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Medium format has traditionally referred to a
film format A film format is a technical definition of a set of standard characteristics regarding image capture on photographic film for still images or film stock for filmmaking. It can also apply to projected film, either slides or movies. The primary c ...
in
photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is emplo ...
and the related cameras and equipment that use film. Nowadays, the term applies to film and digital cameras that record images on media larger than the used in 35 mm photography (though not including 127 sizes), but smaller than (which is considered large format photography). In
digital photography Digital photography uses cameras containing arrays of electronic photodetectors interfaced to an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) to produce images focused by a lens, as opposed to an exposure on photographic film. The digitized image ...
, medium format refers either to cameras adapted from medium-format film photography uses or to cameras making use of
sensors A sensor is a device that produces an output signal for the purpose of sensing a physical phenomenon. In the broadest definition, a sensor is a device, module, machine, or subsystem that detects events or changes in its environment and sends ...
larger than that of a 35 mm film frame. Some of the benefits of using medium-format digital cameras include higher resolution sensors, better low-light capabilities compared to a traditional 35mm
DSLR A digital single-lens reflex camera (digital SLR or DSLR) is a digital camera that combines the optics and the mechanisms of a single-lens reflex camera with a digital imaging sensor. The reflex design scheme is the primary difference between a ...
, and a wider dynamic range.


Characteristics

Medium-format cameras made since the 1950s are generally less automated than smaller cameras made at the same time. For example,
autofocus An autofocus (or AF) optical system uses a sensor, a control system and a motor to focus on an automatically or manually selected point or area. An electronic rangefinder has a display instead of the motor; the adjustment of the optical system ...
became available in consumer 35 mm cameras in 1977, but did not reach medium format until the late 1990s, and has never been available in a consumer large format camera. The main benefit of medium-format photography is that, because of the larger size of the film or digital sensor (two to six times larger than 35 mm), images of much higher resolution can be produced. This allows for bigger enlargements and smooth gradation without the grain or blur that would characterize similarly enlarged images produced from smaller film formats. The larger size of the film also allows for better control of the depth of field and therefore more photographic creativity. Cameras with a
bellows A bellows or pair of bellows is a device constructed to furnish a strong blast of air. The simplest type consists of a flexible bag comprising a pair of rigid boards with handles joined by flexible leather sides enclosing an approximately airtig ...
typically support ' tilt and shift' of the lens. This permits
landscape photography Landscape photography shows the spaces within the world, sometimes vast and unending, but other times microscopic. Landscape photographs typically capture the presence of nature but can also focus on man-made features or disturbances of landscapes ...
with the appearance of an extremely large depth of field – from closest foreground to the far horizon – to be achieved, by aligning the plane of focus with the subject plane of interest, using the Scheimpflug principle. Compared with 35 mm, the main drawbacks are accessibility and price. While 35 mm cameras, film, and
photo finishing Photographic processing or photographic development is the chemical means by which photographic film or paper is treated after photographic exposure to produce a negative or positive image. Photographic processing transforms the latent image into ...
services are generally widely available and cheap, medium format is usually limited to professional photography shops and can be prohibitively expensive. Also, medium-format cameras tend to be bulkier than their 35 mm counterpart.


Film handling

The medium-format film is usually
roll film Roll film or rollfilm is any type of spool-wound photographic film protected from white light exposure by a paper backing. The term originated in contrast to sheet film. Confusingly, roll film was originally often referred to as "cartridge" film be ...
, typically allowing 8 to 32 exposures on one roll of film before reloading is needed. This is fewer than 35 mm cartridges, which typically take 12 to 36 pictures on one roll. This is somewhat offset by the fact that most medium-format systems used interchangeable film magazines, thereby allowing photographers to switch rolls quickly, allowing them larger numbers of exposures before needing to load new film or to change the film type. Some companies had bulk film backs that used 70 mm double-perforated film that allowed up to 75 feet of film to be loaded at one time. While rolls of large format film were produced at one time, their use was specialized, typically for aerial cameras installed in military aircraft or printing industry equipment. Most large format film is
sheet film Sheet film is large format and medium format photographic film supplied on individual sheets of acetate or polyester film base rather than rolls. Sheet film was initially supplied as an alternative to glass plates. The most popular size measu ...
, that is, film where each picture is on a separate piece of film, requiring that the camera be frequently reloaded, usually after every picture, sometimes using magazines of up to five pictures or reduction backs that allow multiple pictures on a single sheet of film. Medium-format sheet film was produced for some cameras, but these cameras tend to be smaller, lighter, and easier to use than large format gear. Sheet film was never commonly used in cameras smaller than medium format. Film cost per exposure is directly related to the amount of film used, thus, the larger the film size, the more expensive each picture will be. An 8 by 10 in large-format negative is far more expensive than a 6 by 6 cm medium-format picture, which is substantially more expensive than a frame of 35 mm film. 35 mm cartridges are generally easier to load and unload from a camera than medium-format rolls. A 35 mm cartridge is placed inside a camera, and in most motorized cameras this is all that is needed; the camera loads the film and rewinds it into the cartridge for removal. Far fewer medium-format cameras are motorized, and medium-format roll film does not have sprocket holes, so loading often requires that marking on the backing paper of the film be lined up with markings on the camera, and on unloading, the backing paper must be carefully secured to protect the film from light.


