What are Medium Format and Large Format cameras?

Question

What are they and what are they used for? And how are they different from regular SLR or DLSR cameras?

Asked by Akram Mellice

Answer

"Format" refers to the size of the recording medium in a camera. I say recording medium because the term originated in the film era and has continued to the digital age.

There are no hard limits but medium format is typically anything larger than 35mm film up to 6cmx7cm film. Large format is typically everything from 4"x5" up.

In addition to the size of the film or sensor there are a number of features typical of medium and large format cameras:

Medium format

• Single lens reflex design with pentaprism or waist level 'finders (which look directly onto the focus screen from above and show a flipped image).
• Highly modular design. In additional to interchangeable lenses, medium format cameras usually have interchangeable backs (with film/sensor), and sometimes interchangeable grips, viewfinders.
• Focal plane or leaf shutter.
• Can be manual or fully automatic with autofocus and metering.
• Digital backs available up to about 645 size (53x36mm). Digital backs are just starting to become affordable.
• Were common when 35mm cameras were more primative.
• Used by landscape, fashion and portrait photographers.

Large format

• Lenses mounted on lensboards (instead of traditional locking lens mount).
• Leaf shutter mounted inside lens.
• Bellows design with no reflex mirror.
• Allows movement and tilt of lens.
• Relatively difficult handling, usually requires tripod and careful setup.
• Fully manual.
• Digital backs are available but only scanning backs cover the full format, meaning scenes have to be static or will suffer from shearing. Prices very high.
• Favoured by landscape / architectural photographers.
• Offers highest possible level of detail in images.

Answered by Matt Grum

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Do lenses need to be made with more precision for Hasselblad's 60MPix camera?

Question

One of Hasselblad's cameras has a Double-Full-Frame sensor.

Does that mean that the lenses needed for it are incredibly more complex to build (to have a sharp, high quality, abberation free image on the borders ?)

Asked by Skippy Fastol

Answer

Back to film camera time, studio enthusiast where used to 6x6 (6cmx6cm) (or even 6x8) camera which have surface about 4 times the 24x36 (24mmx36mm).

If you look (as exemple) at the Zeiss lense for such camera (as exemple for Hasselblad body) you can see that the same optical formula are also used for 24x36 lenses (Zeiss optical formula is indicated by the name Planar, Distagon, Tessar,...)

Theses lenses are bigger and usually build for high-end users but designs are not very different

Answered by floqui

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Affordable Entry Level Medium Format

Question

I would like to do some medium format work. What is a cheap but good camera to start with. I have several 120 cameras but which would be a good camera to use

Asked by RCProgramming

Answer

I would say a TLR (Twin Reflex Camera) body is probably the most affordable medium format system available.

You can find a Rolleiflex and Seagull Camera bodies for under $300 USD.

Check out the TLR tagged images from flickr.

Answered by Alan

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What lenses can I use to build a DIY tilt/shift lens for a Nikon DX body?

Question

I've found an awesome description for how to build your own tilt/shift lens (http://www.creativepro.com/article/build-a-tilt-shift-camera-lens-peanuts) that mentions using, for example, a lens for the now obsolete Pentacon 6 format. What other lenses could be used for this purpose? Are there any other concerns than it having to be a lens for a larger format than the target one (DX, in my case)?

Ideally, it would be a lens of great optical quality that you can get hold of cheaply (though I realize that posting this question doesn't really help with that).

Answer

The best lenses to use are those originally created for medium format cameras. This is for two reasons:

-when you tilt or shift a lens, you can end up with part of the resulting photo being black because the lens is not no longer pointed directly at the sensor. With a medium-format lens, you have a lot more play in tilt and shift, because the "image circle" is larger. It allows you to tilt and shift more.

-the lenses in medium format cameras are usually designed to be farther away from the sensor/film than your regular dslr lenses. This means that to get a correctly focused picture with a medium format lens, it needs to be spaced away from the camera. This gives you a bunch of space where you can construct a tilt/shift mechanism.

I would suggest… Mamiya or Pentax 645/67 lenses. They'r readily available (check keh.com) and some aren't too expensive.

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What medium format film camera should an SLR guy look at?

