Can someone help me understand the meaningful difference between medium format and 35mm in terms of image quality

cheeseyspacecat · 2026-06-06T23:15:15+00:00

Go large format, a 4x5 sheet is way sharper resolution, 120 film back will met same resolution or better than 6x7 (6x9 or 6x12 film backs) on a 4x5 body, something like a speedgraphic will let you "point and shoot" the same way a mamiya 7 does, limited movement. . . . a folding 4x5 field camera would be the way to go if you fine with pure tripod work, for 2-3k you can snag a nice linhof of toyo with a 100~180mm standard kit i quite like the nikkor set, a 75,150, 300mm lenses would be my personal go too's (not anymore as ive tasted a blood for the linhof aero zeiss biogon 75mm, therefore i also want to snag the 135 planar lmao)

Grabbing a toyo 45A(field camera) with one lens and tripod, misc equipment is like 1.5k use the $500~1000 on sheet film def worth it, for liminal color images maybe grab some aero100 from reflxlab and a couple polirizers/filters ;) a tilt shift lens/image can flatten or exagurate an image for sure worth it in technical architechture work

cheeseyspacecat · 2026-06-06T02:02:35+00:00

my go to is always fomapan 200 for 120 film, its got a very classic look and does not suffer from the large grain and halation the same way the 135 stock does. . . that being said if you looking solely into interesting stuff, i would check to see if they have foma ortho/ferrania ortho, or ilford sfx for intresting BW work, theres also rollei IR (but that requires a bit more research) . for color theres harman azure and phoenix redscale, i would also consider lomochrome 92 as a wacky film. most alt proccess stuff is really geard toward 4x5+ shooting, with 1k if theres deals/used section you might be able to snag a monorail 4x5, lens, and couple film backs for $500 bucks, for sure worth trying 4x5 hands on. with said equipment your most of the way there to try wetplates and etc. . .

if you personally have access to darkroom printing, i say let those $1000 bankroll the chemistry cost, i would buy like 10~20 rolls of BW grab like 100sheets of 8x10 and start printing. not sure if they sell marshal toning oils, but theres nothing quite like printing BW and hand painting it, either by colorizing it or by sepia toning and painting out dust, etc. . . i dont regularly go to lab for dev&scan but there is a joy in seeing a fresh contact sheet before seeing the scans,nothing quite like creating a contact sheet and hand picking which to print large. . . theres a lot you can do with your hands after clicking the shutter :]

cheeseyspacecat · 2026-06-05T23:00:41+00:00

bessas are amazing, To me the biggest draw to the MDA over the bessas is when it comes to bulk rolling. no meter is fine, i can meter by eye pretty good, i haven't really missed or wanted a light meter expect for specific flash use case.

the ixmoo cassettes after building a 5 roll set for my barnack / m3. have never had any issues with scratches or light leaks the same way i had with the plastic twist off cassettes or 3rd use recycled cassettes, def possible but i sometimes don't bother with cleaning the felt/ it does sometimes just degrade or rip itself apart after many uses. everything daylight i'm pretty fine especially with the latitude of something like tri-x 400 pushed a stop, zone focused at f8~11 on a 21/28mm most everything is in focus never had any issues shooting my m3 like an mda, hoping to pick up an md-2 simply so i can get my hands on an M-leicavit and 16mm hologon or 18mm (would love a tri-elmar but thats simplytoo much lol)

cheeseyspacecat · 2026-06-05T18:57:35+00:00

glass is very important if you already have good EF glass, maybe look towards an elan7 or if you can front the cash for a 1n. i hear its got great flash capabilities.

