Kodak Ektachrome E100 in 120 format is now available for $49.95
Oddly enough, CInestill is the only place online that I’ve seen E100 in 120 format for sale so far. It’s priced at an introductory rate of $49.95 if you want to jump on in. Be aware that this doesn’t ship until after the new year.
Bronica ETR-Si 40th Anniversary edition
Look at this gorgeous near-mint condition pearl-colored Bronica ETR-Si. This special colorway of the medium format camera was made for the 1999 40th anniversary release of the ETR-Si. While most of these cameras go for about $300ish, this special edition will run you close to $1200.
Fujifilm GF670 Rangefinder Camera is back!
OMG! The Fujifilm GF670 rangefinder medium format film camera is back! You can buy a BRAND NEW ONE for $1799 which is roughly the same price as a USED one on eBay. I've used this camera exactly once in my life and I remember really loving it. If only I had $1799 in disposable income. Maybe I can write this off?
Hasselblad X1D review
Cyclist and photographer Keith E. Morrison took the $9000 Hasselblad X1D medium format camera on the road and wrote an article on Bloomberg about his experience shooting with it. He was shooting mostly with the relative compact Hasselblad XCD 90mm f/3.2 lens which I took to mostly mean that I shouldn't expect any extreme low-light shots.
As one of the first medium-format mirrorless cameras on the market, I guess I was expecting the review to turn out exactly as it did: Impressive image quality, but hard to use given battery life and center-point auto focus (not to mention that it's contrast detection which sort of sucks).
But for $9000, this is a good start I guess. I can't wait for this market to mature so that a medium format mirrorless is something I'd consider buying for sub $4000. That would be amazing.
Shooting with the Phase One IQ280
This past week was an interesting one. I shot with Phase One's IQ280 for the first time and the experience was quite good. I haven't shot with medium format digital in quite a while (the last time I did it was with the now-aged P45) and I remember now while so many photographers have moved on from the format.
Let me be clear though: There is plenty reason to shoot medium format digital -- quality being at the top of that list (versatility probably being the 2nd) -- but the cost vs quality argument here is becoming harder to justify in an age where DSLR's are quickly catching up to not just the quality but the size of files as well. And for companies hiring photographers to do a job, I can see why medium format is hard to justify -- a digital back and medium format camera setup is significantly more than a DSLR setup. It just increases the budget that much more from a production point.
With that said though, I really liked shooting with this Hasselblad + IQ280 setup. There's nothing quite like the solid, heavy feel of a medium format digital camera in your hands. That huge shutter sound and vibration, the build quality, the amazing touchscreen back -- it's everything I love about digital photography. All the nerdy bits plus all the image quality I want. Obviously, I'm not a client, so if I could, I would always opt for this camera. But alas, sometimes speed and budget trump all else. So until next time...!