120, 220 and 620 film

All medium-format cameras mass-produced today (as of 2022) use the
120 film 120 is a film format for still photography introduced by Kodak for their '' Brownie No. 2'' in 1901. It was originally intended for amateur photography but was later superseded in this role by 135 film. 120 film survives to this day as the only ...
format. Additionally, many are capable of using the 220 film format, effectively doubling the number of frames available with 120 film. Medium-format roll film is still available from specialty shops and photographic laboratories, yet it is not as ubiquitous as 135 (35 mm) film. The 620 format was introduced by Kodak in 1931 as an alternative to 120. It was discontinued in 1995. The 620 format is essentially the same film on a thinner and narrower all-metal spool. While 620 film is required on a number of old Kodak Brownie cameras, many of these cameras can accommodate the slightly larger 120 rolls/spools. In other situations where the camera cannot accommodate a 120 spool, the 120 film can be rolled onto a 620 spool in a darkroom or changing bag. This film is shot in a variety of aspect ratios, which differ depending on the camera or frame insert used. The most common aspect ratios are 6×6 cm (square/1:1) and 6×4.5 cm (rectangular/4:3). Other frequently used aspect ratios are 6×7 cm, 6×9 cm, and 6×17 cm panoramic. The 6×4.5 cm format is usually referred to as "645", with many cameras that use this ratio bearing "645" in their product name. Cameras that can switch to different aspect ratios do so by either switching camera backs, by using a frame insert, or by use of special multi-format backs. All of these dimensions are nominal; actual dimensions are a bit different. For example, 6×7 cm might give an image on film that is actually 56×70 mm; this enlarges exactly to fill an 8×10 sheet of paper. Another feature of many medium-format models is the ability to use
Polaroid Polaroid may refer to: * Polaroid Corporation, an American company known for its instant film and cameras * Polaroid camera, a brand of instant camera formerly produced by Polaroid Corporation * Polaroid film, instant film, and photographs * Polar ...
instant film in an interchangeable back. Studio, commercial and architectural photographers value this system for its ability to verify the focus and exposure.


70 mm film – still versus cine

For some professional medium-format cameras, those used in school portraiture for example, long-roll film magazines were available. Most of these accommodated rolls of film that were 100 ft (30.5 m) long and 70 mm wide, sometimes with perforations, sometimes without. Some cameras, such as the
Hasselblad Victor Hasselblad AB is a Swedish manufacturer of medium format cameras, photographic equipment and image scanners based in Gothenburg, Sweden. The company originally became known for its classic analog medium-format cameras that used a waist ...
, could be equipped with film magazines holding 15 foot rolls of double perforated 70 mm film passed between two cassettes. 70 mm was a standard roll film width for many decades, last used as late as the 1960s for 116 and 616 size roll films. It was also used for aerial photo-mapping, and it is still used by large format cinema systems such as
IMAX IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating. Graeme ...
. 70 mm film used in still cameras, like
Mamiya is a Japanese company that manufactures high-end cameras and other related photographic and optical equipment. With headquarters in Tokyo, it has two manufacturing plants and a workforce of over 200 people. The company was founded in May 1940 b ...
and Hasselblad, and 70 mm print film used in IMAX projectors have the same gauge or height as 120 film. With 70 mm cine projector film, the perforations are inset by 2.5 mm to make room for the old-style optical sound tracks; a standard established by
Todd-AO Todd-AO is an American post-production company founded in 1953 by Mike Todd and Robert Naify, providing sound-related services to the motion picture and television industries. For more than five decades, it was the worldwide leader in theater s ...
in the 1950s. IMAX cameras use 65 mm film, which have perforations and pitch that match-up to the 70 mm film used in IMAX projectors.