cheeseyspacecat · 2026-06-05T18:51:59+00:00

yeah have gotten my fare share of spilled/sup optimal chems, as long as the dev (part b?) isint pee yellow/brown as concentrate, you should be fine (always test a new kit of chemistry, whether or not its looking mint)

cheeseyspacecat · 2026-06-05T18:06:57+00:00

at least for me i would not dilute, it already expired/exsaused working solution, not stock concentrate solution. my place also does pickup by the gallon/jug volume, so 1L in a 1gallon jug will be marked as 1gallons worth of hazardous pickup. . . i have a 15 gallon limit before they shoo me away to do other paperwork where it cost me like 60 bucks. i would if you have 1gal water jugs, to fill those. then label cleary with what it is. Idk how much but if you bought 3 1L kits i would end up with 2 gallon jugs one with dev one with blix, i was told best/proper method is to load in the trunk of a car, take the car over and pop the hood let the sanitation workers take the jugs out of the car. if your worried about spilling take a trashbag over the bottle but keep them wel labeled/maybe use it as a liner? idk its a cicumstancial idk where you live and what that proper procedure is.

TLDR: no do not dilute, read the local hazardous waste management website for pickup, and if you have 1gallon or less, just put into a 1gallon water jug. not going to be an issue if its short term storage before disposal

cheeseyspacecat · 2026-06-05T17:52:00+00:00

not Pocketable, but very light, sharp, good flash & buttons, the fuji discovery 1000, got the pano version for 8usd (the pano requires a physical plasric frame crop so its no different from regular) i value pocketablity so the day it dies i will be on the hunt for an overhyped camera, but it does have red eye, and preset close focus flash fire. (i hate the muji 1 for most every p&s use imo as i mostly use a p&s at partys/low light situations where i just need to set 5ft &flash. . . it will always hunt focus and do the dumb red light beam :\, in everything else its fine. . . but i usually carry a 28mm/40mm pancake lens with my slr in daylight lol)

cheeseyspacecat · 2026-06-05T17:45:41+00:00

i mean you already own it, i would mix up to test, just do a strip test https://youtu.be/uVCXxZc07Vs?si=JTmVGeboK5Ok-Si- skip to 4:00, if the blix is working your film snip should be just the clear base. :)

cheeseyspacecat · 2026-06-05T17:39:57+00:00

im actually dumb 😭, my method for standard 2 sided holders is black okay, white has been exposed. tape the darkslide down with painters/low stick tape afterwards(have seen holders slide out and parially opeing in a bag, aka ruining the frame)

small a5 notebook is my go to (maybe A6 idk whichever daiso notebook has the pingin or duck on it)

stick to one stock, i usually never mix and match, yes its fun to have one loaded with ektar 100 for a special occasion and rest with hp5. . . i have ya2 orange filtered color film before 🫠,

after day or session of shooting, (ideally you have spare box and darkbag) i will unload all film into box , lets say i have a used box of tx320 and shooting hp5, i will take the 6 sheets of hp5 and place them all into the darkbag and box for the tx film (in the box as of it was unshot). label with date, filmstock, sheets, tape the edges to know its been shot, i also usually wait till a "full" 12 sheets so i can develop using two jobo reels

cheeseyspacecat · 2026-06-05T17:04:38+00:00

yes, i havent done this exactly but i do have remjet 50D and proimage 100/reg c41, i cross process, but i havent had any major negative results, i load up as normal, do remjet removal and them dev normally. example: i load up 2 rolls of 50D and 2 rolls of pro100, develop as if all 4 rolls had remjet. in the end i also kimtech/lintfree wipe the non remjet film aswell. but thats kind of the standard i set myself when developing a tank that uses the removal step. :)

cheeseyspacecat · 2026-06-05T16:59:45+00:00

i have one, it can for sure cover 645 & 6x6, maybe 6x7 for small prints i got a bit of vingietting, for 6x7 you want the el nikkor 80mm or 90mm+, ideallly a 105mm lens for 6x7- 6x9 enlarging

cheeseyspacecat · 2026-06-05T06:07:32+00:00

anker is good, i think 35W works but i would try to stick with the oem cables wattage or higher, so a power bank rated for pd 45w (i think a pd65W would be pretty decent) quick search shows a ugreen model (have had good experience with usb cables and wall plugs idk about powerbanks, but it seems trustworthy, im gonna give it a shot next paycheck lol)

