Medium and Large Format Photography: Moving Beyond 35Mm for Better Pictures

Clear and conscise writing makes thus guide extremely useful to first time large format shooters.

good

If you are not familiar with medium format cameras this book will be a good introduction. It is not a hands on intro, but will explain the aspects of the many medium format types.Nothing can beat holding the camera in your hand and this book is definitely not a manual for medium format cameras. It will get you up to snuff on the popular models (circa 2000) of film cameras. But if you want an in depth, how to book, get the manual.

Roger Hicks is the best!Good book for introduction to MF and LF.

The status of this book is unknown: It's not a technical book, it's not an equipment guide, it's not a photography book neither...Reading it is just having a conversation with the authors you met in a street cafe. They talk to you for 2 hours, they show you your equipment and say "you have to move beyond 35mm for better pictures" and they leave. But you're not convinced...Why?The most important reason is: The pictures in this book are awful. Maybe 2 or 3 are aesthetically OK, but the rest is just mediocre. When you see them, you say "If I'll have photos like these, why to buy medium or large format equipment?". It seems like the authors like travelling from time to time, and when you see the pictures they made aronud the world, you say "well they spent their money for nothing", the photos are so uninteresting.The second reason: Technically, the book is near to level zero. Even the camera movements, which are the main advantage of large format, are not really explained. All you can find in this book is a couple of tips and tricks, if you already know someting about the topic.Why I wrote this review?BECAUSE I WANTED TO CONVINCE YOU THAT YOU MUST MAKE MEDIUM OR LARGE FORMAT PHOTOGRAPHY. Believe me, it worths. When you print your first pictures from a 2 x 3 negative, you understand why. When the camera movements allow you to play with depth of field, sharpness etc, you understand how much you were limited with 35mm or digital. GO TO MEDIUM OR LARGE FORMAT, YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED. THE 2ND HAND EQUIPMENT PRICES ARE SO LOW NOW THAT YOU CAN OFFER YOURSELF SUPER CAMERAS! GO, AND TRY!But not with this book... No. My suggestion: Steve Simmons' "Using The Wiewcamera". Good luck.

For anyone contemplating moving into either Medium or Large Format Photography, this is a book well worth buying. I have a couple of other books by the duo of Hicks and Schultz, and have not been quite as enamored. With this book, they have hit a home run. Not only is there a great deal of practical information, the photographs and illustrations are all well done and printed with a semblance of quality. It has always amazed me that many books on Photography, are put out into the market with such poor quality paper and printing, that it belies the effort.

If you ever wondered about cameras professionals use, this book will demystify medium and large format photography. For anyone who is serious about photography, you must know all the equipment options out there. This book introduces reader to a subject largely unknown to amatuers. There is a wealth of information in the book and it is very well organized. This book will make you think about very important part of camera; the recording medium.Authors cover different films, formats and cameras in very easy to read order. They make compelling argument for moving up to medium or large format even if you are not a professional photographer. I was delighted to know that moving up need not mean any more expense than using regular 35 mm equipment. This book is full of insights authors have accumulated over their long professional careers. You will realise why your expensive 35 SLR could not give you professional picture quality no matter how hard you tried.Some readers may get overwhelmed by the information on a lot of makes and models. However this is very valuable information at one place and as your interest in MF and LF photography grows, you will keep referring back to these details.What distinguishes large format from other type of cameras is the ability called 'movements'. Movements is what gives large format cameras the ultimate edge. It is not just the large size of negative. It is important to know this to understand LF cameras better.You will realize that even with the advent of digital cameras, MF and especially LF cameras will retain their edge for a long time to come.

This book contains a good overview of the various medium & large format cameras currently available on the market. It is however, a little dated in that it does not contain some of the newer 645 autofocus models. This book is highly recommended for those who are considering the purchase of medium or large format equipment,as it describes the strengths and weaknesses of popular rollfilm formats & brands.

The authors are LF enthusiasts. Their take on the regard medium format is cursory at best. Is you are looking for a read on medium format, you had best look else ware. If you are an absolute beginner and you have not bought any LF equipment yet, the book will guide you along.

- not expensive but well illustrated and covers a very wide range of large format equipment and techniques. Its a totally recomended first read - and most other LF books are so so expensive.

This is a nicely written 150 page book with lots of example photographs but it doesn't give much technical detail on how to use a view camera, which is a pity, as the authors obviously know their subject.

reasonable overview

For the ones who are searching for one medium and large photography book, this is one of the rare books you can find it. Recommended!