The State of Medium Format in 2024 | The PetaPixel Podcast

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Thanks mainly to Fujifilm’s excellent GFX 100 II, many photographers might be interested in jumping over to the large sensor cameras. With Hasselblad’s update to the 907x system last week, the team discusses where each medium format system resides, who they’re for, what they are good at (and what manufacturers want them to do), and what the future of medium format might be.

Is it doing just fine on its current trajectory? Would it be a fantastic platform to bring back a TLR-style camera body? Is it the one place a DSLR still makes sense? Chris, Jordan, and Jaron debate.

In this episode:

00:00 - Intro
31:43 - The State of Medium Format in 2024
50:19 - What have you been up to?
53:48 - Tech support
1:18:44 - Never read the comments

[eavilev]

I'm a retired software salesman that has returned to my lifetime hobby of photography in full force. 60 years ago, I hated using a Yashica TLR for my high school year book photos. I could not imagine anyone wanting to go back to that mirror image framing/aiming situation until I heard the idea of a TLR where "T" means "Two" and not "Twin". Interesting idea. I'd give anything to not having to expose my A7R sensor to dust every time I want to change lenses.

And the best motivation I've seen for medium format is Iceland. I came back with the best landscape photos I've ever done using my A7RIV. I since bought a GFX 100S and am doing my best to really start using it to its full capacity before my next trip to Iceland. The sooner the better.

Thanks for a great job guys. Keep it up.

[badshoes]

Tim here, I was one with the A9 question. Thank you for answering! Decided to switch to micro four thirds and picked up a G9ii last week. Came to the decision after consuming all your videos about the OM1 and fact Chris uses one for as his work.

Paired with a 20mm/1.7, 35-100/2.8 and 100-300 for far less than my Sony gear. So far living the compact size, makes it easy to carry around and even taken it skiing to get pics of my daughter. This weekend I'll be trying it out t a local ice lake race. Thank you again! Love the podcast!

[jalo]

Wow, hearing that quote “photos should be as boxy or as wide as possible“ was soo cool as this is *exactly* my summary after one year of shooting (almost) exclusively film.

[TheApostateTapir]

Considering how often information on YouTube is influenced by money, I was sick to my stomach with worry when you guys mentioned the OM System releases. With them sponsoring the podcast, my only hope was that maybe you guys would just not comment further on it. Much to my surprise, you were actually forthright with the criticisms from the community. I think that you sugar coated it a little bit, considering the community has their pitchforks ready, but overall I was very impressed. Thank you for being an honest and forthright publication!!!

[abnorth]

1:02:44 Just for anyone that wants to do this, it is good to set any video scaling options in your editing software to “nearest neighbour”, in other words integer scaling. If you use bilinear scaling the image might not turn out quite right.

[robertowen-jones]

Thanks guys. I always enjoy your podcast, partly because you often challenge my own prejudices. I am primarily a medium format photographer, and I am a professional photographer. I specialise in large prints (call it fine art if you will, although that’s a bit of a marketing term). My primary camera is still the GFX100, which is five years old. I haven’t updated it to the GFX100ii largely because it is still the same 102MP Sony sensor that we saw introduced with the GFX100 and later the Hasselblads (forget the marketing claim by Fujifilm that somehow the 100ii has a “new” sensor). You started the segment on MF commenting that it only seems to change every ten years or so. For me the last fundamental change was the 102MP sensor. I am thinking the next sea change in MF will be a new sensor innovation, either a stacked 102MP sensor or a Global Shutter. On the last possibility Sony already has a 120MP GS sensor that it some five years old now but has only been available in technical, industrial applications. This will be the next frontier. I’d welcome your views.

[NotAnotherChannel_Channel]

To Chris’ question about why would anyone choose medium format over full frame? Why would you go full frame if you can get the same quality from APS-C?

If you had a 100mp full frame camera, the sensor would have substantially less dynamic range than the medium format.

I think the question is less about sensor size and boils down more to use case and image quality. I think you don’t get a substantial increase in IQ for most use cases in full frame vs. APS-C but a medium format sensor is substantially larger than full frame sensors so one could argue a proportional increase in IQ. This works if this leap in IQ is necessary for your use case. I still believe APS-C is a much more sensible approach compared to other sensors.