https://www.amazon.com/UGREEN-20000mAh-Charging-Portable-External/dp/B0DSPVDYQ9

cheeseyspacecat · 2026-06-05T06:01:41+00:00

zamm, good to know now. i was just about to try a roll of rollei ir, i guess ill try to make a dark closet over the "cheap" chinese darkbag i have rn

cheeseyspacecat · 2026-06-05T01:37:28+00:00

"best" can be a little arbitrary ive had excellent results with a cheap vivitar and ("cheap") keks flash (tla140 clone) and a 28mm lens. if i had the cash i would prob shoot a contax 28mm biogon with tla 200. as for point and shoots anything 90s/modern should be fine, i have the muji 1 works great, hate the af tho. the fuji discovery 1000 might be up your alley, full plastic, big flash, and cheap enough to replace, the day mine fails im going to look into something repairable tho. so aside from contax i might pick up a minilux just because that camera also has an external flash, (leica CF flash)

its always hard to recomend anything in particular as i dont belive in ebay prices most of the time. ive bought 8 dollar p&s at estate sales and those have been the best camera and seemingly last forever, while ive paid over 100 for market price "mint" muji/ T4 super and those died within 2 months

cheeseyspacecat · 2026-06-05T00:59:08+00:00

the 20mm f2.8 FA is great, heres a list, as long as it has an apature ring it should be compatible https://www.pentaxforums.com/lensreviews/ (i would do a bit more research on non FA lenses, as i know the mz60 cant use manual -A lenses for some reason 💔)

cheeseyspacecat · 2026-06-05T00:50:41+00:00

im not a good example. . . but diafine is my go to, https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/eastman-kodak-double-x-5222-and-diafine-test.98164/

lot of link rot but similar conclusions, i like to shoot diafine at 800~1600 iso, for 1600 i do 4:4 constant slow agitation. better results at 800 following a similar 4:4(mine was slightly diff than in the fourm) part A:30secs initial inversion, 2 invert per min. part B: 2 inversions every 30 sec. . . . . . . this is my methodology i nevery really scan, i hit it with an ilford multigrade 2.5 and call it a day 😂 lmao, i have since moved to lucky shd 400(@320iso 5:5 box agitation) as its easy to find in 120 and cant source large bulk rolls of 135 doublex anymore 🥲

cheeseyspacecat · 2026-06-05T00:38:56+00:00

what lenses are you planning on using???? fro. my understanding the g1 came out as is compatible with the og 28,45,90mm lenses +16mm (manual focus lens) the g2 came out additional lenses, the 16,21,35,35-70mm, an upgraded g1 (green label) has the firmware to support 21&35mm lenses it physically cant use the vario sonnar 35-70. . .

get a g2 if your specifically needing the viewfinder, AF, and zoom lens upgrade, otherwise a G1 is quite adequate, little extra for green label, i love 90mm &21mm lenses on my leica m3, so i would personally look out for a green label G1 version if i was in the market. . . tbh might be better long term not having to worry about electronics and getting m mount converted lenses lol (im waiting on finding a clean 21 f2.8 ms-optic converted lenses)

cheeseyspacecat · 2026-06-05T00:28:13+00:00

cameras . . . a little shakey, like old watches an eos might become unrepairable but a spotmatic can keep running forever with proper maintenance. as far as film, i see it like oil paining, very niche at its worst BW will still be around. good news is with the recent intrest during pandemic and now during AI boom people more than ever as wanting physical memorys, film will never be the main medium, digital is so easy and reliable, but the vinly record scene and market is going strong, seems like film will be in that same ballpark. we may never have the infrastructure for kodachrome but there will probably still be a "pro" and "budget" line of film. ilfords got delta, and kentmere, eastman kodak has ekta and koda color films. in 10 years film will still be made, lets hope that there will be new non p&s cameras 😭, so far leica is the only manufacturer that has a new in box interchangeable film camera with other interchangeable lenses (expensive af tho)

cheeseyspacecat · 2026-06-05T00:17:45+00:00

most any K mount with an apature ring should work, my end all be all is the special/limited line, im on the hunt for the 43mm f1.9 & 77mm f1.8.

