35mm VS Medium Format Film (The differences)

Also I should point out Medium format lenses have a certain quality, it could be the DOF or maybe the focal lengths but it's definitely noticeable compared to 35mm!

I have both formats. I use both depending on what type of shooting it will e as you also said in this video. Good video by the way. I would love to see comparisons between 6x4.5 CM and 6x9cm photos. Side by side of the same subject whether it be portraits, landscapes etc. Of course action shots are almost a failure for medium format. Thanks for the videos!

My solution is, I shoot both...

Thank you for the video.
I shoot both too my brother. Zenit 12XL 35mm and KIEV 88 CM 120. Also Nikon FM 35mm and Mamiya 645.
The medium format are wonderful cameras to work with. My family in the Philippines loves to see them lol.
My wife prefers using 35mm because she's tiny and her hands are small.
That being said though...I LOVE shooting with them both!

I'm kinda impressed that you didn't mention anything of the important aspects of shooting medium format, I really don't care that much about the size of your dick. The advantages of shooting MF are plenty like shooting 35mm prime lenses on a Alexa 65mm camera. You get to have the best of both worlds, it's about optics, I thought you were gonna mention at least something related to it. Bummer!

Medium format is insanely expensive

When I go shooting I bring a GW690 for the real shots and a Olympus Pen EE for the snaps

Last time i used a camera with film, was in 1997. Is it just a certain look people are after, or why not just stick with digital?

I have been really lucky recently and found a Nikon FE2 and A Hasselblad 500cm in our long-forgotten storage unit can't wait to be shoot both formats

went right into medium format

why not both?

I just got into film. Loving my Minolta x370. But just learned about medium from you. Doing a lot of portraits so I’m gonna look into medium!

Not much , thanks for asking

Great video. I have been shooting both for a number of years now. There are some great cameras in both categories that take great pictures and are affordable.

For those new to medium format don't let yourself get disappointed with the learning curves. That beautiful shallow depth of field everyone loves can be a pain in the butt at first because it takes awhile to get a handle on it. If you want to get most of the frame in focus you need to get in the habit of stopping down alot more. When I first started shooting 120 film I had alot of pictures that were a blurry mess because It took awhile to realize that shooting at F 8 on my 6x7 Koni Omega was like shooting at F 4 on my 35mm. There is a reason those lenses stop down to F 32. Once you get that nailed down though you can get spectacular results.

Question: If I want to shoot products, and say I want to blow up an image to 11x17 (portfolio size), medium format? Or will 35 serve me well.

Love this video

Just awful. Within film, medium format is not the upgrade. Medium format is the baseline. Large format is the upgrade offering superior image quality but not particularly doable under many if not most circumstances. 35mm is the downgrade which is the tradeoff when extreme portability, flexibility, or high frame rates are more important than optical/technical excellence.

I started at a young age shooting medium format film cameras. Over the years, I have owned and used Mamiya, Fuji, Kodak, Ansco, Yashica, Polaroid, Zero Image, Diana, and Holga medium format film cameras. The Mamiya RB67 is my current favorite medium format film camera.

Later in life, I began shooting small format film cameras. I have owned and used Nikon, Pentax, Fuji, Leica, Contax, Canon, Argus, Minolta, and Miranda 35mm film cameras. The Nikon F2 is my personal favorite 35mm film camera.

Now, I also shoot large format film cameras. I have owned and used Graflex and Calumet 4x5 inch large format cameras. I have made 4x5 and 8x10 inch pinhole cameras.

I love my Nikon F6. Best 35mm camera I’ve used.

i would add one thing. If resoution matter, go digital, there is just no competition. But medium format will achieve a look that no ff or 35 mm will. i do most of my streets shot on 35, coz the rez don t matter, but architecture is on digital ie.... but i bet that ektar100 on med format must be gorgeous though

Film camera's are more expensive then ever.

I got the Contax T2 before the crazy price jump and YOU CAN'T DO A FUCKING THING ABOUT IT! EAT HOT SHIT!

I totaly agree to your conclusion : shoot both. And shoot digital too !

What’s that intro song

Thank you so much for that video! Very helpful to understand the big differences, I'll go for a 120!

Been shooting 645 with a Bronica ETR-C the last couple weeks, It's a completely different experience to shooting 35mm on my Canonet and I fell in love instantly. My favourite lens by far is a 150mm f/3.5 and wide open it produces way more satisfying DOF and optical quality than my 35mm ever did with a 100mm f/2.8. 2 rolls of foma 200 in and I never want to stop, so much easier to load into a Paterson tank too!

