considering MF jump for large format portraiture

[BJL]

Thanks for the perspective Rand. Assessments of AF in these new EVF MF systems are probably best done against other MF options, and with an emphasis on the likely use cases. It is no surprise that these CDAF only cameras are fine for stationary and slow moving subjects, not so great for faster action.

That said, the arrival of on-sensor PDAF in next year’s 100MP 44x33 model could shake things up by expanding MF use cases

[BobShaw]

This will explain MF Auto focus.
https://www.zazzle.com.au/auto_focus_is_for_sissies_t_shirt-235714603119345292

If your use case is portraiture then AF will never pick the subjects eyes over the belly in front and Focus and Recompose mathematically does not work.
The glass in a MF camera is much heavier and takes longer to move also so it will never be as fast as a 35mm.
You just don't buy these cameras for AF. You buy them for fantastic image quality, better colour, bigger prints and other contentious issues like the "look" and "feel".

[mstevensphoto]

I don't care at all how MF stacks up against other options, but what I do care deeply about is whether it can keep up with life in my studio - a moving three year old for example. I'm not talking about one running, ducking and weaving, but I am talking about one that can stand where I put him but not stand still. I need the moment I push the button to be in focus. every time.  similarly if I have a more still person and focus on an eye I want that eye in focus. I'm not shooting at f1.2 or something unreasonable, but outside with a cooperative subject at f4 or 5.6 I want that eye sharp.

sissy or not, the workforce, the actual pros with money to buy these things, is aging. my corneas have scaring on them that means I cannot manually focus. not won't. cant.

[Conner999]

Fuji is a good pick, but with flash sync of 1/125, you might find that wanting
Pentax system gets good reviews, but again 1/125 sync.
Hassy X1D - lens look great, 1/2000 sync (or 1/800+) with older lenses

Not sure on ease of tethering on Pentax.

H5D- ____. Very clean used or HPO prices are very, very nice now, options on sensor size w/resolution (40,50,60MB), 1/800 sync and True Focus.

We moved to the H5D-40 system as our primary kit and LOVE it. True Focus works brilliantly and 1/800 sync is awesome outside. Tethering is so simple and painless its not even funny. 

Good luck.

[BobShaw]

... I need the moment I push the button to be in focus. every time.  similarly if I have a more still person and focus on an eye I want that eye in focus. I'm not shooting at f1.2 or something unreasonable, but outside with a cooperative subject at f4 or 5.6 I want that eye sharp.

sissy or not, the workforce, the actual pros with money to buy these things, is aging. my corneas have scaring on them that means I cannot manually focus. not won't. cant.

My eyes are not great either and I am not opposed to auto focus for some religious reason. In fact I love it. But, you need an auto focus with manual focus over-ride because auto focus will simply not pick the eyes. It works by picking the largest and highest contrast thing it sees. The eye will only be in focus if the focus point picked is on the eye. Unless you have Hasselblad True Focus or the eyes are in the centre of the subject that seldom occurs. At least with modern cameras you can use Focus Peaking and the part in focus is illuminated in the viewfinder which is a fabulous thing.

Actual Pros that can afford an expensive camera are not all old. They just have the need for an expensive camera. If you don't have the money then you borrow it the same way you finance any other business.

[MichaelEzra]

For everyone interested, I just made the illustration of Pentax 645z vs Nikon Z7 comparison of the landscape scene:

https://forum.luminous-landscape.com/index.php?topic=127463.0

[Garry Sarre]

A couple years ago Digital Transitions let me Demo the mamiya kit and the images were just lovely and the experience was impractical. I rely on auto focus and it was clunky and often missed in addition to being a beast and a half of a camera.

Been there, done that. If you plan on using auto focus, dont get medium format for kids. Unless you can tie them down and glue them in place, you will be very disappointed in the number of out of focus shots.

Kids don't stay still long enough for a searching MF auto focus to lock on, and when it does, the spontaneous moment you were trying to capture has long gone. True focus? Irrelevant with moving subjects, both you and the subject. Forget tripods with kids unless they are stylised little model types.

Firstly, if you are selling 5 ft portraits, well done, I'd love to see your work.

Secondly, are you absolutely sure you are not looking at your big prints too closely. Five footers are typically viewed from at least 10 feet away. Even a 6 mp camera is fine for portrait at that size/distance viewing.

[moderator edit: removed a load of blank lines at the end]

[BJL]

Good points Garry.

In particular, about the importance of considering intended viewing distance. If these 60"x80” "painted portrait sized" prints for McMansions are being hung and viewed like paintings—behind large pieces of furniture, over fireplaces etc—the ratio of viewing distance to image size might be quite "normal", not closer than the long dimension, and then around 3000x4000 does it. Even the closest I have seen with large prints— viewing distance comparable to short dimension—is fine with about 4000x6000, so 24MP.

To put it another way, those painted portraits that people are comparing to have resolution limited to small brush width; optimistically about 1mm "paint pixels", so 60"x80" is only about 1500x2000!

Of course I am open to having to impress customers who give far closer scrutiny, at least when buying or assessing samples, even if they never look so closely after taking delivery.