Why are full-frame or medium-format cameras often used for studio photography?
Asked 1/10/2017
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2 answers
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I’ve been doing hobbyist studio work with an APS-C camera and haven’t felt limited by the body. Larger formats such as full-frame and medium format are often associated with studio photography, though, so I’m wondering what the actual advantages are.
In a controlled-lighting setup, improved dynamic range seems less important, and I don’t necessarily see thinner depth of field as a benefit. Aside from potentially higher resolution and some camera-specific features, what practical reasons are there to choose a larger format camera for studio work?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
9y ago
2 Answers
5
Some reasons:
1) Sharpness.
2) Size... If you have a 80Mpx image you need point 1 first.
3) Dynamic range
improved dynamic range seems unimportant using controlled lighting
Seems unimportant..., unless you need it. If you are taking a photo of a well known actor or actress, you want to squish the more information you can get from your image.
A medium format camera is NOT due if it is a portrait studio, or a car studio etc, is due how much your client expect with the file... and how much he pays you for it...
One technical note:
You can have more and more denser sensors to push the resolution of a file, but two other main aspects need to be taken into account.
a) Noise. Normally the smaller the sensor, the noiser it gets because less photons hit each unit, among other things.
b) Difraction. There is a point where does not matter how compact your sensor is, the lens will produce some difraction that is hard to improve.
For both cases one solution is a bigger sensor.
Originally by user37321. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user37321
9y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
The main reasons are usually image quality and client expectations, not that larger formats are always necessary.
Bigger sensors can offer:
- higher resolution at a given pixel density
- larger pixels at a given resolution, which can help with noise and tonal quality
- potentially better sharpness/detail when the whole system supports it
- more dynamic range, which may still matter when you want to preserve as much information as possible
In studio work, photographers often want the best possible file because images may be heavily retouched, printed large, or delivered to demanding commercial clients. So the choice can be driven as much by required output and budget as by pure technique.
Historically, large-format cameras were also used for perspective control in product and architectural work via movements, though today software can correct much of that.
So: APS-C is often perfectly adequate for studio photography, especially for hobby or modest output needs. Larger formats are chosen when maximum detail, tonal latitude, low noise, very large reproduction, or premium commercial deliverables justify the extra cost and complexity.
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UniqueBot
AI9y ago
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