[jeffreyhill]

Diffraction, a problem of physics, will prevent 80mp no less 100mp fullframe sensors from being created. The solution is a larger sensor. Focus stacking and multishot is an option for fullframe. However, capturing the moment, will require one shot, and that requires medium format.

[paulbenoit]

I have had in my hands on both the latest-greatest ff sensor (Leica SL3) and the Hasselblad x2D, and those saying the difference is not that big, ….have not looked properly at these cameras outputs. I preferred the Leica in most categories (viewfinder, autofocus, ergonomics, …) but one critical difference I could not discard was how much better these raw files were from the X2D. Not in terms of resolution, but in terms of Color accuracy, smoothness of rendering, dynamic range, …we are in a totally different league there. The files out of the camera are basically, ….perfect. No need for post. I wanted to convince myself the difference was not so big because of the pile of money the system asks for, ….but reality is in the picture, ….a camera’s ultimate goal is to take pictures, and the ones coming out of this body are hands down the most beautiful I ever got to see

[Edwin--]

I have grown really fond of the Fuji GFX100s, which I picked up second hand 2 years ago. The image quality is great, the lenses are great, the files are great for editing, it's just a wonderful camera to use. But you have to use it at its strength, for slow paced photography. If you need fast autofocus tracking, high video specs etc. it's not the right the camera to use.
Sure you can approach aspects of the image quality with full frame, but I love this Fuji more than e.g. the Sony A7iv I also use.
And when it comes to aspect ratios, I really like shooting 65:24 (panorama) and square, which is great on a 102 megapixel sensor, as there is plenty of resolution to work with.

[lionheart]

Hey Jordan! Curious to know why you recommend the X-T4 over the X-T5 for video. Is it only due to the X-T4 having the flip screen over the articulated tilt screen of the X-T5 or are there other factors you take into account?

[lamesandfn]

You guys should make a comparison video of the Fuji GFX100 II and the Hasselblad X2D / CFV 100C and focus on the differences in image quality specifically. I think that would be important since from everything I've seen Hasselblad's photos look (actually a lot) more detailed and less digital than Fujifilm.

[Deetroiter]

I’m excited to see a new MFT camera. I’ve been shooting since the film era and have shot with most everything digital…Leica, Fuji, Pentax, etc and never have MFT a chance until recently. Admittedly, I was one of those sensor snobs that said no way and the pictures will look like a 2006 cell phone camera. Boy was I wrong! Fantastic system with affordable lenses and camera bodies all the while fantastic photo quality and features. Honestly, my Leica has just sat in its bag since I got a Lumix GX85 because the camera really IS that enjoyable to use. Threw the Lumix 20mm 1.7 on it and use the L Monochrome mode that Leica helped create for Panasonic…and the heavens open up and the angels sing. Killer BW photos right out of the camera

[pm]

Capture One has not been made by Phase One since 2019. It was spun off as its own company. However, they are both majority owned by the same private equity firm.

[Tallman]

I just got a used GFX 50s II with 35-70mm and I am hoping for better weather, but today I was comparing its image quality versus my Q2 Monochrom (also purchased used). GFX at 35mm using Acros mono compared to the Leica full frame and then shooting the GFX at 70mm versus the Q2 cropped to the same area. What I discovered is... I have too high a limit on my credit card and must be suffering from cabin fever madness.

[kane]

As a retired bomb-technician, I can say that Chris’ hair looked really good today.

[MauriceSchurink]

For marco photography I think that tilt shift lenses can also be valuable to move the focusplane.

[alhOOOO]

You mentioned the a9 having poor video output. @Jordan - if the a9 was your only option for taking video, what settings would you use please?

[charliewaterman]

I actually just traded in my gfx 100s + gear and moved to the nikon zf. After learning what I like to shoot and what I need, I don't really need high resolution, I do need high dynamic range. Although I loved the gfx, it's still quite a chunker of a system. Heavy over all and I really missed the retro handling of the x line. Giving the zf a shot I've been quite happy and have a kit built out that's nice in size weight but still great iq. My gear journey was always a chase between looks handling and bigger and more resolution.. but down the road I found what I really need and what I enjoy :)

[Abc]

I always had the same question re: 1080p video! Thanks for the explanation