlds? - Medium format and digital? - Hasselblad make a couple of digital backs for their bodies now that are righteous, if not cheap.....

    Having said that, the "megapixel wars" are, IMHO, well and truly over - I print on an Epson 4000 at up to about 20 x 24 from a 6MP source and it looks great - Anything more than about 6MP should be fine.

    Print life is another one that's been pretty much put to bed - Epson's "Ultrachrome" inks for example claim really long life if the print is stored/displayed correctly.

    How "geeky" do you want to get with the images? If you're into "messing" with 'em (in ways similar to the old darkroom - dodging & burning, changing colors, black and white points etc) then maybe you should shoot digital "raw" - Files are *huge*, but you've got some serious flexibility if you want it.


    Cheers,
    Ian
     
  5. jratcliff

    jratcliff Formula 3

    Sep 7, 2004
    1,024
    Texas
    #5 jratcliff, Sep 11, 2008
    Went back to Hasselblad. I prefer the tactile feedback of working in the darkroom. Still have my digital incase I want to do something fast, but I believe in the long run this will bring me more satisfaction. I guess it's the old analog versus digital argument in music.

    John
     
  6. ryalex

    ryalex Two Time F1 World Champ
    Consultant Owner

    Aug 6, 2003
    26,060
    Las Vegas, NV
    Full Name:
    Ryan Alexander
    #6 ryalex, Sep 11, 2008
    Mamiya has a medium format ZD package for $9,990. It's no H3d but hey at 1/3 the price...
     
  7. Ike

    Ike F1 Rookie

    Nov 4, 2003
    3,543
    #7 Ike, Sep 11, 2008
    I'm still playing with film. Mostly with my old yashica TLR MF camera. I can't go to the camera store anymore for film though.
     
  8. blackwood

    blackwood Formula 3

    Dec 15, 2005
    1,822
    Redondo Beach, CA
    Full Name:
    Marc
    #8 blackwood, Sep 12, 2008
    Statements regarding digital quality approaching film need qualifying. High-res digital cameras are reaching film quality for ~125 ISO 35mm film. They are no where close to 25 ISO 4X5 slide film.

    I believe Phase One builds digital backs as well, but don't know the cost.
     

Share This Page