The Medium Format Advantage

by Wildi; Ernst

• ISBN13: 9780240804583
• ISBN10: 0240804589
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2001-07-26
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Learn the advantages and capabilities of medium-format cameras and examine all aspects of medium-format operations, including SLR, twin lens, panoramic, rangefinder, wide angle, press, and view cameras. Also explained and illustrated are lenses and their accessories, motor drives, films, flashes, filters, slides and slide projectors, and more. Includes black and white and color photographs and drawings to illustrate proper use of equipment and various techniques, effects, and possibilities that produce successful photographs with the best possible image quality. The medium format is truly the format in the middle. It combines many of the benefits of 35 mm photography with those of the large format, making a medium format system an excellent choice for almost all types of photography from candid action with a hand-held camera to critical studio work from a tripod. Special chapters are devoted to these different applications and the type of equipment that most likely meets your photography needs. This book explains clearly the medium format's benefits, advantages, and disadvantages and provides a comparison of the medium format to other formats so you can decide whether it is right for you and your photography.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
The History of Medium Format	1	(6)
The Medium Format Advantages	7	(10)
Image Sharpness	7	(2)
Image Evaluation	9	(2)
Focusing Screen	11	(1)
Cropping	12	(1)
Film Changing	13	(1)
Instant Photography and Electronic Imaging	14	(1)
Shutters	15	(1)
Camera Size and Operation	16	(1)
Image Formats	17	(14)
Selecting the Format	17	(9)
Comparing Formats	26	(1)
Image Sharpness	27	(2)
Other Medium Formats	29	(1)
35 mm in the Medium Format Camera	30	(1)
Films and Film Loading	31	(14)
General Comments	31	(3)
Color Negative and Color Transparency Film	34	(1)
Roll Film	35	(2)
Sheet Film	37	(1)
Instant Film	37	(3)
Film Loading	40	(3)
Operating Signals	43	(2)
Camera Types	45	(14)
Single Lens Reflex Cameras	45	(5)
Twin Lens Reflex Cameras	50	(2)
Rangefinder Cameras	52	(1)
Wide Angle Cameras	53	(1)
Panoramic Cameras	53	(1)
Press Cameras	54	(1)
Cameras with Swing and Tilt Control	54	(1)
Studio Cameras	54	(1)
Motor Drives	54	(5)
Shutters	59	(8)
Focal Plane Shutters	59	(3)
Lens Shutters	62	(1)
Operating the Cameras	63	(4)
Image Quality	67	(10)
Handheld or Tripod	67	(1)
Handheld Photography	68	(2)
Camera Use and Operation on a Tripod	70	(2)
Selecting a Tripod	72	(2)
Monopods	74	(3)
Lens Design and Performance	77	(30)
Lens Cost	77	(1)
Focal Length	78	(1)
Angle of View	79	(1)
Area Coverage	80	(2)
Covering Power	82	(1)
Lens Aperture	82	(1)
Lens Names and Engravings	83	(1)
Telephoto Lens Design	84	(2)
Wide Angle Lens Designs	86	(3)
Characteristics and Use of Teleconverters	89	(1)
Zoom Lenses	90	(2)
Makro Lenses	92	(1)
Soft Focus Lenses	93	(1)
Lens Quality	94	(4)
Lens Flare and Multicoating	98	(1)
Relative Illuminance	99	(2)
Color Rendition	101	(1)
Image Distortions	102	(5)
Lens Controls for Creating Images	107	(26)
Area Coverage	107	(1)
Perspective	107	(4)
Selective Backgrounds	111	(3)
Slanted Verticals	114	(2)
Creating Images with Zoom Lenses	116	(1)
Fish-Eye Lens Photography	117	(1)
Depth of Field	118	(5)
Increasing the Sharpness Range	123	(3)
Creative Use of Lens Aperture	126	(2)
Action and Shutter Speed	128	(5)
Creating the Image in the Viewfinder	133	(14)
Optical Viewfinders	133	(1)
Rangefinder Focusing	134	(1)
Automatic Focusing	134	(1)
Focusing Screens	135	(3)
Viewfinders	138	(4)
Image Evaluation	142	(1)
Leveling the Camera	143	(1)
Image Composition	143	(4)
Exposure and Metering Modes	147	(20)
Lens Aperture	147	(1)
Shutter Speed	148	(1)
Exposure Values	148	(1)
Film Sensitivity	149	(1)
Determining Lens Settings	149	(1)
Metering Methods	150	(1)
Meters as Part of the Camera System	151	(5)
Using the Reflected Meter	156	(4)
Shaded and Lighted Areas	160	(1)
Bracketing	161	(2)
Special Exposure Situations	163	(1)
Other Uses of Meters and Gray Cards	164	(3)
Medium Format Flash Photography	167	(16)
Flash Synchronization	167	(1)
Flash Unit Size and Batteries	168	(1)
Light Output and Guide Numbers	168	(1)
Covering Power	169	(1)
Ready Light and Exposure Signal	169	(1)
Use and Placement of the Flash Unit	170	(3)
Operating the Portable Flash Unit	173	(3)
Making the Existing Light Part of the Picture	176	(3)
Other Exposure Considerations	179	(2)
Other Flash Applications	181	(2)
Close-Up Photography	183	(12)
Camera Designs	183	(1)
Lenses for Close-Up Photography	184	(1)
Close-Up Accessories	185	(1)
Magnification	185	(1)
Close-Up Lenses	186	(1)
Extension Tubes and Bellows	187	(3)
Photographing Subjects Life Sized	190	(1)
Depth of Field	191	(1)
Exposure	192	(3)
Filters for Better Image Quality	195	(12)
Exposure Increase	195	(1)
Filters as Lens Protection	196	(1)
Haze and Ultraviolet Filters	196	(1)
Neutral Density Filters	196	(1)
Filters for Black-and-White Photography	197	(1)
Color Quality of Light	198	(1)
Filters for Color Photography	199	(1)
Polarizing Filters	200	(5)
Partial Filters	205	(1)
Quality of Filters	206	(1)
Filter Maintenance	206	(1)
Digital Imaging in the Medium Format	207	(6)
The New Possibilities	207	(2)
Selecting Digital Equipment	209	(2)
Selecting Lenses for Electronic Imaging	211	(2)
Applications and Specialized Fields of Photography	213	(20)
Wildlife and Bird Photography	213	(1)
Nature Photography	214	(1)
Outdoor Scenery	214	(1)
High Magnification Photography	215	(2)
Photography Through the Microscope	217	(2)
Aerial Photography	219	(1)
Architectural Photography	219	(1)
Wedding Photography	219	(1)
Fashion and Beauty Photography	220	(1)
Portrait Photography	220	(2)
Child Photography	222	(1)
Soft Focus Photography	222	(1)
Press Photography	222	(1)
Sports Photography	223	(1)
Medical Photography	223	(1)
Commercial Photography	223	(1)
Industrial Photography	224	(1)
Creative Experimenting	225	(1)
Slide Duplicating	225	(1)
Copying	226	(2)
Underwater Photography	228	(2)
Infrared Photography	230	(1)
Ultraviolet Photography	231	(1)
Fluorescence Photography	231	(2)
Slides and Slide Projection	233	(4)
Projection Formats	233	(1)
Slides and Slide Mounting	233	(2)
Slide Projectors	235	(1)
Slide Presentations	235	(2)
Maintaining Equipment and Materials	237	(6)
Carrying Cases	237	(1)
Cleaning the Camera	238	(1)
Environmental Factors	239	(2)
X-Ray Inspections	241	(2)
Index	243