With medium format shedding many of its niche associations and becoming a more viable and mainstream format, now might just be the time to begin incorporating this larger format into your working repertoire. When film was still king among working photographers, medium format cameras, particularly 645, was seen as an ideal balance between image quality, weight, speed, and number of frames per roll. Once the shift to digital occurred, weight and speed became the primary differentiators in which cameras and systems were being considered for the event and portrait photographer’s bag. Several years after the transition to mirrorless, medium format is lighter and faster than ever, delivering its characteristic high resolution and image quality in exciting and accessible ways.
In more specific terms, though, how do current medium format systems stack up for wedding, portrait, and event shooters? Increasingly well. Mirrorless systems from FUJIFILM and Hasselblad have matured in leaps in recent years, pushing the boundaries of the possible in ways that benefit working photographers. In a general sense, the benefits of medium format mainly revolve around the larger sensor size and the image-quality benefits it provides. Even though most digital medium format sensors (44 x 33mm) aren’t as large as medium format film sizes (roughly 56 x 42mm and larger), they are still noticeably larger than the 24 x 36mm dimensions of a full-frame sensor. What this objectively gives you is a topic/debate for another time, but I believe there definitely is a certain “look” to medium format files; a clear separation of subject and background, and a distinct handling of colors, tones, and depth of field that provides a unique look that is especially well-suited to portraiture.
FUJIFILM
Once the newcomer to digital medium format, FUJIFILM since established itself as the market leader. A veteran of medium format during the film era, the company’s current pair of 102MP mirrorless cameras— the GFX100 II and GFX 100S II—have form factors on par with the DSLRs of yesteryear while adding functionality and improving speed. Both share the same 43.8 x 32.9mm CMOS sensor and X-Processor 5, 400MP Pixel Shift Multi-Shot, improved AI-assisted autofocus with updated subject detection algorithms, and up to 8.0 stops of in-body image stabilization, all of which benefit the wedding and event photographers’ need for in-the-moment reliability. Where the cameras diverge is size, drive, video capability, and perhaps most importantly, price.
The flagship GFX100 II is the larger of the two, in no small part because of the massive 9.44m-dot 1.0x magnification viewfinder. Topping out at 8 fps, the camera distinguishes itself as a true hybrid powerhouse, offering 4K60p, 8K30p, and FHD 120p video capabilities. The GFX100 II also supports external RAW output and recording to external SSD. Additionally, the optional cooling fan and battery grip benefit extended shooting times. Naturally, it’s the more expensive option, retailing at $7499, but stands on top as the high-end option for shooters with a hybrid workflow. The GFX 100S II, on the other hand, is trimmer in size, specs, and pricetag. Ideal for the stills-centric workflow, the camera—FUJIFILM’s lightest mirrorless medium format at just under 2 lbs—achieves 7 fps continuous shooting. Video is still supported at 4K30, also with the option to record ProRes to an external SSD. By designing the camera primarily for stills photographers, however, FUJIFILM was able to trim in the most in perhaps the most important area of all: price. The camera’s (more) accessible, full-frame equivalent $4999 price tag makes it B&H’s best-selling medium format mirrorless camera as of this article’s publishing.
At the lens end of FUJIFILM’s system, the company has continued to build out its optical lineup, ranging from ultra-wide to medium-telephoto, with a few useful zooms thrown in for flexibility. For portrait shooters, though, the key lens of the system is likely going to be the GF 110mm f/2 R LM WR, which is a perfect short tele prime with an impressively bright design. This lens offers all the selective focus and depth-of-field control you could need when shooting wide open and has a linear AF motor for quick and silent focus. Some other standouts for portrait and event shooting include the GF 100-200mm f/5.6 R LM OIS WR, a zoom covering a really effective portrait-length to medium-telephoto range for everything from half-length shots to headshots; the two super-fast, normal-length primes, the GF 55mm f/1.7R WR and GF 80mm f/1.7 R WR lenses, that offer wider portrait perspectives while delivering low-light performance, optimal subject separation, and smooth bokeh; and the GF 250mm f/4 R LM OIS WR, a telephoto prime that’s perfect for headshots or fashion and event shooting from a distance.
Hasselblad
The other key player in the contemporary medium format mirrorless scene right now, Hasselblad is also one of the giants of the industry and is squarely known for being a medium format innovator. Its digital medium format lineage stems from the H series of SLR cameras with digital backs, of which the H6D-100c is the current model. The H series has been a standard of the studio photography industry for a very long time, used for some of the highest end fashion, advertising, and portraiture campaigns around. The issue for wedding and event photographers, and out-of-the-studio portrait photography, is the size and weight of these modular SLR systems. This is where the Hasselblad X2D 100C, the company’s latest mirrorless medium format camera, comes in. One of the sexier cameras around, this third-generation 50100MP mirrorless body improves upon its predecessor, the X1D II 50C, with a new 100MP 43.8 x 32.9mm BSI CMOS sensor, a faster processor, faster operation autofocus, an improved viewfinder, and a larger rear LCD a long-lasting battery, and 1TB of internal SSD storage. What remains is the stills-only, highly coveted, and distinct body design, which is a total joy for all-day shooting.
Beyond the X2D 100C body, Hasselblad also caters to portrait and wedding shooters with an enticing lineup of lenses, including the standout XCD 80mm f/1.9. It’s a bit of an odd focal length, being a bit wider than your typical portrait-length lens, but the impressively fast f/1.9 design will give ample depth-of-field control. Not quite as bright, but the XCD 90mm f/2.5 V is another awesome portrait-length prime that is a bit sleeker than the 80mm, and there is also the XCD 135mm f/2.8 with 1.7x teleconverter that is perfect for mid-length with good background separation on its own or longer range work with the teleconverter attached. Additionally, a lens perfect for events and more frantic shooting scenarios is the sole zoom of the system, the XCD 35-75mm f/3.5-4.5, that covers wide to normal focal lengths with optical performance akin to the company’s prime lenses.
One of the key distinctions Hasselblad XCD lenses and their X System have in general, over FUJIFILM, is the incorporation of leaf shutters. These in-lens shutters, opposed to in-body focal plane shutters, give substantially more flexibility when working with strobe lighting, which is something to take into serious consideration as a portrait photographer. Working with a leaf shutter means that flash sync is supported at all mechanical shutter speeds (up to 1/2000-second, in this case), which allows more flexibility for pulling off fill-flash techniques or freezing motion in conjunction with on and off-camera flashes.
What are your thoughts on working with medium format gear to photograph a wedding or event? Are you a portrait photographer currently working with these larger format camera systems? Let us know your thoughts, in the Comments section, below.