Last Updated on 03/09/2020 by Mark Beckenbach
Can digital Medium Format cameras capture the magic the platform is known for, or are the old school Medium Format cameras just better?
It has only been in the last few years that digital Medium Format cameras have really come into the photography mainstream. For years, digital Medium Format cameras cost tens of thousands of dollars and were simply out of reach, but now, thanks to camera manufacturers like Fujifilm (and even Hasselblad with their X1D II), digital Medium Format cameras aren’t much more expensive than top tier Full Frame cameras. How do the new digital MF cameras stack up against old school film versions, though? After the break, we have a video for you that explores just that.
The Medium Format platform is seen by many as the holy grail of camera platforms. For years photographers have been talking about the Medium Format look, and for a while, camera manufacturers produce digital versions of these cameras that produce images that make you feel like you can step right inside them. For the most part, camera manufacturers like Fujifilm and Hasselblad have succeeded, and now they have made their MF cameras more affordable than ever; but do the film variants of these cameras still have that little something extra over their digital brothers?
Popular YouTube Channel Negative Feedback recently answered this question. Having got their hands on a Fujifilm GFX 50R (which we think is a stunning camera), Negative Feedback decided to do a photoshoot using both the GFX 50R and the Mamiya RZ67. A simple portrait session was set up, and both cameras were put to the task. As stated in the video, modern digital cameras have some advantages over their film counterparts. Digital cameras have excellent high ISO performance, and they have size and weight benefits. But when it comes to shooting things like portraits and landscapes (which Medium Format cameras are known for), the difference between digital and film cameras is not that great at all.
The video comparison is rather eye-opening. The images that the Fujifilm GFX50R produces exhibit gorgeous colors. The Fujifilm GF lens generated incredibly sharp, detail-rich pictures too, but the camera was harder to use thanks to convoluted menu systems. As pointed out in the video, when you’re shooting portraits and you wish to be in the moment, the complicated menus in digital cameras just get in the way. The Mamiya RZ67 was far easier to use and allowed the photographer to focus on interacting with his subject.
What about the image quality? Negative Feedback found that while the images from the GFX 50R were great, they were perhaps just a little too clinical, the lens was just too sharp, and that they didn’t really have that look that so many want from Medium Format cameras. The Mamiya RZ67 produced softer images that smoothed out the skin, and overall they had much more character. Looking at the images, I would say that no Fujifilm film simulations were used during the shoot, which could have altered the outcome slightly. But I do agree that the film shots from the RZ67 have a unique look to them.
It would be really interesting to see the Mamiya lenses adapted to the GFX 50R so we could see what images from that combination look like. I think many lenses today go for clinical perfection and have little to no character. The overall character and feel of images has more to do with the lenses we use and not so much the cameras themselves. Please check out the video and let us know what you think in the comment section below.