Is 24 X 36 Obsolete?

[BenJT]

By "win" do you mean gain the upper hand in market share or lead to the absolute demise and disappearance of film? If the former, I agree but, if the latter, you couldn't be more wrong. Film is niche and will remain so - much in the way that vinyl has. CDs are now facing extinction at a faster rate as that is digital technology replacing digital technology. There will always be a market for analogue versions, IMO.

As for "better than 24x36 for new digital sensors, they have. Mamiya ZD, Leica S2, Leaf, Phase One and all the point and shoot / four-thirds cameras have different sized sensors. But are they really better? What does size matter (as I keep asking my wife)?? Wouldn't a tiny sensor be "better" than a full-frame 35mm format sensor if it out-resolved it and gave better low-light performance, etc?

What aspect ratio do you prefer? My Lumix LX7 offers 1:1, 3:2, 5:4, 4:3 and 16:9. My D3 offers 3:2 and 5:4. When I process the photos, Photoshop allows me to crop and resize to pretty-much what I want.

Ultimately, I'm more surprised that there's any variance iin sensor size as you could crop at viewfinder stage or post processing.

That's cool that the lx7 can do 5:4, I wasn't aware, I wish more digital camera could do that or someone would create a 5:4 native sensor, even if it was just aps-c sized. I personally have a hard time getting on with 3:2, it feels almost panoramic after shooting 6x6/6x7.

 

[Ronald M]

You know I thought that, but try to compose in 6x8 format but then you can always crop off the 3mm on each side. Might be nice if the camera marked it off so you need not guess

 

[David Hughes]

But look how long it's taking them to match the size of papers with the negative's or CCD's aspect ratio...

The Leica used 24 x 36 in 1925 but still only 4x6 has that aspect ratio. Of course use APS in C mode and they print it at 5" x 7.5" to annoy you but otherwise.

Regards, David

Regards, David

 

[Roger Hicks]

Inside a 43mm image circle you can fit all kinds of formats: longer and thinner, or shorter side to side and deeper top to bottom. Could you reliably find ANY Format of which some people would not say, "Why can't "they" make something "better"?'

For example, I dislike the stubby 4x5 and 8x10 ratios, and much prefer 5x7/13x18/half plate. And although I own 6x12, I use it so seldom that I'm not even sure where the back is. I quite like 4:3 but still find it a bit stubby.

Finally, I suspect -- I don't know -- that (say) 28x33 or 26x34 would make for a bulkier camera than 24x36, because the extra height would add more than the reduced width would save.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Addy101]

But look how long it's taking them to match the size of papers with the negative's or CCD's aspect ratio...

The Leica used 24 x 36 in 1925 but still only 4x6 has that aspect ratio. Of course use APS in C mode and they print it at 5" x 7.5" to annoy you but otherwise.

Regards, David

Regards, David

Well, we have 10x15 as a standard print... that is cm of course. Maybe you should go metric :angel:

 

[grandallj]

That's cool that the lx7 can do 5:4, I wasn't aware, I wish more digital camera could do that or someone would create a 5:4 native sensor, even if it was just aps-c sized. I personally have a hard time getting on with 3:2, it feels almost panoramic after shooting 6x6/6x7.

I'm with you on this. I don't understand why the mirrorless cameras don't allow user selection of different aspect ratios (or at least VF gridlines) -- why shouldn't I be able to select 5:4 or 7:6 on my X-Pro1?

 

[Spanik]

Since Sigma SD9 I have whished they'd come out with a Foveon 6x7 - I must be daydreaming too, since it'd cost well over 50 000$ now while I can shoot the same format for 300$ in the good old fashioned film domain

I'm with you on this one. My dream is Fuji putting a 6x9 foveon in a G690BL body. Shouldn't be that hard to make a digital back for it 😀

What I don't understand are all those people wanting other formats in digital than what their camera provides. If the camera just crops what it sees to whatever format, then you can do it on your pc just as well. One of the supposed advantages of 6x6 film is that you can crop later to horizontal of vertical. I'm of the school to use what you have to the fullest, no cropping, frame it right.

 

[grandallj]

I'm of the school to use what you have to the fullest, no cropping, frame it right.

No need for cropping, easy to frame it right if the camera shows you the crop/frame you actually want to use . . . .