----- Original Message ----- From: "Pål Jensen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, December 30, 2002 1:27 PM Subject: Re: 6x6 - Waste of Space? (WAS: Re: Medium Format-Which one is best?)
>I argued that the square format has no advantage when it comes >to cropping than, say, the 6X7 format, like you claimed. Hi Pål, I have watched this thread with increasing amusement, as those who shout loudest and pronounce the most dogmatic of opinions appear to be those with the least knowledge and experience of shooting with medium format equipment. I shoot a mix of 35mm and medium format and have done so for years. I started with a Rolleicord, graduated to a Rolleiflex and backed it up with a Yashicamat 124G. More recently I invested in a Bronica ETRSi system, mainly because the new PE lenses had been compared with the vastly more expensive Carl Zeiss T* lenses for Hasselblad and found to be very good performers. I also liked the idea of a lighter medium format camera that could be hand held more easily than the Hassy for candid portraits. What a useless format 6x4.5cm is! It seems to be aimed at the 35mm enthusiast who cannot (or will not!) appreciate the virtues of 6x6cm. Unless you tilt the camera for shots in portrait format, you end up with a usable negative that is effectively not much bigger than the 35mm frame. I was grateful for the ETRSi experience. The real virtues of 6x6cm could not have been more clear. With the square negative you fill the frame with the subject and you just *know* that you have made the best use of the negative, whether or not it is cropped into rectangular format (portrait or landscape) for printing. The truth is that the medium format cameras used by people who make their living from photography are not designed to be used tilted through 90 degrees. Yes, it is possible, and this is where amateur shooters get the idea that it is easy. Boy, it is NOT!! Bringing 6x7cm into the discussion merely clouds the issue. If you seek virtue in the only slightly larger negative (larger really starts at 4x5inches!) you should look at the Mamiya RZ67. That camera is designed as a 7x7cm box with a rotating 6x7cm back. Those amateurs who abhor the wastage of one centimetre of film will be delighted to hear that the RZ67 offers the possibility of shooting portrait or landscape modes on one film in one camera. People who shoot for a living will be delighted that they don't need to sacrifice what ergonimics they have by tilting the camera on its side. So will everyone be happy? I doubt it. 6x6cm will remain the medium format of choice for the foreseeable future for those who shoot film for a living, and 6x4.5cm will remain the first choice of 35mm amateur users trading up. 6x7cm will remain the preserve of those of either persuasion who wish to extract the maximum possible benefit from 120 film. 6x9cm and 6x17cm will mainly attract the landscape guys. But one thing is clear. Only an amateur would obsess about "wasting" a centimetre! <Chuckle!!> Regards, John.
