does anyone shoot med or large format anymore?

[SecondFocus]

I agree with Frank and have gone to his workshop which I very much recommend. Digital has dumbed down many of the basics that we used to consider when shooting film. And as a consequence, most digital photography is pretty mundane and all the same. When we shot film, we gave thought to getting it right because there is no instant do over.

I shoot Polaroid pretty much for fun but it can give you a good indication as to shadows and scene details you might overlook in the viewfinder. What I will miss is Polaroid Spectra because I do especially enjoy that. Fuji however is continuing to make instant pack film so I will start buying that for my Mamiya.

As far as a WOW with color film. Well yes I think. I can't post anything right now, I am on my notebook and leaving town this morning. But I will try to post something later.

[Not4wood]

Right, there will be no way I will get nor afford a Digital Back for my very old wooden 4x5 camera. I dont think I can put one on it anyway unless it slides in like my old missing Poloroid back used to.

[Not4wood]

I cant say I've seen evidence of what you M8's are talking about. But I will agree that all the Digital Work I've seen and the lack of some understanding of some of the basics that were taken for granted because we had to go to the darkroom and spend a lot of time and money developing and printing. I would think its more a mindset, to see and check out the whole image and make sure its perfect in every way before you commit and make the exposure with your film. I used to test with the B&W Pack to double check my exposure, pose and of course lighting.

I would still like to be able to use my old 4x5 Camera, but without Poloroid film or my Poloroid back I dont know what I'm going to do.

[SecondFocus]

I am back from 3 days at the beach shooting two assignments. I shot both entirely on medium format film. So next week I will post a few.

But for the moment here is one from a few weeks ago. I was most impressed with the color and overall look. This was shot on the new formulation of Fuji Pro 160c 120 on the Mamiya 645AFDII with the 45mm 2.8 lens. I have some others I will post in the next day or so.

[SecondFocus]

Also shot on the new formulation of Fuji Pro 160c 120 on the Mamiya 645AFDII with the 45mm 2.8 lens.

[eric rose]

Absolutely! Check out my website: Relocate all of it is taken with film and probably 90% is MF or LF.

[J.A.F. Doorhof]

Going one step larger now:
Just ordered a Mamiya RZ67 Pro II with 120Back and two lenses.
Also added a plate to attach my Leaf Aptus to this machine.

Really looking forward to shooting some 6x7 film

[HuBBaTheMan]

Damn you frank =) I hate you even more now (just kidding ofcourse

I btw just missed the chance of buying a ZD camera for about 3000 euros. But oh well, easy come easy go.

The 6x7 format is lovely btw. Used to shoot RB67 back in "the days". Which is roughly the same size and weight as the RZ67 cameras. Great cameras to shoot with =)

[J.A.F. Doorhof]

I heard alot of good about the camera, and because I find myself using the meter in almost all situations I think I won't miss the electronics

[HuBBaTheMan]

well the RZ does have a meter. RB doesnt. but its a very good solid camera and if you are using the meter then you won't feel any different

I'm using a meter with my 645 aswell :P

a funny thing with regards to the "learn the old ways, today it's a bit too easy with digital" happened to me this weekend. I was shooting a fashion catwalk show in Gothenburg and had another photographer next to me who by the equipment sure looked like a pro. He had two nikons highend, with very expensive lenses (i don't know nikon that well but this was their equivalent to the L lenses of canon).

But here comes the twist. The guy shot a picture, then immediately looked at his display.. and kept looking .. and kept looking and twisting some dials.. and looking.. then he remembered that he's shooting a catWALK and that the models are WALKing So he looks up, sees that model has now changed to another one, snaps a picture.. and then... looks at the display again.

Now this struck me with one important question that i would have liked to ask the photographer. Don't you trust your equipment? Because he basically missed half the show and only got a few stressed frames shot out of 38 outfits. All of this simply because he didn't trust his settings / measurments but HAD to check the lcd.

Just found that behaviour a little odd since the #1 rule i was taught when shooting editorial/documentary/sports/wildlife/etc is never ever drop the focus from the action and to be able to do that, you need to know your tools and trust in them.

Just some food for thought there =)

(And sorry if this was a bit off topic in the end =)

[cyclohexane]

I shoot 6x6 with a Hasselblad 500/CM and 80mm lens. The thing's well-used, but fresh off a CLA; cost me less than an entry-level DSLR.

Just found that behaviour a little odd since the #1 rule i was taught when shooting editorial/documentary/sports/wildlife/etc is never ever drop the focus from the action and to be able to do that, you need to know your tools and trust in them.

Times have changed. We sometimes have to remind our interns to stop looking at their pictures during shoots.

[SecondFocus]

Constantly looking at the LCD at the back of the camera is just not the way to shoot in my opinion.

For me I feel like I am losing contact with the subject, whether a person or a landscape. It removes the direct relationship you have with actually looking at what you are photographing.

That is also why I have none of those digital point and shoots without an optical viewfinder.

[heartseye]

Originally Posted by SecondFocus

Constantly looking at the LCD at the back of the camera is just not the way to shoot in my opinion.

For me I feel like I am losing contact with the subject, whether a person or a landscape. It removes the direct relationship you have with actually looking at what you are photographing.

That is also why I have none of those digital point and shoots without an optical viewfinder.

But then you can't get the benefits from an Olympus 1030, for example. I have one and I do wish it had a viewfinder....BUT.....I purchased it for what it CAN do...not what it cannot do. In life, compromise and flexibility are practical realities.........cheers, Bob

[SecondFocus]

Here is one from a magazine feature shoot I did a couple of months ago. It was a fairly overcast day, windy and cold. As you can see it was Fuji Pro 400H film. The camera was the Mamiya 645AFDII with the 80mm 2.8 lens. This frame is from a 50 meg drum scan. It does loose some impact scaling it down to the file size for online use.

[Not4wood]

Very nice shot!! I really like the tones, DOF and the richness of the saturation. Really cool. I've never used the Fuji film, but it makes me want to give it a try.

I gotta agree with everyone about taking the eyes away from the shot to "CHIMP". It might just be what were used to. Last Saturday, I had taken my still fairly new Nikon D80 out for the first time for some farm animal shots and I was concentrating on everything else in the shoot. I actually forgot all about looking at the back of the camera. It never even occured to me, I was working/concentrating so hard on all the variables...

[SecondFocus]

I started shooting Fuji Pro films recently. I had always stayed with Kodak Pro films. Side by side with the comparative films, for example Kodak Portra 160vc and Fuji Pro 160c, and I liked the Fuji better, at least for the subjects I was shooting.

I also like Tri-X but when I started shooting Fuji Acros I was pretty impressed too. You just kind of develop favorites. I still have a lot of Kodak in the frig so I will continue to shoot it. But as I buy film to keep stocked, I seem to be buying Fuji.

[Pony]

I still have and use a Bronica 645.I bought this camera specifically for photographing large groups and clubs.I'm totally pleased with it.While I try to pick oppportune lighting,alot of times I have to I have to shoot in whatever lighting outdoor events dictate.Having the 1/5ooth sync is a blessing.My lens is the 45-90 PE.As for film,I still use alot.It hasn't let me down.