So here's a bunch of pictures I shot
using medium format camera.
Is this the right thing for you?
Hey everybody...
welcome back to ask David Bergman.
Of course I'm David Bergman answering your
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best ones to answer right here on a future show.
Today I've got one from Kyle and he asked why
would you use a medium format camera
over a normal DSLR medium format cameras.
What are we talking about when we talk
about medium format... Baaa BAM..
this is a medium format camera,
so what does this mean...
medium format is it just the way it
looks, or is there something else..
Well really what we're talking about is on a
full frame camera.. full-frame sensors...
the digital sensors, are the same size as the
old 35 millimeter film right?
There so 24 x 36 millimeters that's the size of the
film, if you have a camera that has a
sensor that's 24 x 36, that's considered
full-frame.
Anything with a bigger sensor
or film than that is going to be
considered medium format..
so this camera for example,
everything on this camera is
modular.
So I can take off this back, this
is a digital back, I can take off the
finder at the top.
I can take off the lens,
this is a film back, and you can see
on this film back that's the size of the
film...
I've got it covered up because
obviously the film would be exposed,
but this is 60 x 60 centimeters a lot
bigger than 30.. 24 x 36,
that is the size of the film.
Now I wish they made a
digital back that was that size.
Unfortunately they don't, but what I have
on here is an old Leaf Aptus 65 ...
it's 33 x 44 so it's cropped in a little bit
from the 6x6 that this camera can
normally shoot, but these things are very
very old... people have been shooting
medium format for a long time... this
digital back is 15 years old..
the camera is about 50 years old.. right?
They've been making Hasselblad's since
the 60's...probably earlier than that, but that's
when they really became popular, and
well-known, any commercial photographer
worth their salt was shooting medium
format in the studio back in the day.
Now what are the advantages of shooting
medium format?
Well traditionally we always said that a
bigger sensor size had more dynamic
range, and more resolution?
Much better sort of.. noise in the shadows,
and because of the bigger sensor it was
able to collect more light from the same
scene on that sensor, and just handled it
much much better.
The thing is now in today's world,
it's really not that much
of a difference anymore.
The modern DSLR cameras the Canon 5DSR or 5DS
for example is 50 megapixels, so that's
the same size as a lot of popular medium
format digital backs... and as far as
dynamic range, it's vastly improved now
on full frame cameras.
So it's really not so much of an issue but
why would you shoot one of these?
Well really at the end of the day,
it's just a lot of fun right?
This camera like I said it's very
old, everything's manual on this camera,
there's no light meter in here, there's
no autofocus, it doesn't shoot video,
it doesn't do any of that, so for example
when I'm out here today with Erica who
looks lovely, we're gonna, let's take off
the jacket, and we can make some
pictures, here we're here in the park, it's a
beautiful day...
what I have to do with a
camera like this is I have to slow down.
I really have to take my time and
compose the image carefully.
It's impossible to make a bad picture of
Erica, but it really makes me take my time.
So I'm looking down here in this
viewfinder.
The first thing I have to do
is actually I have to use a little
magnifier, so that I can focus my image
because I have to manually focus
everything, so let's get her and focus
right above there... perfect...
now she's in focus,
now exposure wise I have to figure
out my exposure..
not through the camera...
there's no auto exposure,
there's nothing,
so I either have to use a light meter,
an external light meter, or there are apps you
can use on your phone that'll get you
close.
Because I'm shooting a digital
back, I've already shot a few frames,
so I kind of know what my exposure is already.
But I had to take the time to do that,
and then when I'm actually shooting I
feel like a French fashion photographer
I can, I can just come out here, and we
can I can look down in the viewfinder,
and compose up my image, and really very
carefully just one frame at a time,
boom, and then you get to wind it, even
with digital you actually have to wind
it, so everything really sets itself...
here we go...
Erica looks amazing...
I'm gonna make a couple more
frames right here...
and one more,
one more,
perfect, amazing, so really at the end of
the day... is medium format for everybody?
No absolutely not, it is a niche product,
most photographers will never have a
need to shoot this.
For me.. personally I just love it,
I.. there's a look to it, the, the depth of
field is different, because of the crop
factor you actually have to
get in closer with the same focal length,
so it changes the depth of field...
It makes the background go a little bit
more out of focus with wider lenses, and
it just there's a there's an intangible
to shooting this thing that just can't
be replicated...
Now it's not gonna replace
my Canons...
there's no way...
I'm still using that for all
my daily shooting the stuff
I'm getting paid for...
The.. the real jobs,
but it's super fun to come out here.
I've got a beautiful model like Erica come
out here, and make some pictures in the
park... this is a blast.
So if you think it's right for you...
check one out there,
they're brand new ones... now they're a lot
more expensive,
but you can get used stuff as well and
just play around and have a
good time..
So what do you think?
Am I crazy?
Do you shoot medium format?
Is there any reason to do it?
Let me know in the comments below.
Meanwhile I'll see you back here next
time, we're doing this every week.
Ask David Bergman right here...
I'll see you then next time.
Take care.