Question

Ok, I know the SLR world pretty well, I've owned Pentax, Canon, and now Nikon film SLRs, from the '80s to the naughties.

But I know nothing about medium format cameras, so I need your advice!

My Requirements

• it has be pretty cheap, I'm expecting to pay between $200 and $800? less would be better so I can spend on film / processing / lenses

• I don't want a "toy" camera.

• I'm trying Medium Format for the quality of the film, so I want a body that can take awesome interchangeable lenses.

• I want the lenses to be relatively easy to find in 2nd hand camera shops, and I don't want them to be the most expensive lenses (i.e, Pentax lenses are more than enough, though better is always good!)

• I need it to have a pretty reliable through the lens light meter.

• it does NOT need any auto focus

• it CAN be heavy and bulky

• it MUST be a waist "look down" viewfinder.

• I'd rather 6x6, but am flexible. I want to be able to put awesome low ISO film in there.. don't know if that limits me in the size?

• I would like a pretty fast shutter... but I know in older cameras it's hard to go above 1/1000

One More Thing, Very Important

• I do a lot of night time photography, so I need to be able to meter light at very long exposures, and of course set very long exposures.

Answer

The good news - all medium format gear is ridiculously cheap now that everyone switched to digital.

Cheapest hardware is probably 645, Mamiya was always cheapest and is lens compatible right upto their most modern digital models. Although most people used them as eyelevel SLRs you can get a waistlevel finder for $10

My favorite 6x7 was always Mamiya RB67 (or RZ if you like more electronics)

Then of course there is the famous Hassleblad - I've nearly been tempted to buy a Hassleblad just as a piece of art.

Whichever it's going to cost a fortune in film and you need a very high end film scanner

EDIT: Not sure if it's allowed here but check www.keh.com for used MF gear (no link other than a long time very satisfied customer)

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What should I look for in a tripod for medium format landscape photography?

Question

I've recently bought my first medium format camera (Bronica ETRs), but before I go out taking landscape pictures I'm in desperate need of a tripod that can support it.

My requirements:

• Weight is not an issue (The camera weighs so much that it's unlikely I'll be doing long hikes with it)
• Can hold a reasonably heavy MF camera with ease. By way of comparison, I'd say anything that could hold a 5D + 200mm lens will be ample.
• Stability is important. I've had my share of wobbly tripods and would like to get one that will last and be suitable for long exposures.
• Need to be able to accurately level or make fine adjustments
• Nothing fancy. I just want one that works, it doesn't necessarily need to be Swiss-made or gold plated. I'm aiming at the meaty bit of the price/performance curve.

What I want to know:

• What kind of head should I be looking at for landscape photography with this camera?
• Are carbon fibre legs an advantage in this situation? Why?
• What should my budget be? Ideally I'd like to keep this well under US$1000, especially as I'm willing to sacrifice on weight / portability / brand status
• What brands should I be looking at? Are there any that don't carry prestige but are still known for producing quality, functional tripods?

Answer

Normally I would recommend a geared head for precision work, particularly for a heavy camera, but I assume $1000 is your total budget.

So, instead, you should look at a Hydrostatic head. This will prevent shifting while tightening the ballhead but you still need to support the camera's weight while adjusting its position.

Carbon Fiber legs are awesome but from your requirements will only cost you more. Velbon makes high quality tripods at roughly half the price of the Manfrotto equivalent. They are generally a little more bulky and heavier but do the job very well. There is also Slik that has reputable tripods but I have not tried any of their high-end ones.

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What medium format camera should an SLR guy look at?

Question

Ok, I know the SLR world pretty well, I've owned Pentax, Canon, and now Nikon film SLRs, from the '80s to the naughties.

But I know nothing about medium format cameras, so I need your advice!

My Requirements

• it has be pretty cheap, I'm expecting to pay between $200 and $800? less would be better so I can spend on film / processing / lenses

• I don't want a "toy" camera.

• I'm trying Medium Format for the quality of the film, so I want a body that can take awesome interchangeable lenses.

• I want the lenses to be relatively easy to find in 2nd hand camera shops, and I don't want them to be the most expensive lenses (i.e, Pentax lenses are more than enough, though better is always good!)

• I need it to have a pretty reliable through the lens light meter.