System cameras

Many professional medium-format cameras are system cameras, which means that they have various interchangeable parts. Like most 35 mm SLRs, these cameras usually support different lenses, but in addition it is also standard for medium-format system cameras to support different winding mechanisms,
viewfinder In photography, a viewfinder is what the photographer looks through to compose, and, in many cases, to focus the picture. Most viewfinders are separate, and suffer parallax, while the single-lens reflex camera lets the viewfinder use the main ...
s, and camera backs. This flexibility is one of the primary advantages of medium-format photography.


Digital medium format

Digital photography Digital photography uses cameras containing arrays of electronic photodetectors interfaced to an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) to produce images focused by a lens, as opposed to an exposure on photographic film. The digitized image ...
came to the medium-format world with the development of
digital camera backs A digital camera back is a device that attaches to the back of a camera in place of the traditional negative film holder and contains an electronic image sensor. This lets cameras that were designed to use film take digital photographs. Thes ...
, which can be fitted to many system cameras. Digital backs are a type of camera back that have electronic sensors in them, effectively converting a camera into a
digital camera A digital camera is a camera that captures photographs in digital memory. Most cameras produced today are digital, largely replacing those that capture images on photographic film. Digital cameras are now widely incorporated into mobile devices ...
. These backs are used predominantly by professional photographers. As with film, due to the increased size of the imaging chip (up to twice that of a 35 mm film frame, and thus as much as 40 times the size of the chip in a typical pocket
point-and-shoot camera A point-and-shoot camera, also known as a compact camera and sometimes abbreviated to P&S, is a still camera designed primarily for simple operation. Most use focus free lenses or autofocus for focusing, automatic systems for setting the exposu ...
) they deliver more
pixel In digital imaging, a pixel (abbreviated px), pel, or picture element is the smallest addressable element in a raster image, or the smallest point in an all points addressable display device. In most digital display devices, pixels are the ...
s than consumer-grade cameras, and have lower noise. Features like fan cooling also improve the image quality of studio models. This market began in 1992 when Leaf Systems Inc. released their first digital camera back (4
Megapixels In digital imaging, a pixel (abbreviated px), pel, or picture element is the smallest addressable element in a raster image, or the smallest point in an all points addressable display device. In most digital display devices, pixels are the s ...
), named the "DCB" (often described as 'a brick'). Initially mounted on Sinar Studio cameras, the camera backs were later moved to medium-format units. By the late 1990s, a number of companies produced digital camera backs of various types. In the 2000s, the number of vendors of both high-end medium-format camera systems and digital backs began to decrease. The performance of digital SLRs cut into the sale of film-based medium-format systems, while the tremendous development expenses for medium-format digital systems meant that not all vendors could profitably compete.
Contax Contax (stylised as CONTAX in the Kyocera era) began as a German camera model in the Zeiss Ikon line in 1932, and later became a brand name. The early cameras were among the finest in the world, typically featuring high quality Zeiss interchan ...
and
Bronica Bronica also Zenza Bronica (in Japanese: ) was a Japanese manufacturer of classic medium-format roll film cameras and photographic equipment based in Tokyo, Japan. Their single-lens reflex (SLR) system-cameras competed with Pentax, Hasselblad, ...
ceased production of cameras,
Kodak The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...
