Is the 5DMark11 a medium fornat camera?

[Leehman]

Some magazines claim that the 5D Mark 11 is a medium format camera.
Is it because of the large files? Is it the full frame sensor?
What do you think

[epatsellis]

it's probably from the liquid lunches they have, or whatever they're smoking.


e

[swampler]

I've seen them mention it's as good as a medium format camera due to the high resolution files and sharpness, but I've never seen them call it a medium format camera. Got a link?

[Leehman]

Hi Steve,

No link but this month's Rangefinder Magazine has an article " EOS 5DMark11 Canon's Medium Format Camera"
July issue 2009 I do not know if you can read it on line?

[gjb]

This blog post makes mention of "medium format quality" -

Canon EOS 5D Mark II | PhotographyBLOG

[swampler]

Originally Posted by Leehman

Hi Steve,

No link but this month's Rangefinder Magazine has an article " EOS 5DMark11 Canon's Medium Format Camera"
July issue 2009 I do not know if you can read it on line?

Is that the issue with the old man on the cover? I haven't read it yet, but got it this week. Will take a look.

[HuBBaTheMan]

Having shot with the 5D Mk II and with Medium format digital backs, the 5D is definately not a medium format camera. And that claim has nothing to do with file size, but all to do with the size of the format in regards to sensors AND optics.

The medium format lights up a larger area than the 35mm which affects a lot of things on the optical side (just as Large Format feels and looks different to Medium format aswell) which gives each format a distinct look.

So to make a 5D a medium format camera you would need to increase the sensor side further, and switch out all the optics and everything else associated with a 35mm format. Resolution or file-size has absolutely nothing to do with it.

Having said that, the 5D mk2 does create some very lovely imagefiles and it's just as good in that aspect as my medium format back from 2003. Can you see a difference between the two formats? Absolutely yes in my opinion.

To summarize though, the issue of large/medium/small format is on the optical side, not the digital side.

[swampler]

Originally Posted by Leehman

Hi Steve,

No link but this month's Rangefinder Magazine has an article " EOS 5DMark11 Canon's Medium Format Camera"
July issue 2009 I do not know if you can read it on line?

Leehman,

I looked at that article in Rangefinder and they had "medium format" in quotes, indicating that it is not actually a medium format camera.

On another note, I did read an article in Outdoor Photographer saying you could get "medium format" sharpness by stitching 3 shots together. The author was using a 1Ds III camera to campare a 3 shot stitch to a 39MP back and to a drum scanned medium format shot. Only the sharpness was better, but other areas of the quality still could not be matched by the stitched image. The stitched image was close enough, though, that the author couldn't justify the price of buying the 39MP back he was testing.

[00silvergt]

No. Short answer. Long answer...The Mark II's sensor is the same size as a 35mm. Medium formats are at least double the size. I can see why mags are dubbing this as a medium format, because of it's extremely high resolution compared to other DSLR's. Since in the film days, the medium format gave you the higher resolution compared to 35mm because of the size. But medium format DSLRs have evolved beyond that of 21.1 MP. They have more than twice the defining pixels with a sensor that is double the size of the 5D2. You know, they also dubbed the 5D classic as a 'medium format' at one time as well.

[stdon]

Photo Techniques ran a test between the Canon, Hass and PH1 awhile back. Short version is that though the Canon for it's sensor size wasn't bad, it isn't in the same league with either digital backs on either body and putting a pH1 back on a LF camera, that blew them all away.

[00silvergt]

Originally Posted by stdon

Photo Techniques ran a test between the Canon, Hass and PH1 awhile back. Short version is that though the Canon for it's sensor size wasn't bad, it isn't in the same league with either digital backs on either body and putting a pH1 back on a LF camera, that blew them all away.

...nor is it in the same price range.

[stdon]

That wasn't the question. The answer is still no, though good, the Canon still isn't a match for MF and is certainly light years from LF. Yes, size does make a difference.

Originally Posted by 00silvergt

...nor is it in the same price range.

[00silvergt]

Originally Posted by stdon

That wasn't the question. The answer is still no, though good, the Canon still isn't a match for MF and is certainly light years from LF. Yes, size does make a difference.

My point is you get what you paid for. Comparing the 5D Mark II or even the 1DS Mark III to a Hassey H3D for instance is like comparing a Camaro, yes, even the new one with a Ferrari Enzo. It is simply no contest and there is a price difference to prove it.

Actually Shutterbug, just called the Nikon D3x a medium format...looking for the article that calls the Sony a medium format next...

[Tareq]

Let's say that they called 1Ds MarkIII a medium format, i did a simple test with my 1Ds III against Hasselblad H3DII, simple the H3D was a winner in everything [colors, contrast, sharpness,....] so i don't know what those people are trying to do, are they trying to make those 35mm digital cameras to be medium formats because they can't afford Digital MF? I have a feeling that a 35mm digital 40mp camera will still be less quality then a meduim format 30mp camera, even if canon produced a 40mp camera i will never choose it over my 39mp medium format, system differences will stay different, and Large and Medium format for many years and still were the top highest quality cameras, and those new 35mm digital cameras trying to reach those larger level simply, but it will never beat or surpass because talking about digital MP, they will be always above 35mm digital, and the time when we can see 35mm digital in 60mp range then medium format digital will be in 100mp+ range so it will stay on top.