Why Should I Worry About 35 mm vs. Medium Format?
This is an issue that the pros can’t agree on, so don’t plan to find a definitive answer here – just some general guidelines. Each format has pros and cons and many photographers use a combination of both, depending on the circumstances. 35 mm has the advantage of being faster to work with overall than Medium Format and many photojournalistic style shooters use 35 mm exclusively or in combination with MF. Film and processing for 35 mm costs less than for MF. A properly exposed, well-focused image can be enlarged to 11×14 and sometimes larger with no noticeable loss of quality or increase in grain. Finally, there are many more types of films available in the 35 mm format, which gives the photographer more opportunity to be creative and different in his approach. Medium Format, on the other hand, can be as fast at 35 mm in the hands of a photographer experienced with his/her equipment. The larger negative gives all-around better quality, in both grain and color saturation. MF images can
