Therefore I began a series of reviews of most of the available medium format digital backs available. As I was doing so I discovered that none of the traditional photography magazines nor any of the photography web sites covered medium format digital in any depth, so clearly there was an unmet need. I knew though that eventually I would return to medium format, and in the second half of 2003 decided that it was time to explore some of the new medium format digital back offerings. Neither can take interchangeable backs, and therefore aren’t adaptable to digital. I had sold my Pentax 67 and 645 systems when I switched to the Canon 1Ds because they didn’t offer a migration path to digital. All that needs to happen is for the portability of MF digital systems to become less problematic and for prices to become more affordable. For the same pixel dimension a 4.5 X 6 cm imaging area will always trump a 2.4 X 3.6 cm imaging area. The same considerations that have historically permitted medium format to be able to produce higher quality images than 35mm are coming into play again. But there’s a lot going on in the world of medium format digital backs. And yes, it’s still in my experience able to produce the equal of scanned medium format film.
Some 9,000 frames later I still find it a joy to use, and have produced some extremely fine exhibition-grade images with it. And no, there’s nothing wrong with the 1Ds. So why would I buy another medium format film camera? After all, I am the guy that said that the 1Ds was as good as medium format scanned film, and who consequently sold his Pentax 67and Pentax 645systems in later 2002. I have been using my digital Canon 1Dsalmost exclusively for the past 10 months (since November 2002).
I decided that the Contax 645 would be the platform that I would use to investigate these exciting new developments.Ĭontax 645 with 80mm f/2 Planar and Kodak DCS Pro Back ISO 100 But the world of film is fading fast, so why review a film camera? The answer is because though medium format film has been eclipsed of late by high-end 35mm digital, there are several medium format digital backs of 16-22 Megapixelscoming to market that are reasserting medium format’s superiority. The camera has been on the market for some 4 years and is now well establish among both pros and serious amateurs alike. In the case of the Contax 645 I knew right away that I had found a tool with which I would be comfortable and productive. But it’s during this initial familiarization period that one discovers what worksand what doesn’t, and one develops a sense of how well the camera will suit ones needs. Things which later become familiar and routine are fresh and sometimes confusing. The first 30 minutes with a new camera are for me the most telling. MP-1 Battery Grip and 80mm f/2 Planar Lens