Why are you Shooting Medium Format (Film)?

Because, combines the highest quality this side of 4 x 5 with the convenience of an SLR. And it gives you total control, especially in black and white, of the entire photographic process. Not to mention, my Hasselblad 500CM and all my CZ lenses will still be working perfectly long after all the digital cameras and lenses currently in existence today have found there way to a landfill somewhere.

Richard,
For all of the reasons you mentioned.
I use Bronica SQ-Am, Mamiya C330f, Mamiya RB67, Rolleicord and Rolleiflex. I have used Medium format (primarily Rolleiflex) since 1950. Also, Darkroom work with Medium format is more satisfying than 35mm.

If I had to give up my equipment, the last things to go would be the Medium Format stuff. ...and I also use 35mm and 4X5 film, as well as digital.
Enjoy the format.

Jack

I'm still not sure, but somehow I acquired a 645AF, a 6x6 TLR, an RZ67, a Holga, and a digital back in the process. ;-)

I'd say for all your reasons, but maybe image "look" more than quality. I never print large, so I definitely wouldn't do it at "normal" prices.

Although, I have a roll of NC160 in developing with some 6x7's that I'm hoping will be ne plus ultra. So, as usual, I'll either be jazzed and fired up to do another roll, or underwhelmed and go back to digital for a month. Seems to be about a 50/50 trend. :-)

A few reasons:
- Image quality. Color depth and image feel. I've shot a few things with film/digital side-by-side and the digital just doesn't look the same. Even if you try to compensate in post processing.
- More deliberate shooting process. Working with film and a much more manual camera forces me to slow down.
- Cost. Today, assuming you sort out how you develop, I can shoot higher quality images on MF film for less than a high-end digital DSLR, which delivers inferior images.
I shoot on Mamiya RZ67 color & B/W and I shoot Canon 1 series digital. Process film and scan myself.

I dunno, I guess I'm a bit of a luddite and like most amateur photographers acquisitive of cameras and sights. MF has the benefit of better IQ, a lot better I think, which I suppose makes it easier for me to take an autistic pleasure in the details of my otherwise artless photographs. These reasons are negotiable, however, ask me tomorrow and I might have a different rationale. I enjoy reading these threads, and I think they're important for building community, but really and deeply, why does anyone do anythng they don't have to? Why can't I predict when the spider on my wall will turn right instead of left?

Because of the lenses on my 'blad and Rollei...can't get better!

The prices are so attractive these days on these pre-owned cameras. I'm back to film after a few years of so-called modern-thinking, and I do plan to order lotsa prints in 8x10, and larger!

Yashica Mat LM all-the-way!

What's a Rollei? ;-)

It was a pretty easy decision for me many years ago. 1. My clients were reluctant to accept 35mm work and 2. sheet film /view cameras were not going to be fast enough for my work. I once came across a nationally known 4x5 shooter after a rare desert snow storm. We were shooting snow capped mountains from their base with snow covered cacti in the foreground, a beautiful scene. After I had shot 20 frames, I asked him how he did and he said he got one shot.
MF is a compromise between small and large format but it's a good compromise.

My main reasons are:

• Better subject isolation, smaller DoF as compared to 35mm film, FF (35mm) DSLR and APS-C DSLR
• Better image quality than available from most DSLRs at a fraction of the price
• Being awash in nostalgia holding cameras that remind me of how we used to do things, and how well they still work

To each his own, but I usually shake my head when I keep hearing:

• More control with classic camera (except for some P&Ss, the vast majority of modern cameras have manual modes, and if nothing else, they offer a choice of even more control, not less)
• A classic camera slows me down so I think more (this is a reflection of the person's character, not about the camera. If one chooses, they can be contemplative with any camera they use. This one is pure hogwash. No one forces one to use a camera as a semi-automatic weapon, control yourself and the camera).