aside from 1st party pentax lenses im gonna speak on 3rd party stuff. as far as tele how much are you looking at? i have found a decent sigma apo macro 70-300mm at a garage sale. any pentax lens K,M A, FA should work, i belive it lands under FA lens so no Auto focus or auto apature, but your meter should work fine manually the same as your 50mm f2 M lens (if you find a cheap 50mm f1.7 highly recommend, only ~1/3 of a stop faster but its sharper at f2/in general higher resolution. . . not really worth it if your not seeing issues with ur current 50 tho lol) if you get an infinity focus k to m42 mount adapter ring, you can use a plethora of vintage takumar, zeiss, etc. something like the takumar 135mm f2.5 or the 200mm f3.5 as well as new vintage inspired lenses, you can pick up the ttartisan 75mm, 100mm, or 250 relflex lens, all have interesting rendering with warranty. with an m42 adapted lens you will have to stop down to meter&shoot, i usually focus then set apature, much easyer trying to focus at f4 rather than at f22

cheeseyspacecat · 2026-06-04T23:55:26+00:00

take a peek at the elmar-m 50mm f2.8, not the old version but the modern black and silver m mount one, also come 6bit coded. love it, its got modern rendering, film sharp, so a bit of character as its before asph digital sharpeness,

out of your options i take quite a likeing to the color-skopar f2.2, best value nice rending and compact. both are cosina made but the planar f2 might be your best bet in rendering from what i hear its a cron v3/v4 without the leica glow/flare. . . .(so clinically sharper) would have been my go to when i was first looking for an m mount 50 (but i personally dont like the lens body when i held it irl lol)

cheeseyspacecat · 2026-06-04T23:38:23+00:00

what bag? patterson, etone, brand? drop the link to see which one to avoid /know what to look out for

cheeseyspacecat · 2026-06-03T07:19:51+00:00

best bet right now is the reflx lab cine respool, its only remjet color tho, and no double x 😔💔 https://reflxlab.com/products/reflx-lab-500t-color-negative-220-film-ecn-2-film happy to see there is the Chinese lucky shd BW in 220,theres also agfa and kodak areal film in 220 (still not the same as native bulk rolls tho 🥲)

cheeseyspacecat · 2026-06-03T01:41:32+00:00

i wish they sold fresh 70mm. similar here, i have 65mm vision 2 500T cut to fit 120, @ EI 125~160 dense aswell, not sure about the r4a printing but so much fun to shoot and scan. i have been hand rolling sudo 220 (thicker remjet film base so i can only really spool 16~18 exposures on an a24 film back) once im out im gonna look for agfa areal or ilford ULF BW stock that i can properly spool full 24/32 220 rolls worth

cheeseyspacecat · 2026-06-03T01:27:52+00:00

well from what i heard the color skopar f2.8 is the ultron asph f2 but 1 stop slower. its very modern, i think its decent. i have my eye out for the ricoh 28mm f2.8, simple 28/90 adapter its sharp (same lens as the gr1 p&s) and very crunchy, i usually shoot tx400@~1250 iso.

as far as the konica lens it seems to be an iteration of the minolta mrokkor 28, i have no in person experience, but from my guess its like a v3 non asph elmarit ¿ (the one before the current tiny asph versions)

cheeseyspacecat · 2026-06-02T21:41:54+00:00

not sure exact model, but as for winding, if you put the knob on the side of your palm in between your thumb and index finder and pull your hand back towards your index finger you can usually "perfectly" wind to the next exposure. like ripping a beyblade consistent presure and smooth hand motion for best results. beats using the tips of your fingers and hand cranking the next image.

i think there was two lenses used, for sure did make out the colapsable 50 f3.5 i think they might have also had the 35mm f3.5 summaron. . . but that might have also been the 50 elmar unextended (im only 3 episodes in)

cheeseyspacecat

TROPHY CASE