Who still uses Medium Format?

I have found this on the Kodak website, which shows roll film still photography predates movie use.

1888 - The name "Kodak" was born and the KODAK camera was placed on the market, with the slogan, "You press the button - we do the rest." This was the birth of snapshot photography, as millions of amateur picture-takers know it today.

1889 - The first commercial transparent roll film, perfected by Eastman and his research chemist, was put on the market. The availability of this flexible film made possible the development of Thomas Edison's motion picture camera in 1891. ♦ A new corporation - The Eastman Company - was formed, taking over the assets of the Eastman Dry Plate and Film Company.
 
ah5168 said:
I have found this on the Kodak website, which shows roll film still photography predates movie use.

1888 - The name "Kodak" was born and the KODAK camera was placed on the market, with the slogan, "You press the button - we do the rest." This was the birth of snapshot photography, as millions of amateur picture-takers know it today.

1889 - The first commercial transparent roll film, perfected by Eastman and his research chemist, was put on the market. The availability of this flexible film made possible the development of Thomas Edison's motion picture camera in 1891. ♦ A new corporation - The Eastman Company - was formed, taking over the assets of the Eastman Dry Plate and Film Company.
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Correct - apart from that camera used 3.5" x 3.5" film, not 70mm, which is what we're talking about here...
The Eastman Dry Plate co. (later Eastman-Kodak) manufactured several film types before deciding on the currently recognised formats...

http://web.archive.org/web/20040409010046/http://members.aol.com/Chuck02178/film.htm
 
The Leica was designed specifically to use the available movie stock, though the cinema frame is sideways, not lengthways, like Olympus half frame stills.
35 mm is a great format but you have to remember it is a miniature camera standard, the Leica was designed to extract the last ounce of detail from material that was never intended to be used for stills, by having a peerless lens. All cameras are a compromise, if I could get 5 x 4 quality from a hand held camera I'd use nothing else. Better to have a camera to get the shot than no camera because it's too big to carry all the time, everywhere. 35mm's main failing is in the large print, 15 x 11 and above where the grain structure starts to become intrusive and big prints require a high level of printing skill to do the negative justice.

Medium format is an ideal compromise in many ways but film carriage means a lump of camera. Studio formats (Hasselblad, Bronica, Mamiya, etc) only turn into eye level cameras by the addition of extra gubbins like prism finders and grips and 120 rangefinders (Pentax 67, Mamiya Press) are huge in every sense. The Mamiya 7 was one of the first cameras since the 50s that took the format into point and shoot territory, which is why the hold their price so well. The best quality/price/size camera is probably the Yashicamat with the peephole finder. I agree on 220, a bit delicate for my tastes.
 
The 105 roll film shown on your weblink was introduced in 1897 prior to the movie camera. This is the same film as 120. The 120 bit tells you about the roll size and backing paper thickness as in 220 film the film is the same dimensions as 120 it’s the roll and paper thickness that’s different.
 
Arkady said:
I found the thinner base too prone to kinks and stress-marks...
I know what you mean though - but if I go digital then I may as well use my D3x...
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I hadn't thought about that, I have enough trouble trying to load 120 without damaging it.
 
Yep I still use

Bronica SQ-Ai
Yashica 124G
Fuji GSW690

Thinking of selling the Bronica and getting a Pentax 6x7 :thinking:

Just out of interest how much you thinking of selling your Pentex for Rob?
 
colpepper said:
The Mamiya 7 was one of the first cameras since the 50s that took the format into point and shoot territory, which is why the hold their price so well
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Preceeded by the Mamiya 6, the greatest camera ever made ;) so good I bought it twice.

All of my landscape, still life or architecture is 6x6 or above, hopefully pushing up to 5"x7" if/when I can find some holders that don't eat up my film budget.

There are so many great MF cameras around for no money it's madness not to use it, in fact it should be made compulsory :D
 
Well I used my RB67 pro and Etrs for some snow shots.......what's holding me up using them more is getting the negs developed for a reasonable cost, anyway am going to try this place dev only £2.50 free postage back:-

http://www.snapsphotoservices.com/120colfilmdprp.htm

And film I'm using? Still got a lot of vericolor in the fridge.
 
i do!

i use my mamiya rb67 pro s on a regular enough basis, shot a lot of college work with it and i take my lomo diana with me most places, not quite as good IQ with that though :D
 
I've had a few M/F cameras, currently a Mam 6 and a 220 TLR.
I've only recently been introduced to 35mm of which I've shot maybe 30 rolls.
I've shot 900 or so rolls of 120 though..:LOL:

120 is still pretty popular, film manufacturers still R&D, they introduce nearly as many new incarnations/improvements as products they cut.
Still making 120 cameras, even if it is mostly Holgas.
I dunno, maybe we're coming to the end of the film is obsolete plague, stood on the edge of a film is cool again period.
Film isn't ever gonna be top of the charts like it was, but it'll have its place, 120 is likely to be part of the deal.
 
It's also worth noting that where there are enthusiasts there is always a way. There are ultra large format users that actually have batches made for them. Obviously this is extreme but if the worst comes to the worst...
 
