- Joined
- Oct 23, 2008
- Messages
- 17
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- Medium Format
I am not sure I am understanding your question. From this it sounds like you take two different negs of different sizes and make prints of the same size from them. That implies that with similar cropping the larger negative will involve much less magnification. If you are magnifying them the same, say using the same lens, same head height, just different sized negs of the same film, I see no reason for the tonality being different.Hi,
Sorry if I was unclear in my question, but I'm interested in explaining the difference in tonality, i.e. the grey values present. Of course, if you print a small and a big negative on the same paper there will be less perceptible grain on the print coming from the bigger negative. That's a given.
But what is a bit puzzling to me is, that if you enlarge two differently sized negatives on two sheets of paper that have the *same* size, the one coming from the larger negative will usually still look better. That is the effect I'm trying to explain.
Regards,
Philipp
The reasoning is that a 35mm negative is simply too small to give useful highlight separation in an enlargement of any size. I think this is caused by excessive light scatter in the negative - but I could be wrong and I don't happen to have a source handy right now that explains it.
You can get superb tonality from 35 mm films, and as long as you don't over enlarge they can sit alongside images made on 120 & LF. Of course a larger format helps but eqyally 35mm is capable of superb tonality.
Do you shoot 8x10?? I totally disagree with this statement. There is a HUGE difference.
Do you shoot 8x10?? I totally disagree with this statement. There is a HUGE difference.
Simply put - the larger the film area covering the same subject matter, you will get a smoother tonality with better local contrast from a larger negative. Unless you're after the utmost in technical quality, each camera has its advantage and disadvantage. Use a camera that suits your subject matter and how you shoot foremost. Worry about getting some really good and interesting images on film. The rest will follow with practice. Tonality from 35mm can be stunning. You just have to work at it to get your film just right for the paper you print on.
The attached print is from 35mm Tmax 400 processed in Xtol. I don't need any smoother gradations and tonality shifts than that. But I usually don't print larger than 11x14 max; if you print much larger than that, of course the limits of the medium will make themselves reminded.
For me a good medium format camera stands up well to 4x5 in print quality and I feel the 4x5 camera doesn't have much to offer that I can't already get in an 11x14 print.
- Thomas
- Thomas
As the negative gets smaller, all the faults of the lens, the film, and the photographer become more evident. Local contrast is not as smoothly rendered as in a larger format; grain becomes distracting; lens resolution and abberation factors become more evident; camera shake becomes more obvious.
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