The Medium Format Advantage, 2nd Edition

The Medium Format Advantage, 2nd Edition

by Ernst Wildi
Released September 2012
Publisher(s): Routledge
ISBN: 9781136092138

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Book description

Learn the advantages and capabilities of medium-format cameras and examine all aspects of medium-format operations, including SLR, twin lens, panoramic, rangefinder, wide angle, press, and view cameras. Also explained and illustrated are lenses and their accessories, motor drives, films, flashes, filters, slides and slide projectors, and more. Includes black and white and color photographs and drawings to illustrate proper use of equipment and various techniques, effects, and possibilities that produce successful photographs with the best possible image quality.




The medium format is truly the format in the middle. It combines many of the benefits of 35 mm photography with those of the large format, making a medium format system an excellent choice for almost all types of photography from candid action with a hand-held camera to critical studio work from a tripod. Special chapters are devoted to these different applications and the type of equipment that most likely meets your photography needs. This book explains clearly the medium format's benefits, advantages, and disadvantages and provides a comparison of the medium format to other formats so you can decide whether it is right for you and your photography.

Table of contents

  1. Front Cover
  2. Half Title
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright
  5. Contents
  6. Preface
  7. Chapter 1 The History of Medium Format
  8. Chapter 2 The Medium Format Advantages
    1. Image Sharpness
    2. Image Evaluation
    3. Focusing Screen
    4. Cropping
    5. Film Changing
    6. Instant Photography and Electronic Imaging
    7. Shutters
    8. Camera Size and Operation
  9. Chapter 3 Image Formats
    1. Selecting the Format
    2. Comparing Formats
    3. Image Sharpness
    4. Other Medium Formats
    5. 35 mm in the Medium Format Camera
  10. Chapter 4 Films and Film Loading
    1. General Comments
    2. Color Negative and Color Transparency Film
    3. Roll Film
    4. Sheet Film
    5. Instant Film
    6. Film Loading
    7. Operating Signals
  11. Chapter 5 Camera Types
    1. Single Lens Reflex Cameras
    2. Twin Lens Reflex Cameras
    3. Rangefinder Cameras
    4. Wide Angle Cameras
    5. Panoramic Cameras
    6. Press Cameras
    7. Cameras with Swing and Tilt Control
    8. Studio Cameras
    9. Motor Drives
  12. Chapter 6 Shutters
    1. Focal Plane Shutters
    2. Lens Shutters
    3. Operating the Cameras
  13. Chapter 7 Image Quality
    1. Handheld or Tripod
    2. Handheld Photography
    3. Camera Use and Operation on a Tripod
    4. Selecting a Tripod
    5. Monopods
  14. Chapter 8 Lens Design and Performance
    1. Lens Cost
    2. Focal Length
    3. Angle of View
    4. Area Coverage
    5. Covering Power
    6. Lens Aperture
    7. Lens Names and Engravings
    8. Telephoto Lens Design
    9. Wide Angle Lens Designs
    10. Characteristics and Use of Teleconverters
    11. Zoom Lenses
    12. Makro Lenses
    13. Soft Focus Lenses
    14. Lens Quality
    15. Lens Flare and Multicoating
    16. Relative Illuminance
    17. Color Rendition
    18. Image Distortions
  15. Chapter 9 Lens Controls for Creating Images
    1. Area Coverage
    2. Perspective
    3. Selective Backgrounds
    4. Slanted Verticals
    5. Creating Images with Zoom Lenses
    6. Fish-Eye Lens Photography
    7. Depth of Field
    8. Increasing the Sharpness Range
    9. Creative Use of Lens Aperture
    10. Action and Shutter Speed
  16. Chapter 10 Creating the Image in the Viewfinder
    1. Optical Viewfinders
    2. Rangefinder Focusing
    3. Automatic Focusing
    4. Focusing Screens
    5. Viewfinders
    6. Image Evaluation
    7. Leveling the Camera
    8. Image Composition
  17. Chapter 11 Exposure and Metering Modes
    1. Lens Aperture
    2. Shutter Speed
    3. Exposure Values
    4. Film Sensitivity
    5. Determining Lens Settings
    6. Metering Methods
    7. Meters as Part of the Camera System
    8. Using the Reflected Meter
    9. Shaded and Lighted Areas
    10. Bracketing
    11. Special Exposure Situations
    12. Other Uses of Meters and Gray Cards
  18. Chapter 12 Medium Format Flash Photography
    1. Flash Synchronization
    2. Flash Unit Size and Batteries
    3. Light Output and Guide Numbers
    4. Covering Power
    5. Ready Light and Exposure Signal
    6. Use and Placement of the Flash Unit
    7. Operating the Portable Flash Unit
    8. Making the Existing Light Part of the Picture
    9. Other Exposure Considerations
    10. Other Flash Applications
  19. Chapter 13 Close-Up Photography
    1. Camera Designs
    2. Lenses for Close-Up Photography
    3. Close-Up Accessories
    4. Magnification
    5. Close-Up Lenses
    6. Extension Tubes and Bellows
    7. Photographing Subjects Life Sized
    8. Depth of Field
    9. Exposure
  20. Chapter 14 Filters for Better Image Quality
    1. Exposure Increase
    2. Filters as Lens Protection
    3. Haze and Ultraviolet Filters
    4. Neutral Density Filters
    5. Filters for Black-and-White Photography
    6. Color Quality of Light
    7. Filters for Color Photography
    8. Polarizing Filters
    9. Partial Filters
    10. Quality of Filters
    11. Filter Maintenance
  21. Chapter 15 Digital Imaging in the Medium Format
    1. The New Possibilities
    2. Selecting Digital Equipment
    3. Selecting Lenses for Electronic Imaging
  22. Chapter 16 Applications and Specialized Fields of Photography
    1. Wildlife and Bird Photography
    2. Nature Photography
    3. Outdoor Scenery
    4. High Magnification Photography
    5. Photography Through the Microscope
    6. Aerial Photography
    7. Architectural Photography
    8. Wedding Photography
    9. Fashion and Beauty Photography
    10. Portrait Photography
    11. Child Photography
    12. Soft Focus Photography
    13. Press Photography
    14. Sports Photography
    15. Medical Photography
    16. Commercial Photography
    17. Industrial Photography
    18. Creative Experimenting
    19. Slide Duplicating
    20. Copying
    21. Underwater Photography
    22. Infrared Photography
    23. Ultraviolet Photography
    24. Fluorescence Photography
  23. Chapter 17 Slides and Slide Projection
    1. Projection Formats
    2. Slides and Slide Mounting
    3. Slide Projectors
    4. Slide Presentations
  24. Chapter 18 Maintaining Equipment and Materials
    1. Carrying Cases
    2. Cleaning the Camera
    3. Environmental Factors
    4. X-Ray Inspections
  25. Index

Product information

  • Title: The Medium Format Advantage, 2nd Edition
  • Author(s): Ernst Wildi
  • Release date: September 2012
  • Publisher(s): Routledge
  • ISBN: 9781136092138