For anyone who thinks 120 is a bit hefty, there's a New York street photographer (whose name escapes me for the moment) who shoots on a 10 x 8 Deardorff with a special grip. That's commitment (to right arm development at least). Nobody should complain their camera is too heavy again!
 
I shoot with a Salyut C and 80mm. I want a decent body and I'd have yours rob if I had 2 grand. Almost exclusively for colour slide though if I could set up a proper darkroom maybe some BnW print.

atm I have a uni darkroom so do both
 
Picked up. A Mamiya RZ67 last year, I must get around to having the couple of rolls of film I have shot devedm
 
hence why I didn't offer :D

Seen the kit in use and it is lovely looking (yeah I'm a poser) like I say if I had something in the ball park a conversation would be had ;)
 
Looks like my Medium format days will be over soon, I think I've found a buyer for my beloved Blad in the classifieds....

Mind you I've still got an old Zeiss Ikon 6x9 and the Agfa Clack so maybe not :D
 
I still have my Lubitel 166 that I bought new in 1987 for about £15. Haven't run a roll of film through it in years though...

I am, however, trying to find more excuses to get out with my dad's old Yashica 124G, which he gave to me recently. 120 is certainly a lot easier to scan nicely than 35mm with my Epson V700. The recent purchase of a Sekonic light meter might just give me the kick I need.

2935277330_04b6d59f3c.jpg


I do rather enjoy the experience shooting with a TLR.

I keep finding myself tempted to supplement this with a Bronica SQ or something similar, but mrs M might be asking why I'm buying yet another camera :cautious:
 
Musicman said:
I still have my Lubitel 166 that I bought new in 1987 for about £15. Haven't run a roll of film through it in years though...

I am, however, trying to find more excuses to get out with my dad's old Yashica 124G, which he gave to me recently. 120 is certainly a lot easier to scan nicely than 35mm with my Epson V700. The recent purchase of a Sekonic light meter might just give me the kick I need.

I do rather enjoy the experience shooting with a TLR.

I keep finding myself tempted to supplement this with a Bronica SQ or something similar, but mrs M might be asking why I'm buying yet another camera :cautious:
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Try a Mamiya 645 with Auto prism finder :)
Matt
 
I'd also be willing to bet that with a MF - especially a TLR or 'look-down' model you wouldn't be hassled by PCSO's asking if you're a member of a Terrorist Recon Group...
 
Supposedly the little red light at the top of the viewfinder stops working (there's a test button on the LH side of the body). I thought mine stopped working the other day and that it was defaulting to 1/500 so I flicked the multi-exposure lever and tested at some slower speeds. Not sure how accurate it was but it certainly wasn't firing off at 1/500 every time. Will test again when I get home but I on't remember the light working all the time, having said that I was hardly ever looking into the WLF once the shot was setup.
 
A Lubitel 2 has just landed on my desk (thanks Mr M) and assuming I ever work out how to load it and take a picture I am now officially still using medium format.
 
Another Clack user here, also got my Holga 120N which takes 120 film [obviously...] but probably shouldn't be mentioned in the thread as the Hassies etc :LOL:
 
Deckard said:
Another Clack user here, also got my Holga 120N which takes 120 film [obviously...] but probably shouldn't be mentioned in the thread as the Hassies etc :LOL:
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Don't sweat it - I admitted to using 2 different Holga's - one of them doesn't even have a lens - just a pinhole :LOL:
 
Arkady said:
I'd also be willing to bet that with a MF - especially a TLR or 'look-down' model you wouldn't be hassled by PCSO's asking if you're a member of a Terrorist Recon Group...
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Just testing my 220 TLR, I've spent an hour in total shooting 12 frames of Hull, and in that time its been a box brownie, surveying equipment and a video camera.
I reckon your average PCSO wouldn't be able to take it seriously...no more a threat than say...comedic clown shoes, or an inflatable sausage...or something :LOL:
 
joxby said:
Just testing my 220 TLR, I've spent an hour in total shooting 12 frames of Hull, and in that time its been a box brownie, surveying equipment and a video camera.
I reckon your average PCSO wouldn't be able to take it seriously...no more a threat than say...comedic clown shoes, or an inflatable sausage...or something :LOL:
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hey, some find me inflatable sausage quite threatening ;)
 
Unless you're doing static/architectural style work on the Lubitel, I found the quickest way was to pre-focus and use a sufficiently fast film for a large f-number (deep depth of field) and the eye-level viewfinder.
Unfortunately the shutter has packed up on mine and last time I bought a Lubitel they were about twelve quid. The prices now have gone stratospheric!
 
colpepper said:
Unless you're doing static/architectural style work on the Lubitel, I found the quickest way was to pre-focus and use a sufficiently fast film for a large f-number (deep depth of field) and the eye-level viewfinder.
Unfortunately the shutter has packed up on mine and last time I bought a Lubitel they were about twelve quid. The prices now have gone stratospheric!
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I definitely think prefocus is the way!

I haven't fired the shutter in anger yet.
 
I love medium format! My first cameras was the Mamiya RB67 but then I got the Contax 645. I had a couple of Hasselblads that I sold but know I'm waiting for one 500CM and a Kowa Six too. :D
 
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