These are my very first attempts at analog medium format photography. I have long harbored the desire to shoot analog not only in 35mm format, but also to use larger film. But that was easier said than done, because I had neither camera nor lenses, film or a suitable scanner.
So I read up a bit on the subject and looked around on the second-hand market. Originally I wanted a “Zenza Bronica”, but these cameras are still incredibly expensive. After a while I bought a “Mamiya RB67”, a very classic medium format camera with a film format of 6 x 7 cm (in case of my film back). Besides the film back I bought a prism viewfinder and a 90 mm standard lens. All pictures on this page were taken with this combination. I decided to use two kinds of film: “Ilford Delta 100” as well as “Ilford HP5”.
On an afternoon with good weather I went to the first test at the Hamburg Landungsbrücken. I only had about an hour that day, so I only shot one film, which means 10 images in the format of 6 x 7 cm. I used a roll of Delta 100 for this first film.
After my father, who is a great mentor in this area, developed the film, it was now time to scan the negatives. My default film scanner, a “Plustek Optic Film 7300” was of course out of the question for this, because the maximum film format here is 35mm. At short notice, I bought an “Epson V600” flatbed scanner, which also has a transparency unit and inserts for 35mm film, slides and medium format.
After the first scans appeared in Lightroom, I was completely overwhelmed by the richness of detail, the dynamics and depth of the images. In post-processing, the medium format film reveals an insane amount of information and great editing latitude. The quality is exceptional but limited by the scanner, which unfortunately is really not optimal.
Nevertheless, this first attempt makes you want more and is perhaps the beginning of a new exciting direction in photography.
