The Advantages of having a Big One (Photography)

Member Name: baldeagle

Product:	Photography
Date:	28/08/00 (113 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Oddles of Quality

Disadvantages: Big, heavy and expensive if you want a choice of lenes

Many keen photographers will spend thousands of pounds buying top of the range 35mm camera equipment, in search for that illusive extra ounce of quality. Alas, the extra money spent rarely yields any significant improvement, because at the end of the day, the biggest limiting factor is not the camera, but the size of the film.

Although 35mm film has come on in leaps and bounds recently, it still only gives negatives that are 24mm x36mm. Whilst fine for most occasions, the tiny negative can only contain so much information, so if you want a huge leap up the quality stakes, you have to go up to roll film, or medium format as its more commonly known.

There are always a wide range of second hand medium format cameras on the market, and prices range from around £100 for an old twin lens reflex ? Yashica or Rolliecord or Mamiya ? up to many thousands for the SLR variety such as Hassleblad or Bronica.

The sad news is that in terms of the search for the ultimate in photographic quality, size really does matters.

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