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#1
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Still using medium format
I just came back from a trip to Alaska. I decided not to bring my 35mm
camera and to use my Hasselblad 553ELX. It was heavier than heavy, but I figured I wanted to use what I have and get the quality I want. My traveling companion used a tiny Canon P/S digital camera with a capacity of 2000 shots (wow!). She would complain about how big and heavy my camera bag was and how tiny her camera was and the fact that she could put it in her purse and not carry some huge bag around. One of the kids that was with us decided that he wanted to take pictures with the digital camera every single day of the trip. So the day before he got the digital camera and proceeded to shoot 300 shots in a span of 20 minutes. He's 6 years old, mind you, so he shot everything under the sun, including his shoes and a bunch of other insignificant things. In fact, he was using the camera in ways that's normally fit for movie or video cameras. I took some shots, very careful not to use up all my film. The day after the boy takes more pictures. My traveling companion bought the digital camera, large SD card, and extra battery for this particular boat trip. We took a boat on a 9 hour tour to the glaciers and on our way we saw the sea animals that inhabit the place. I had a limited amount of film (very, very poor planning on my part) with 8 rolls of b/w (3 400-speed and 5 100-speed) and 4 rolls of 100-speed slide film. So what happens? It rains (dark skies demanded fast film or slow shutter speeds with 100 speed film). I ended up wanting maximum quality so I used 100 speed film as much as I could. The shutter speeds were very slow, especially with my f/4 lenses with a 2x teleconverter (yes, f/8!). Needless to say a few of my shots I was hoping to get were blurry when I finally developed the film (sigh). So, we start getting close to our main destination with the glaciers. My traveling companion with at least 1500 shots left in her camera gets her camera, holds it up and suddenly...beep, nothing. Battery dead. She left the spare in the hotel room and she's left with nothing to take pictures with. I, on the other hand, was still shooting. My ELX battery still winding away. If my batteries had died I would have reached in my bag and pulled out my spare 500C/M and continued on. On the boat I heard repeated whispers from one passenger to the another when we finally got the glaciers "...I can't. My batteries are dead" or "I'm out of room on my camera." Thunk...whirrrr....went my camera. So, I got the shots that mattered whereas they didn't (poor planning on their part). Unfortunately there was a shot I wanted and should have had if I had bothered to wait 2 minutes, but I moved away so others could take pictures. When I saw what was unfolding before me I was too late to get in position. That one untaken picture, unfortunately, is the one I keep going back to in my mind. I got home and developed all 12 rolls of film. Some pictures I expected to be blurry were, but the ones that did come out the way I wanted were nothing short of spectacular. I also love the fact that if I wanted to enlarge them to 30"x30" I'd have no problems doing so, whereas a 6 or 7MP camera might. So, overall I'm really, really glad I lugged my 15 pound camera bag around. My traveling companion has over 1000 pictures taken by her little movie camera-like son. She's happy with her pictures and that's all that count. So, I'm sure I'll continue to use my ancient Hasselblad since it brings me satisfaction when I get the slides and negatives developed. I don't need instant gratification and I know that I like the fact that I already own my equipment. I don't need to shell out $8000 and up for a new 16MP camera that will give results "superior" to medium format when in reality their cameras will be "obsolete" and "inferior" to other cameras just 2 or 3 years from now. They may be "better" than medium format but I don't care. I get the tonal range and sharpness that I need with what I have. As long as there's film available I'll continue to use my medium format camera. |
#2
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Still using medium format
Glad to see that I'm not the only one carrying around MF gear.
Just got back from Martha's Vineyard with my Pentax 6x7 outfit. It weighs 16 kg in its spiffy new Porter Case rolling pack, *not* including the tripod! The results - some wonderful Provia and Velvia slides, which I'll print at 24"x30". Peace, -chasfs http://chasfs.com |
#3
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Still using medium format
nathantw wrote:
I just came back from a trip to Alaska. I decided not to bring my 35mm camera and to use my Hasselblad 553ELX. It was heavier than heavy, but I figured I wanted to use what I have and get the quality I want... I have travelled with my Pentax 67 in its Pelican case and have taken wonderful pictures with it. My Crown Graphic is lighter and a lot easier to use handheld, but is a little awkward for taking lots and lots of pictures. My digital camera is no slouch (a Digital Rebel), but for pictures that look like *photography*, big film wins, hands down. Laura Halliday VE7LDH "Que les nuages soient notre Grid: CN89mg pied a terre..." ICBM: 49 16.05 N 122 56.92 W - Hospital/Shafte |
#4
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Still using medium format
Oh yes, the tripod. I have a Gitzo 224 with a really heavy Bogan 3528
(or whatever that 3D head is designated). It literally put me over the luggage weight limit. Needless to say that my companion wasn't too thrilled putting it into her luggage without saying "why do you need this tripod? Can't you take a smaller one?" I said "nope, not for this camera." Overall, she wasn't happy with my camera selection at all. I heard "next time..." and I just said, "no matter what camera I have, this one or a spiffy new digital, I'm still carrying this camera bag and the tripod. Besides, I'm the one carrying it and you don't hear me complaining." I'm happy to hear that others are still using their medium format cameras and not relegating them to the closet or Ebay. chasfs wrote: Glad to see that I'm not the only one carrying around MF gear. Just got back from Martha's Vineyard with my Pentax 6x7 outfit. It weighs 16 kg in its spiffy new Porter Case rolling pack, *not* including the tripod! The results - some wonderful Provia and Velvia slides, which I'll print at 24"x30". Peace, -chasfs http://chasfs.com |