stopped making their DCS series of backs, and camera and back manufacturers began to integrate. Camera maker Hasselblad merged with digital imaging firm Imacon and partnered with
Fuji Fuji may refer to: Places China * Fuji, Xiangcheng City (付集镇), town in Xiangcheng City, Henan Japan * Mount Fuji, the tallest mountain in Japan * Fuji River * Fuji, Saga, town in Saga Prefecture * Fuji, Shizuoka, city in Shizuoka Prefec ...
to design and produce a new line of digital-friendly medium-format cameras, the H-Series. Since the manufacturer plans to sell digital backs integrated with the camera, other makers of digital backs are far less likely to be able to sell backs for this camera. Camera maker
Mamiya is a Japanese company that manufactures high-end cameras and other related photographic and optical equipment. With headquarters in Tokyo, it has two manufacturing plants and a workforce of over 200 people. The company was founded in May 1940 b ...
developed the 22MP Mamiya ZD in 2004, the first ever medium format DSLR. It also developed a ZD digital back but announced a partnership with back maker Phase One. Camera maker Sinar was taken over in stages by the digital camera back manufacturer and developer
Jenoptik Jenoptik AG is a Jena, Germany-based integrated photonics group. The company is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and is included in the TecDAX stock index. History The group can trace its heritage back to the original Carl Zeiss AG comp ...
, and partnered with
Rollei Rollei () was a German manufacturer of optical instruments founded in 1920 by and in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony, and maker of the Rolleiflex and Rolleicord series of cameras. Later products included specialty and nostalgic type films for the ...
for the development of the Hy6 medium-format camera systems. DHW Fototechnik presented at photokina 2012 an updated version of the Hy6, called the Hy6 Mod2. The Leaf Aptus 75S digital back offers 33MP resolution, with a shooting speed of 50 frames a minute. In early 2006 Hasselblad (H2D and H3D) and Phase One (P45) released a 39 megapixel back. In 2008, Phase One announced the P65+, a 60 megapixel back, the highest resolution single-shot digital back at that time (2008). Phase One continues to dominate high end non-interpolated imaging with the largest market share. Sinar continues to provide its primary Digital View Camera system while still supporting the HY6 medium format with a new platform independent eSprit 65 LV digital camera back. On 20 September 2010,
Leaf A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ...
released a 80MP digital back, the Aptus-II 12. The Leaf Aptus-II 12's sensor size of 53.7 mm × 40.3 mm is 92% of the area of a 56 mm × 41.5 mm standard-sized 6 × 4.5 frame, 69% of a 56 mm × 56 mm square-sized 6 × 6 frame, and 45% of the area of a 56 mm × 84 mm 6 × 9 frame. Available since December 2010, Pentax 645D is 40 megapixel medium-format DSLR. The camera has 44×33 mm image sensor and the raw file is in DNG format. It is the first digital version of the company's 645 medium-format camera system and it is compatible with the existing 645 system lenses. In early 2014, for the first time Medium format uses CMOS sensor instead of CCD sensor for better image quality mainly in High ISO with a
dynamic range Dynamic range (abbreviated DR, DNR, or DYR) is the ratio between the largest and smallest values that a certain quantity can assume. It is often used in the context of signals, like sound and light. It is measured either as a ratio or as a base ...
of up to 14 f-stops. Phase One and Hasselblad use the same 50MP CMOS sensors made by
Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...
. Similarly, the
Pentax 645Z The Pentax 645Z is a professional medium format digital SLR camera announced by Ricoh on April 15, 2014. While it shares its sensor with the Phase One IQ250 and Hasselblad H5Dc, it retails at less than a third of the price of these (~8500 at ~27 ...
uses a 51.4 MP CMOS sensor. Fujifilm started its GFX series of medium format digital cameras with the introduction of 50MP GFX 50S model released in January 2017, and as of 2022 has six cameras in the GFX lineup, including three 102MP models with the maximum resolution of 11,648 x 8,736 pixels.


