I love the 6x6 format of my Rolleiflex TLR & SLR film cameras. Clients really like them too. Even a child I took at 2 years old is proud of those unique square pics framed on the walls at her home. She’s 19 years old now and is still wanting to meet me.
A huge advantage with square format is you don’t ever need to tip the camera sideways. If anything, just crop later. Most all my clients loved the square format and prefer it. Literally no limit with enlargements. My largest was a white Rolls Royce at night downtown Tokyo in Ginza with all the neon blurred in the background. 40 inch square photo. Flawless.
I’d love to have a native square 6x6 digital camera. Rollei compatible lenses (dream on...). I do scan MF film though. Kinda stuck with 35mm digital at the moment. It’s budget...
First post!!
Back in the day of film, all that was needed to upgrade your work is wait for new improved films from various manufacturers. It was an inexepensive “upgrade” if you will.
These days, you pick your platform and get on that manufacturer’s hardware upgrade subscription path. Cynically, You can consider it a rental...
You’re really not buying a camera, you’re buying a subscription.
With platforms like the D850, you’re getting into a quasi medium format territory but suffer strict limitations, constraints and handicaps that medium format simply lacks in comparison.
It’s too bad many of today’s digital folks have not started with film. Lemme explain... and maybe exaggerate a bit to make a point.
I started seriously with Nikon and shot the crap out of everything. Then I went to medium format film - A couple Rolleiflex cameras and a tons of lenses. The difference in images were telling in all ways.
The PRIMARY lesson I learned - due to the simple fact that there were 12 shots per roll of film - was to slow way down. Get better shots with fewer photos. I slowed way way way way down and thought. Learned that I HAD to develop a vision of the shoot way before that day of the shoot. Direct model far more to get precisely what I was looking for.
I had to THINK and have a VISION first. Heck, using TLR and SLR Rollei camera’s meant the image was reversed. The huge benefit is over time, I could compose a photo so much better as I was not looking at a “true” image. It was reversed.
I learned not to shotgun my work and focus on doing it right, in camera. Now, in Digital, I still have that habit. Way fewer, way better images. Each shot considered on it’s merits. Not pray and spray images.
If I had a D800/D810 I don’t see a real reason to buy a D850. From a D300 to D850 would be enough of a leap to justify. But, since you can still create beautiful poster sized images with a D300 and with today’s editing tools, I wouldn’t worry so much by the marketing hype. Hassi, Pentax, Phase One MF of various formats so much better since the format is larger than the diminutive 35mm.
35mm does keep the price down for that market segment but as it improves in quality, it may put downward pressure on the next “sized” “medium format” platforms, which there are more than a few.
So, your format and platform depends what you do with your work. Online work? Fine art prints? Commercial? Fashion?
Cameras are tools to meet a need and use. Plenty of really good tools out there at all sorts of budgets to pick from. Some folks just want the latest, greatest gadget. Plenty to keep everyone happy!!
Too bad Rollei ain’t doing so well. :-)