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Cropping

GarethC

New member
I'm really new to medium format (digital or film), having bought a 645Z about 3 weeks ago.

This thread is no more or less than idle chatter but it has struck me that unless everybody is cropping to retain the format, there is a definite lack of cropping of images. I've also noticed with my images that the format and dimensions appear to be more "natural" to me for framing an image than 35mm.

It's ironic that we have all these pixels to cut away and don't.

I'd be interested to read other people's views on it's my imagination and if it's not, why they think that is.

From my perspective, the format lends itself more readily to composition.
 

GregMO

Member
I form my composition first & select my camera and focal length second. The need for cropping is very slight.
I have 645 & 690 cameras but prefer 617 & 5x7. Sometimes use 4x5 and 8x10. It depends on the image I'm after.
 

Shashin

Well-known member
Yes, I would say photographers find certain format easier to use than others, but I am not sure one format per se is easier than another. I think one of the great advantages for the mature film technology that we lost was a great choice of formats, especially in medium format.

I shoot full frame (the original meaning of the term: crop in the camera). One of the most important aspects in camera choice for me is format. While others use it brilliantly, I find the 3:2 aspect ratio of 35mm the hardest to use. I found 6x6 and 6x12 the easiest. It took me a while to come to terms with the 4:3, but I now like it.

I would like manufacturers to experiment with more formats, but it is probably too much of a financial risk for them. But on the other hand, I have enjoyed the freedom of the stitched pano.
 

synn

New member
I do not like the 3:2 ratio. It is too damn long for portraits and not wide enough for panoramic landscapes. 4:3 is nice to use, fits standard print sizes without much difficulty and I like looking through a 4:3 viewfinder too.

These days, I mostly use 4:3 or 16:9 for my work.
 

weinlamm

Member
I don't understand why "everybody" should crop. :rolleyes:

I use a 35mm-camera with 3:2 and my MF with 4:3. No problem at all. Someone said "if you need to crop you aren't close enough..." :D

Mostly the only other format I use is 2.5:1 or 2:1; sometimes 3:1. This not as a crop but rather as stitched Panorma.
 

synn

New member
Someone said "if you need to crop you aren't close enough..." :D
That guy stepped on a landmine and died. ;)

Cropping isn't always to get a shorter FoV. It can be done to get a certain print format, convey a certain feel, etc. etc.
 
M

mjr

Guest
Morning

I don't feel that it matters in any way, why should the view you see be recorded in a certain format? Shoot it in any way you like! I personally compose with the viewfinder, I fit in to the frame what I want and move to get it how I like so I tend not to crop so much but I wouldn't hesitate for a second if it improved a composition.

Ultimately I believe you do as you like, it just doesn't matter, someone much wiser than me said that "rules are there for the obedience of fools and guidance of wise men"

Mat
 

danlindberg

Well-known member
Aspect ratio of a photograph really comes down to subjective preference and what you are used to. I started in the early eighties to photograph with Hasselblad 6x6 as a young teen. The square format was what formed my vision and I still today see 'square' even if I haven't actively shot with my 500CM (still have it) for a couple of decades.
I'm with the majority of MDF shooters that as a standard format I prefer 4:3 over 3:2, both horizontal and vertical.
Lately I have grown to like 2:1 a lot and that means in the end that if am out shooting randomly without a 'plan' I have a lot to choose from.
1:1 + 2:1 + 4:3 Simply put, I go with the best format/comp at the scene.
 

ErikKaffehr

Well-known member
Hi,

I like that one…

Ultimately I believe you do as you like, it just doesn't matter, someone much wiser than me said that "rules are there for the obedience of fools and guidance of wise men"

Mat
Personally, I sort of crop in the viewfinder, but only in one dimension. I would say that I consider both dimension when shooting but the final picture is made in the computer and the crop is a part of it.

Often I stitch. I don't like things hanging out of my pictures. So I often stitch, for instance to get better clouds.

The image below was taken at Lewis Canyon and is stitched vertically from three images.



Best regards
Erik
 
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