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Medium or Large?


razzledog

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great question dean!

 

since the term large format was probably "invented" when 35mm,

1/2 frame, minox and 110 formats were booming. it is a relative term.

 

i guess there are a few other questions like yours :

 

what is the sound of one hand clapping?

 

does a tree make a sound when it falls in the woods and there is no one around to

hear it?

 

does the light in the fridge *really* turn off when you shut the door?

 

will the "M"s on M&Ms really float to the surface if you put an m&m in luke warm

water?

 

can you really freeze a gold fish in a block of ice ... thaw it out and have the fish swim

away?

 

=====

======

 

as depicted in the far side:

 

is the glass 1/2 full or 1/2 empty?

answer: i ordered a cheeseburger

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FWIW, I kind of like the quarter plate thing, but 120, if we went by square inches or millimeters or whatever, could be "large format" if the size of the negative exceeded the square surface area of what ever is deemed the upper limits of medium format, right? So what is "medium format?" Who said 35mm was miniature format and why should we believe him/her? There is sadly, no magisterium to guide us. My vote goes for scrapping the term "Large Format" and replacing it with "Big Ass Honkin Format." I'd like to see the digital camera promoters assert that their latest DigiWhizzbang 5000 exceeds the resolution of those Big Ass Honkin' Format cameras. Imagine the websites devoted to Big Ass Honkin' Format Photography! Art Professors would refer to E.W. and A.A. as those West Coast Big Ass Honkin' Format Photographers! LOL! I'm getting some new business cards printed up tomorrow! ;-)
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"I'm with Henry -- Large Format starts at 3.25x4.25 (quarter plate).

-- Bill Mitchell , August 13, 2003"

 

Hrmph. Reading this from Europe, I have to wonder what size plate you are referring to? AFAIK there were at least 6 different "full plate" sizes, with corresponding quarter plates.

 

And I would call 6.5x9cm sheet film (one of the standard quarter plates) "small large format" ;)

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In one sense, what we call "large format" has more to do with state of mind than with size of the negative. Someone using a Canon EOS with a T/S lens on a tripod has in many ways more in common with a Technika user shooting landscapes, than a Banquet Camera devote has with an Arca-Swiss product photographer. It's more a matter of aesthetics than equipment.
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<I>It's more a matter of aesthetics than equipment.</I><P>

Bill, this entire thread has nothing to do with photography. It started as a discussion of the definition of "large" versus "medium," and it has become clear that we should all just agree to disagree.

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Reflecting on this thread, (how long is a piece of string anyway?) you've probably still got time to consider that both an elephant and a mouse can be described as (being relatively indeterminate adjectives) small, medium, or large. Oh, and that miniature implies a difference of kind rather than degree. I don't have a PhD in taxonomy, (nor even an LF camera) but I would ask what the word 'format' applies to here; the film base I imagine, (size) and not to how it is manipulated, (roll, sheet) ... or is LF a truncation and abbreviation for Large Format Camera? In which case BAHF is probably a step in the right direction ...
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