There are in my opinion two more reasons to buy a MF Back. If you have to deal with art directors or customers directly (at the shoot) it is always good to have the best equipment on the planet. It is certainly most of the time possible to make similar shots with cheaper equipment, but it is always better to have a better camera than the daughter of the art director so to speak. Yes this is about prestige, about the same thing why bank manager drive big cars. (a small car would bring them from A to B also, but...). Second, if you have big companys for your customers you will hopefully get also paided accordingly. So you have a good income - it is not wise to sit on the money and pay premium tax, investing in your photo business is better I think so a MF Back might be a wise investment. So for me this would be two more good reasons to buy a MF back, apart from the better quality you can get. As mentioned earlier this depends on your motivs. A sport photographer wont be happy with MF (horses for courses).
In this discussion I found some intersting parts. The danger is, that a non pro to often gets the impression that a MF Back will make him a better photographer. While the camera influences the outcome a good picture is a good picture no matter what camera was used. For myself the only MF camera which would change my kind of work in a positive way would be something like a digital mamiya 645 with waist level finder (I worked with that camera a lot) as the waist level finder forced me to a slower approach and therefore better composition (nature and travel) But to take 30 K equipment on journeys to chile or namibia plus a digital SLR for wildlife/fast shooting - for me too heavy and too much money to burn. And also even my Canon L lenses sometimes have to be calibrated after a rough journey, I dont know if a MF is better or worse in regard of durability out in the field (at least Hasselblad H I find too big, too heavy and reports of lenses falling apart do exist). But certainly give me a cheap lightweight MF digital system and I buy it immediatly (I know I am dreamin). Thats the bad part of digital MF. MF with film was also possible for amateurs, as the cameras were not too expensive and the film costs were as high as you did want them. But if you are seeking the ultimate quality in landscape shots, there is still large format with cameras like Toyo field or similar. Cheap equipment compared to MF digital, movements, superb quality but cumbersome to use. While some people try to defend their SLR cameras I simply say what is often the simple truth: I can not afford a digital MF So I have to do with my Canon Gear with some curses about the wide angle lenses and try to make the best out of it.
Happy New Year and keep on shooting !
Christian
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