"Lomography" and other low-budget medium-format cameras

While most professional medium-format cameras are very expensive, some inexpensive plastic imports, such as the Diana and
Holga The Holga is a medium format 120 film camera, made in Hong Kong, known for its low-fidelity aesthetic. The Holga's low-cost construction and simple meniscus lens often yields pictures that display vignetting, blur, light leaks and other dis ...
cameras, are gaining in popularity for their creative potential and authentic analogue charm. In the past, these kinds of cameras have been referred to as
toy cameras A toy camera is a simple, inexpensive film camera. Despite the name, toy cameras are fully functional and capable of taking photographs, though with optical aberrations due to the limitations of their simple lenses. From the 1990s onward, ther ...
, but now they are considered a real creative alternative to professional medium-format cameras and are sought after for the unique experimental results they can create. Creative medium-format cameras like the Diana F+ and Belair X 6-12 are sold through the Austrian company, Lomography. In 2007, Lomography brought the iconic 1960s Diana camera back to life with the Diana F+ camera, a system camera that allows photographers to experiment with interchangeable lenses, flashes, and film backs. These cameras are characterized by their plastic lenses, light leaks that oddly colorize an image, extreme
vignetting In photography and optics, vignetting is a reduction of an image's brightness or saturation toward the periphery compared to the image center. The word '' vignette'', from the same root as ''vine'', originally referred to a decorative bord ...
, and color saturation. While these elements can be considered as flaws to photographers seeking perfect images, many people enjoy the artistic results. Because of the popularity of the Lomography photographic style, medium-format photography has seen a resurgence with amateur photographers.
Twin-lens reflex camera A twin-lens reflex camera (TLR) is a type of camera with two objective lenses of the same focal length. One of the lenses is the photographic objective or "taking lens" (the lens that takes the picture), while the other is used for the viewfind ...
s (TLRs) and folders without the distortion and light leaks can be purchased on the used market in the same price range. The Chinese
Seagull Gulls, or colloquially seagulls, are seabirds of the family Laridae in the suborder Lari. They are most closely related to the terns and skimmers and only distantly related to auks, and even more distantly to waders. Until the 21st century, ...
TLR and medium-format cameras from the former Soviet Union such as the Russian
Lubitel Lubitel (russian: Любитель, Russian for ''amateur'') refers to any of the several medium format twin-lens reflex cameras manufactured in Russia by LOMO. The design is based on the early 1930s Voigtländer Brillant camera with various imp ...
and somewhat better made Ukrainian Kiev-Arsenal 60 and 88 are also available at moderate prices. These cameras can deliver quality images, although the lenses and camera bodies are not at the level of those from Swedish, German, and Japanese manufacturers. Depending on the condition of the camera, they can produce images ranging from the Lomographic style to images closer to their European and Japanese counterparts. Once again looking to make creative analogue photography accessible to all, Lomography recreated the Lubitel for the modern film shooter, introducing the new and improved Lubitel 166+ in 2008, a recreation of the original 1946 Lubitel camera with some new features like a glass lens and dual-format capability. TLRs are bulky and can be complicated to use. Since 2014, Lomography has been producing its medium format version of the Soviet-original Lomo LC-A camera, the Lomo LC-A 120, as a creative and compact option for medium format photographers. Used folding cameras, TLRs, and box cameras are also a cheap option to shoot medium format. Many U.S.-made folders, including most of the mass-produced
Kodak The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...
folders, use the discontinued 620 film requiring the user to respool
120 film 120 is a film format for still photography introduced by Kodak for their '' Brownie No. 2'' in 1901. It was originally intended for amateur photography but was later superseded in this role by 135 film. 120 film survives to this day as the only ...
s or modify the film spool to fit.


Open source 3D printed cameras

There have been several projects to produce open source 3D printed cameras including K-Pan and Dora Goodman Cameras which produces medium format cameras as well as 35mm and large format compatible cameras. Goodman cameras are compatible with
Mamiya is a Japanese company that manufactures high-end cameras and other related photographic and optical equipment. With headquarters in Tokyo, it has two manufacturing plants and a workforce of over 200 people. The company was founded in May 1940 b ...
press lenses and some Mamiya medium format film backs.


See also

*
Alpa Alpa was formerly a Swiss camera design company and manufacturer of 35 mm SLR cameras. The current owners bought the company name after bankruptcy of the original company and the company exists today as a designer and manufacturer of high-en ...
* Fujifilm *
Hasselblad Victor Hasselblad AB is a Swedish manufacturer of medium format cameras, photographic equipment and image scanners based in Gothenburg, Sweden. The company originally became known for its classic analog medium-format cameras that used a waist ...
* Leica *
Linhof Linhof is a German company, founded in Munich in 1887 by Valentin Linhof. The company is well known for making premium rollfilm and large format Large format refers to any imaging format of or larger. Large format is larger than "medium ...
*
Mamiya is a Japanese company that manufactures high-end cameras and other related photographic and optical equipment. With headquarters in Tokyo, it has two manufacturing plants and a workforce of over 200 people. The company was founded in May 1940 b ...
*
Minolta was a Japanese manufacturer of cameras, camera accessories, photocopiers, fax machines, and laser printers. Minolta Co., Ltd., which is also known simply as Minolta, was founded in Osaka, Japan, in 1928 as . It made the first integrated aut ...
* Phase One * Press camera * Rolleiflex


References

{{Reflist


External links


DW Photo
Manufacturer of the Rolleiflex Hy6 camera

(Old factory site of the digital and analog Rolleiflex medium-format cameras) English and German

Film Photography Guide
Choosing a medium-format camera
on Photo.net

by David Silver

Overview by Roger W. Hicks


Is a medium format camera right for you?
British journal of photography
Rolleiflex Repair Shops worldwide
by Ferdi Stutterheim Film formats