FIX YOUR FIRE ALARMMMMMM!!!!!

I shoot 35mm rangefinders and 6x6 reflex but the thing that isn't different in both cases is that cameras and lenses comes from the Soviet Union :P

Nice video! I have do add a very important factor which is makes medium format superior to SOME photographers: OPTICAL DEPTH/ "Three-Dimensionality"!
Just as a lot people go for full frame in digital over crop sensor cameras, the medium format film emphasizes something very significant when it comes to rendering objects in a way more three-dimensional feel.
It is about the size of the medium and the optics. the larger the format the more it is able to capture an almost 3-D kind of effect to the image, especially with prime lenses that have fewer glass elements than modern primes (which have a dozen elements to get rid of aberrations and distortion and all these things but also kill the optical depth).
The effect will be visible most when shooting color film with a low ISO. Grain and black and white film often kill the effect.

It is the same with crop sensor digital cameras. The images look flat and boring compared to full frame, which is why "pros" go for full frame and also because it is ofc the same size of a 35mm film frame.

This was my no.1 reason why I fell in love with medium format. But I also very much enjoy 35mm film. It just depends on what you aim for and also what your "field" is. I used to do a lot of street and I would never go for a medium format there because of obvious size and weight reasons.

And regarding resolution... well. 35mm is really plenty. When we look at movie productions shooting 35mm for the past 100 years and filling a huge canvas in the movies with a sharp image, there should be no issue with prints or resolution what so ever. A thing to consider here is that the 35mm film runs sideways through the photo camera and vertically in a movie camera, which means that the exposed frames is even much bigger in an analog photo camera, giving you more resolution.
Also the movie industry often used the anamorphic process, which means that information is even compressed on that tiny space and later enlarged and uncompressed to get a wider view on the same space on the same medium, and the quality is still stunning. So the resolution factor in medium format is not really an issue to me - and also I personally like the slight diffuse feel 35mm images create. It depends also a lot on what film you buy. There is sharper film and there is less sharp film, but in the end it is all subjective.

tysm for this vid, so helpful! :)

I shot my first roll of 120 not too long ago it was illford b&w on a yashica mat 124g I purchased. I was super impressed with the 6x6 format.

thanks. that was helpful

All my good Medium format cameras are currently broken. :( I need to fix at least one. :)

From what I've seen Medium format is pretty incredible. With good film and a top notch camera, it can rial some of the best digital camera systems, IMO.

Or both!

Do you have any recommendations for a m42 film body, I have been using a fujica st701 and need something more advanced thx

I have my Nikon gear along with my Canon and Zeiss 35mm RF gear, but with my medium format I have my Bronica, Graflex XL, and a Vintage 1933 German Plaubel Makina II 6x9 Camera. I love old use gear....

I've done MF on the street.Pentax 67II and Mamiya 645 AF. Challenging for sure

I shoot street style medium format with a Mamiya RZ67 Pro ii (10 exposures). It's super exciting because I was walking and focusing at the same time using Sunny 16 rules.

I also shoot 4x5, and 35, but fell back to medium format for portraits.

With the viewing screen of the RZ67Pii you can shoot sideways (while walking), upside down, and get incredible shots that have satin-like finish.

Hi there, where did you get that grip????

Still think medium format is the best format for most things. I personally think all 35mm cameras create a very similar look where as medium format cameras all have their own really unique look. Plus the variety in aspect ratios is really nice about medium format

I love the two

Do you still know how to play sleep walk by Richie valens ? If you do can you do a tutorial I really want to learn it and your a beast at...

Am scared of medium format haha

Maybe in the US you can get Pentax 67 for really cheap but over here in Europe prices for medium format cameras in general can jump thru the roof. Recently I stumbled upon Mamiya 645 ProTL; the guy wanted almost $900, but to my mind it was so beaten up, worth for parts only...

I have never shot medium format yet. I just bought a Mamiya 645 to start out with it. Ive been shooting 35mm since I was a kid so it'll be a nice change to try something new. my only gripe as you mentioned is only getting 12 shots per roll. It'll be hard to have to remember to hold back and shoot slower and not blow the whole roll.

Don't lenses impact resolution just as much? So a better lens on a 35mm would compensate for resolution? Are there medium format point and shoot cameras??

I've recently gone medium format (6x4.5) so I can shoot wide on a 55mm.