My funny sad story:
- I started photography in late 2005, and of course all i know about is just 35mm camera but didn't know the models, even i didn't know that Canon and Nikon were so popular, i thought Sony is the one, so i bought first that device which have 3 things at once, mp3, a webcam, and a camera itself, it was a good camera anyway.
- Not so long after that 3in1 gear, i forced my .... dad to give me money to buy another camera, and that time it was a real camera, Nikon Coolpix8800 as the salesman told me it is one of the best in market for its level, so i was happy with it for a while until i got into a photography workshop.
- That workshop enlighten me about cameras little more, there i heard about DSLR for first time, and not so long during that workshop i couldn't resist myself and bought my first DSLR ever, Canon 350D or Rebel XT, because the lecturer[lady] said it is the best affordable one, and that camera opened doors for me in photography.
- Jumping in years, i kept looking at different cameras models of 35mm digital, and shocked to know ore about it until one day i heard something about medium format, and that rang a bell in my head.
- So, by year 2007 i started to read more about medium format, and then i surprise more to know that it is higher level and more expensive than 35 DSLRs, and to my surprise and bad luck i found one local dealer who sell that digital medium format, actually two but one of them were very bad service customers on phone so i was pushed to the another dealer, who is the HASSELBLAD dealer.
- Not so long, in year 2008, beginning of it i think, January, i bought my first ever medium format camera, i saved for 1 year, and still didn't have the full money but the dealer helped me as i can be in monthly rates, so i did, and that camera was H3DII-39.
- During that time i started to find more about forums, and in many forums i keep reading about film being better than digital, i was in shock, i thought nothing can match digital that time, in fact once i bought my Hasselblad digital i was in .... for its quality, i was dying to have it and i did, the quality of it compared to 35 DSLR is something to speak, so when i read that film is giving even better results i couldn't sleep until i read more, and because of this digital medium format i started to read more about film medium format and found out that Hasselblad also has film bodies, so this was my start in film era.
- In 2009 i traded in my H3DII-39 to get H4D-60, but not so long i couldn't resist and bought Hassy 501C/M and Mamiya RZ67 ProII only bodies, and while i was in USA in October 2009 for vacation i bought a lot of films and 2 backs for my film cameras and 2 lenses to start which, one for each, so then i started to shoot film in 2010.
So, medium format changed my view in photography, and i really feel happy that i managed to afford something of MF, many couldn't, but still they are al for fun or hobby and i feel i wasted a lot of money really, and MF led me to LF, i signed in this forum back in 2009 to read more about film so that i was staying with MF and went with LF too, but didn't give those much of use, more with MF and much less with LF like i didn't use it at all, only 5 sheets so far.
If someone asking me if i made a mistake of buying MF either film or digital i will say never, i don't regret, and i will keep buying more of MF/LF gear once my financial situation getting better, i still love the quality of MF over 35mm either in film or digital, and film is being fun for me so i will give it more time in use sooner or later, and i will never look back into 35mm film unless i modify one of my MF gear for that, because i know if i want to go with 35mm film then i will never look less than Leica, and then i know how much thousands i have to spend again, only brand new, and not interested in equivalent brands even Canon/Nikon for 35mm film, and i have a friend who is shooting with film too and told me that nothing can beat Leica in 35mm club, but he said that even Leica is no match to MF and LF, he went to MF and LF because of me too.
After all, i keep buying whatever gear is available and i will never care if it will stay alive or die, have something, later if it is gone from market then at least it is not gone from my collection, the only way that medium format gear will gone i mean in film is if they stop producing MF film at all, because then no point to have MF without film for it, same for LF, 35mm film will live longer i feel than MF and LF, but let's hope they all stay alive much longer, i just started in film, and don't want to give it up so soon in less than 10-20 years.
