I gave in and tried Medium Format Film Photography.
When I got into film photography, specifically 35mm, I learned about all the different formats and where “full frame” and “APSC” sensor sizes come from. 35mm is full frame size. And then there are larger sizes; medium format, large format, and all the aspect ratios for each. 6x4.5, 6x6, 6x7……it was a lot. As a beginner, lets sick with simple 35mm.
120mm film is for full frame film cameras and as I kept learning more and more about that film, the temptation to try medium format kept growing. But it’s an expensive experiment! So I talked myself out of it every time. Well, for a year at least.
I decided to try it because the curiosity kept growing. Plus medium format cameras are SO pretty! And there was one particular camera that kept catching my eye, and my heart. And my dang credit card. The Pentax 6x7.
She is big. She is a beauty. She is LOUD. But I loved her right away. But before getting too attached, I had to make sure she worked as intended. The camera came all the way from Japan so while it was expected the camera will be totally fine, had to make sure for myself.
So off I go to a local park with my first roll of 120mm film and 10 shots later (yes, only 10 shots. This hobby just gets more and more expensive), I took my freshly exposed film roll dropped it off right away for development. About 3-4 days later, I got my scans!
The exciting part? The camera worked as intended and there were no issues with spacing or light leaks. The less exciting part? My shots were meh. Lol but I really was hung up on just shooting my first roll on the camera. Taking the shots were fun. The camera was beautiful and I truly was happy using it, even though it was an arm workout.
After confirming the camera works fine, I needed another excuse to go out and shoot with it. And that’s when the shots really became different. The detail medium format film captures is insane. My few rolls I have shot after have been surprising and while I am still learning the camera, the experience has been very much worth the wait and the expense.
Have you tried medium format? Have you had a different experience? I would love to hear your thoughts!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts!