Medium Format Cameras

Medium format cameras are not too big and not too small so it makes it easier to take to different locations without carrying a lot of bulky equipment. Medium format cameras use 35mm lenses but can use long lenses and high speed lenses with autofocus and produce exceptional image quality. There are two types of medium format cameras which are the twin lens reflex cameras and the single lens reflex cameras.

Twin Lens Reflex Cameras

One type of Medium Format Camera is called a Twin Lens Reflex Camera which means that there are two lenses, with the same focal length, mounted in the front of the camera body. One lens takes the picture while the other lens is the viewfinder. The viewfinder has a 45 degree mirror, a matte focusing screen at the top of the camera, and a pop-up hood surrounding it. A disadvantage of using a twin lens reflex camera is that the photographer views through one lens but takes the photograph through another; parallax error makes the photograph different from the view on the screen. This error would not be noticeable if the subject is far away but highly noticeable for close-up subjects. This also makes viewing the depth of field in an image very hard. An advantage of using a twin lens reflex camera is they use leaf shutter which decreases the noise during an exposure. Typically these types of cameras uses 120 roll of film with square 6x6 cm images. There are two types of Twin Lens Reflex Cameras such as the Seagull GC-104 and the Rolleiflex 4.0 FW.

Single Lens Reflex Cameras

Another type of Medium Format Camera is called a Single Lens Reflex Camera which means that there is only one lens which allows the photographer to see exactly what will be captured on the film through the lens. Single lens reflex cameras use a pentaprism situated above the optical path through the lens to the film plane for direct viewing. The way the pentaprism works is light is reflected by a movable mirror upwards into it where is reflected several times until it aligns with the viewfinder. Then when the shutter is released the mirror moves out of the way of the light and exposes the film. There are two types of Single Lens Reflex Cameras such as the Hasselblad 503CW and the 35mm style.