Nude Photo Pro

Mamiya 645 with 31MP Leaf digital back

Canon 1DsII with 24-105L

Photographed above are a Mamiya 645 medium format camera withe a 31MP Leaf digital back and a Canon 1DsII with a 24-105L zoom. Both cameras have their pros and cons and I think it’s worth looking at what they both have to offer.

Back in the days of film this decision would have been a no brainer because I really found that while 35mm film was capable of producing excellent quality results at smaller sizes, there was a greater sense of reassurance when working with medium format film because of the greater flexibility to make big enlargements or crop if necessary. For that reason alone I did nearly all my work with the Hasselblad and only used my Canon once or twice a year in special circumstances when the speed advantage of working with 35mm became essential.

For commercial work, film is ancient history as far as I am concerned, though that doesn’t mean film wouldn’t be able to produce good quality images, merely that I have moved on to a 100% digital workflow. In practice there is no commercial assignment that I cannot handle using a professional quality digital camera in 2009 and I am not a pixel peeping maniac so all I care about is the end result and whether or not it is aesthetically pleasing.

The difference in size and weight is not as notable as it was in the past, so on that score I could be happy with either option and I actually like the feel of a fairly big camera, though I always thought the Mamiya RZ and RB were overkill and severely limited the options for moving about quickly either on location or in the studio. Build quality with all the professional cameras is also very good in general, so I don’t think that is an issue unless you plan on shooting in the coldest parts of Siberia.

One area where I feel medium format wins hands down is with the actual shape of the image. The vast majority of commercial applications such as magazines and catalogues are a far better fit for the 4:3 ratio of cameras like the Mamiya rather than the 2:3 ratio of 35mm cameras. In practice you have to allow more space to crop a 35mm image, so you end up with lower resolution and it’s generally just an unwanted diversion from your work.

Mamiya 645

There will of course be cases where the 35mm format offers a better fit for certain jobs but I still prefer  medium format when photographing models because I believe it looks so much more flattering to the shape of a body, whether shooting fashion or nudes, because I believe 35mm images just look too long and narrow. To get around that you need to step right back and shoot with lots of space above the head and then crop in, but your 16MP image will likely be no more than 12MP in practice at that point. That may still be enough for many purposes, but it’s right at the edge of acceptability for any big enlargements where you still require good image detail.

Medium format digital cameras have always scored well on shadow transitions compared to 35mm systems, which are often hard pressed in situations with less than optimal lighting and exposure, so in that sense I still don’t believe a modern 35mm digital camera can yet match a medium format camera whether using digital or film. To me this is one of the greatest problems with 35mm DSLR cameras because they still have a relatively limited dynamic range in the shadow areas which frequently results in images with very strange and unwanted effects in the hands of an unskilled photographer. Yes you can work around it but it takes time, care and effort.

For low noise levels 35mm wins easily and is capable of far better results in situations where a photographer is forced to work in less than ideal conditions outdoors. I know some people would consider me old fashioned for always trying to work at the lowest possible ISO, though I would point out that the majority the world’s successful commercial photographers do exactly the same, whether shooting fashion, beauty, glamour, still life, nudes, landscapes or general advertising, so I am clearly not alone in this regard.

The fact remains though that if you try to shoot outdoors with a medium format digital camera at 800 ISO you are likely to be disappointed with the results and the likes of Canon appear to have made greater progress in this area. Do the same thing with a 5DII and you’ll be surprised at how good it still looks with some careful noise reduction in post production. On days where you have to produce a lot of images in less than ideal weather conditions 35mm may well be the only logical choice.

One area where medium format digital cameras have suffered badly in recent years is on the question of problem free compatibility between components from different makers. It’s no fun for example if you have a back from Sinar and a Mamiya body but none of your images are in focus and yet neither company will accept responsibility for the problem. To that extent the approach by Hasselblad of using one complete system makes a lot of sense, because they have complete control over every aspect of the system, though I know some photographers are not 100% happy with this situation.

It would be naive to write a blog post comparing 35mm to medium format without considering the question of cost, because the difference is considerable, though I am glad to see that the eye watering expense of medium format is creeping closer to the realms of 35mm and in a couple of years time I expect many more professionals to start using medium format cameras again after being forced to abandon ship for a few years because of clear cut problems of affordability. For most people reading this blog the prices of medium format are still too high and in that case you just have to work with the best 35mm camera and lenses you can afford.

In terms of absolute quality I find that my 1DsII is broadly comparable in print with what I could do with film using a medium format camera and a good quality scan, though illusions of producing that kind of quality with an 8MP camera are frankly just wishful thinking. The resolution just isn’t there.

The very fact that 35mm digital has improved so much is what has allowed many professionals to opt for a 35mm system rather than feeling obliged to stick with medium format, because in print the end result really is good enough for anything but the most extreme situations when dealing with portraits etc. and billboards are easily possible.

I read recently that Annie Leibovitz used the 1DsII when she produced that stunning portrait of Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace and of course she could have used any camera she liked. While it cannot be denied that a medium format is more likely to impress a commercial client when they see you working, that certainly shouldn’t be the primary reason for choosing not to shoot 35mm.

It’s true that most medium format cameras have more megapixels so that will translate to greater image detail, especially given the superior quality lenses and lack of anti-moire filter, but that doesn’t necessarily make the final image more flattering or aesthetically pleasing, so I think it’s a case of choosing the right tool for the job. I have seen some some beauty images done with 38MP images that were anything but flattering.

More megapixels is not always better unless you are a pixel maniac in which case I suggest you spend more time taking pictures and working on your communication skills with models rather than fussing over  pointless details. The sad fact is that photography does tend to attract a lot of geeks for whom discussions over pixel density would seem to be the sole purpose of photography. For subjects like architecture you probably want as much image resolution as possible, but no model will thank you for making her face look some Roman ruins.

To finish this post with some kind of summary conclusion, I can only say that in an ideal world a professional photographer would really want both systems at their disposal, just like in the past. A professional level 35mm DSLR is now capable of doing much of the work that a photographer previously would have done on a medium format camera and that’s not too shabby, but the traditional virtues of medium format still apply and I personally prefer the process of working with medium format. The top end medium format cameras are now able to produce the kind of quality that was once reserved for large format 5×4 or even 10×8 cameras. In other words nothing short of stunning.

For photographing nudes or glamour etc. I think the sweet spot is probably a medium format camera with a full frame 25MP sensor. If you only produce images for the internet or make small prints though it’s an utterly pointless expense.

I’ve been unable to write any blog posts for a week or so largely because too much time spent at the computer in recent months has brought on some RSI (repetitive strain injury) and I have to be a bit careful about the amount of typing I do for a while, however I will do what I can!