Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/07/31
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> The question is not simply whether your goal is to produce quality
> prints at size, but also what the content of that image is to be.
That anyone can misconstrue what was intended as a technical perspective
into some kind of subjective assessment of artistic merit is a massive
stretch.
Having three times the size negative area is NOT going to get you three
times the art! sheeese.
The arguments of MF being 'too heavy', 'too bulky', and 'too slow' are just
crap. You can do anything you want with any size camera; even the almighty
'street photography' with a 4X5! (Or do y'all fergit about Arbus or Lange?
How about every newspaper photog from the 30's? What do you think they were
using out in the STREET?) double sheeese.
Pushing a 35mm print beyond 16X20 is usually outside the performance
envelope of miniature film quality. Oh sure, a person CAN get prints that
size and larger from a 36mm neg, but is it of the same image quality as a
645 neg taken to the same size? NO.
[SCREW the subject matter- it's just a line chart OKAY?]
Put any 35mm camera/lens combo up against a 645 neg, shooting the same LINE
CHART- and lets see where the 35mm stops looking good. How much further
will the 645 bunny run with the same boring shot? Much further. Simple.
It doesn't have to be a 4'X6' wall mural, as though sheer enormity makes up
for lack luster quality CONTENT, but there's something to be said for images
that can be seen from across the room - "seen", as defined by being able to
ascertain or comprehend the content without your nose stuck in the middle of
it. If it only holds together at 8X10, why not just put it in a book
instead of on a wall??
And ANYWAY, at issue was only about wasting the same money on a single lens
when you could get a whole camera instead. Buy the camera sir.
no archive
An 'oh yeah'; I traveled in the Orient and Central Asia last Fall doing all
kinds of photography along the way. Using an M6, 645 SLR, DV cam, and a
Minox GL; on and off all manner of transport, in and out of all kinds of
bizarre locales, up and down rocky paths and trails, without a stitch of
black tape anywhere, even lugging a tripod along- never broke anything,
never lost anything, never had anything stolen, never had a problem, never
fogged my film in x-ray machines, and came back with truly outstanding
images. If I was to point at any one piece of equipment that produced the
best results it's the 645 SLR.
still no archive