Medium Format is wonderful. I’ve always known this, though. For several years, we’ve reviewed so many analog medium format cameras, and recently, we’ve reviewed lots more of the digital stuff. As it is, we’ve reviewed nearly every Fujifilm GF lens on the market. But no matter what, every time I use a medium-format camera, something just gets to me. The longer I’ve shot for, the more I’ve realized that medium format and full-frame are so much better than smaller formats. Of course, it’s how you use it that matters most. But when you combine an experienced photographer with medium format, you witness a magic show that doesn’t happen much otherwise.
The Slower Process
Something I really love about medium format photography is the slower pace. You can feel it even in the shutter. With full-frame cameras, you can shoot a frame and then it’s done. In the same amount of time, you’ll still feel like the shutter is going with medium format. At least you’ll feel and hear the difference. It’s the closest thing to the satisfying thud of the shutter on the Pentax 67. A slower process means that you’re shooting fewer frames, have less to cull through, and makes you more intentional about shooting. The whole process you then do adapts to be able to get exactly what you want.
Can you do this with full-frame and APS-C cameras? Sure. But the feeling isn’t the same. Those cameras are often wired and setup for speed. On the other hand, medium format cameras aren’t totally like that. They’re going to be slower; and that means that you’ll enjoy the process more once you actually become at peace with yourself and the shooting process. You don’t need to shoot 120 frames a second; you just need to get one solid frame.
The Way the Light Renders
With medium format cameras, the light and the quality of it overall render totally different than it does with smaller sensors. It’s a beautiful thing that is incredibly difficult to explain until you really see it. It probably has something to do with the larger sensor which absorbs and soaks up light like a desert plant after the rain provides relief. And for lots of us, it reminds us of the way that film soaks up light. This, perhaps, is also why so many photographers love it so much.
More Intentional Shooting
You can argue that a photographer can shoot a single frame a second no matter what they’re shooting with. But with medium format, you really, really need to slow down. You also need to ask your subjects to slow down. This, in turn, makes you both create more intentional images instead of capturing what’s in front of you. The autofocus isn’t as fast with medium format, and so you have to make it work for you.
I remember hearing about how at the last Eddie Adams workshop there was a photographer that shot portraits at 20 frames a second or more. That really can’t happen with medium format — and it panders to the idea that you can shoot for forever and then pick the photograph later on. It’s not an intentional way of shooting. But medium format makes that much more possible.