On 2/07/2015 5:41 p.m., Sandman wrote:
In article , RichA wrote:

Sandman:
Well, there was a stream of MF shooters that
flocked around the Nikon D800 when it was announced. But
since then a lot of MF cameras have worked their way
towards the strengths of the D800, like ISO.

Medium Format isn't about megapixels, at least not only.
It's about dynamic range and skin tones. And there's
still a way to go for full format cameras until they
match that.

Plus, MF has so much superior glass available to them as
well. While Nikon has a lot of really nice glass, it's
not comparable to top of the line lenses from Hasselblad
and the likes.

Gary Eickmeier:
It seems to me that the main advantage of
the medium format of physical size of imager is in the area
of low light photography - but curiously studio photogs
don't need that!

Sandman:
And, as I said, digital medium format cameras are
notoriously bad in low light.

RichA:
Only grossly expensive ones like Hasselblad and Phase. Check
out the new Pentax.

Sandman:
Yes, like I *also* said, newer MF cameras have far better ISO
performance. This is still the exception, mainly because most MF
cameras are still CCD. There is (at least) one Hasselblad with a
CMOS sensor as well, but I know when it was released a lot of
bladers frowned at it. CCD is a bit of a holy grail for MF
shooters.

Ah the sensor debate. CCD still supposedly is a better sensor if
colour accuracy is your goal.

Which it is for any MF shooter, for obvious reasons.

There are a number of astronomy shooters who believe this and there
was one person who said (I don't know the details) that the Nikon
D5100 apparently had a very good sensor if accurately recording
colour in a scene was paramount, for astronomical images anyway.

Never heard of color accuracy being so important to astrophotographers. Dynamic
range, however, is pretty important.

For portrait photographers, the "holy CCD skin tone" is where most of the debate
is at.


Even though it's complete and utter BS.
Perhaps they'll get over it in a few years now that Hasselblad, Phase
One etc have switched new designs to CMOS.