Mediumformat Photography

Today's digital mediumformat photography - the cameras which represent a 70% larger sensor compared to 24x36 fullframe - are Fujifilm and Hasselblad. Leica isn't in the game right now - albeit it is rumored that they will transition from mediumformat dSLR to mirrorless mediumformat. Perhaps coming out this year, or next - we don't know.

Now, I always thought that the classic 6x6 medium format was something special in analog photography. Something timeless, something unifying and yet distinguishing itself from other format. I guess it is the square format, which stands out of the crowd, where almost everything else was different. Hasselblad cameras became synonymous for the classic 6x6x format.

Expanding into 6x6 format

I still find it a very special format. Now that I do have a mediumformat camera, the Fujifilm GFX 50s II - i use the Photoshop AI, in order to "fill in the blanks", when i expand the format to what looks like the square 6x6 format. The best thing in the otherwise rather clumsy Photoshop AI is, that when the image contains blurry backgrounds - it does a fantastic job, in emulating blurriness. So, as you expand the frame into 6x6 - Photoshop AI fills it out, with more "blurry space".

It actually works.

If the frame would be filled with sharp details in the original frame - and then you expand it - you get really bad resolution as you expand the frame into 6x6 format. Terrible.

To my eye

in the main photo above, which I took with the Fujifilm GFX camera + Fujinon 55mm ƒ1.7 lens at wide open aperture - it retained that classic 6x6 look with plenty of soft blur in the background. Here , today's modern very bright mediumformat lenses - really do render beautifully.

At home I expanded the frame into what looks like a 6x6 format, with help of Photoshop's AI. I LOVE to use that AI, when it comes to blurry backgrounds - because you are not really bound to using it on smaller areas. It works on large areas as well, because the (otherwise) bad resolution in sharp details - isn't of importance. On the contrary - the Photoshop AI actually emulates bokeh / background blur very, very good. Without artifacts or strange patterns - even if you apply it over a large surface. Try to do that in an image with sharp details - and the difference is night and day. (e.g. plain bad !)

But for blur - it is absolutely perfect !

Natural results (fill-ins)

Most of the time, the results are very natural. To my eye, when i look at the photo above - it looks natural. Since there were no sharp details in the outer frame - the background emulated (or added), remained blurry. And I could retain that classic 6x6 mediumformat look.

I love it !!

Simply because, it looks as if the photo was taken with an analog mediumformat camera, á lá 1994.

Of course, mediumformat photography isn't all about blurriness. It just happens to be a style i appreciate very much; the isolation effect so to speak.