#5
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Still using medium format
I use digital mostly now. I've a mark one 1ds and also Olympus e1 BUT I
still use film. I find 35mm print has the same res as 1ds, but with grain. I also scan MF and often take my Mamiya 6 kit on my cycletours. This gives fantastic results and a very high hit rate. I find MF colour better than digital as well. |
#6
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Still using medium format
nathantw wrote:
close to our main destination with the glaciers. My traveling companion with at least 1500 shots left in her camera gets her camera, holds it up and suddenly...beep, nothing. Battery dead. She left the spare in the hotel room and she's left with nothing to take pictures with. I, on the other hand, was still shooting. My ELX battery still winding away. This is not a film v digital issue, rather a poor planning issue. Pete -- http://www.petezilla.co.uk |
#7
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Still using medium format
nathantw wrote:
minutes, but I moved away so others could take pictures. When I saw what was unfolding before me I was too late to get in position. That one untaken picture, unfortunately, is the one I keep going back to in my mind. Don't dwell on it for too long. Missed shots are everywhere, for everyone. God to see I'm not alone in carrying a backpack full of gear that works. In my case it's a rb67. But I'm mad!... :-) (and yes: when the shots comeback, I just fill my eyes with the joy of those glorious, HUGE frames!) |
#8
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Still using medium format
So, I'm sure I'll continue to use my ancient Hasselblad since it brings
me satisfaction when I get the slides and negatives developed. I don't need instant gratification and I know that I like the fact that I already own my equipment. I don't need to shell out $8000 and up for a new 16MP camera that will give results "superior" to medium format when in reality their cameras will be "obsolete" and "inferior" to other cameras just 2 or 3 years from now. They may be "better" than medium format but I don't care. I get the tonal range and sharpness that I need with what I have. As long as there's film available I'll continue to use my medium format camera. After reading a great post I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents. I've used 35mm all my life and all of my cameras have been the fully automatic type - from my first Canon AE-1 to a Rebel Eos I recently sold on e-bay. In fact, I sold all of my 35mm gear so I could buy a new Canon S2IS digital camera - another fully automatic camera. I love the idea of digital - being able to take hundreds of pictures and not having to worry about processing and then discarding most of them. Then something special happened. My wife's grandfather died way back in 1980, but it wasn't till last month that we inherited his camera gear from her grandmother. There was a ton of old polaroids, Bell & Howell 8mm movie gear, an Agfa 35mm from about 1958 and a Yashica-Mat LM. The Yashica caught my attention last but held on to it the longest. I've spent the last two weeks reading online articles about how to use such a beast and I just finished my first roll of film. Tomorrow I'll take it to the processor and see what medium format prints look like. I love this thing! There's nothing automatic about it. The light meter still seems to work. I get to figure out (finally) how to set an aperature and shutter speed combination. I get to look down into a huge finder and wonder how to get my brain to work backwards - since everything seems to be reversed in the focusing screen. I live near the mountains of North Carolina and look forward to hauling this old camera and a tri-pod up to the Blue Ridge Parkway to see what kind of photos I can capture. I'm brand spanking new to medium format and can't wait to learn more about it! |
#9
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Still using medium format
sr3 wrote:
aperature and shutter speed combination. I get to look down into a huge finder and wonder how to get my brain to work backwards - since everything seems to be reversed in the focusing screen. A word from the wise, whatever you do, don't go flying in a small plane and try to take pictures from the waist level finder. Believe me, the motion of you going forward, while the image in the viewfinder going backwards will make your sense of orientation bonkers. That was enough to make my plane trip stop being fun. kind of photos I can capture. I'm brand spanking new to medium format and can't wait to learn more about it! Welcome to medium format. You'll love it, especially when you start shooting slides and b/w film. Slides are just incredible to see on the lightbox. Nathan |
#10
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Still using medium format
"sr3" wrote in message
ups.com... [SNIP] I live near the mountains of North Carolina and look forward to hauling this old camera and a tri-pod up to the Blue Ridge Parkway to see what kind of photos I can capture. I'm brand spanking new to medium format and can't wait to learn more about it! Have fun,and remember, "if at first you don't succeed..." TLRs are nice solid cameras, not much to go wrong and as I'm sure you've read, the lens on that 'mat is no slouch. You should find the square format is interesting too: if you haven't been cropping to square previously it may seem very different, but it has its own charms and there are some subjects it suits very well indeed. Getting a roll of slides film back and plonking the sheet down on the light-box for the first time is a continuing source of joy - like being a child coming downstairs on Christmas day to the pile of presents under the tree. Except it doesn't only happen once a year. Peter |
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