• it does NOT need any auto focus

• it CAN be heavy and bulky

• it MUST be a waist "look down" viewfinder.

• I'd rather 6x6, but am flexible. I want to be able to put awesome low ISO film in there.. don't know if that limits me in the size?

• I would like a pretty fast shutter... but I know in older cameras it's hard to go above 1/1000

One More Thing, Very Important

• I do a lot of night time photography, so I need to be able to meter light at very long exposures, and of course set very long exposures.

Answer

The good news - all medium format gear is ridiculously cheap now that everyone switched to digital.

Cheapest hardware is probably 645, Mamiya was always cheapest and is lens compatible right upto their most modern digital models. Although most people used them as eyelevel SLRs you can get a waistlevel finder for $10

My favorite 6x7 was always Mamiya RB67 (or RZ if you like more electronics)

Then of course there is the famous Hassleblad - I've nearly been tempted to buy a Hassleblad just as a piece of art.

Whichever it's going to cost a fortune in film and you need a very high end film scanner

EDIT: Not sure if it's allowed here but check www.keh.com for used MF gear (no link other than a long time very satisfied customer)

Check more discussion of this question.

Medium Format camera suggestions for an SLR guy

Question

Ok, I know the SLR world pretty well, I've owned Pentax, Canon, and now Nikon film SLRs, from the 80's, to the naughties.

But I know nothing about Medium Format cameras, so I need your advice!

My Requirements

• it has be pretty cheap, I'm expecting to pay between $200 and $800? less would be better so I can spend on film / processing / lenses

• I don't want a "toy" camera.

• I'm trying Medium Format for the quality of the film, so I want a body that can take awesome interchangeable lenses.

• I want the lenses to be relatively easy to find in 2nd hand camera shops, and I don't want them to be the most expensive lenses (i.e, Pentax lenses are more than enough, though better is always good!)

• I need it to have a pretty reliable through the lens light meter.

• it does NOT need any auto focus

• it CAN be heavy and bulky

• it MUST be a waist "look down" viewfinder.

• I'd rather 6x6, but am flexible. I want to be able to put awesome low ISO film in there.. don't know if that limits me in the size?

• I would like a pretty fast shutter... but I know in older cameras it's hard to go above 1/1000

One More Thing, Very Important

• I do a lot of night time photography, so I need to be able to meter light at very long exposures, and of course set very long exposures.

cheers!

Answer

The good news - all medium format gear is ridiculously cheap now that everyone switched to digital.

Cheapest hardware is probably 645, Mamiya was always cheapest and is lens compatible right upto their most modern digital models. Although most people used them as eyelevel SLRs you can get a waistlevel finder for $10

My favorite 6x7 was always Mamiya RB67 (or RZ if you like more electronics)

Then of course there is the famous Hassleblad - I've nearly been tempted to buy a Hassleblad just as a piece of art.

Whichever it's going to cost a fortune in film and you need a very high end film scanner

EDIT: Not sure if it's allowed here but check www.keh.com for used MF gear (no link other than a long time very satisfied customer)

Check more discussion of this question.

How do I test if my Mamiya RZ67 is working?

Question

I have acquired a second hand Mamiya RZ67 Professional (Not 2) body for very cheap. to clarify it is just the body with no focusing screen, no film back, no viewfinder, no lens. I did put a new battery in when I got it.

The only gear similarly available at the time of purchase were RBs at the course I was studying. My lecturer, very experienced with all sorts of gear, couldn't get it going with the RB gear. He then told me try RZ backs and viewfinder to test. Unfortunately I still haven't found any.

I can prep the camera by cocking the lever down, but the only thing that happens when I push the shutter is the orange right hand light in the view finder turns on, in either normal mode or multiple exposure mode. And yes I have the shutter collar in the right position.

My question is, will the mirror move without the back and viewfinder? If so how?

Answer

What you are seeing is probably the dark slide interlock working normally -- it's there to prevent you from accidentally trying to take pictures with the film back's dark slide in place. It's been a while since I've been hands-on with an RZ (and it was a II when I did), but it should just be a matter or shorting a pair of contacts (sorry, can't tell you which ones). There are PDF manuals available online. If you're not comfortable shorting contacts, then you'll need a functioning back to test the system.

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