Jack Flesher wrote:
Personal adjunct. For virtually any imaging need today, the top tier FF cams from Canon, Nikon and Sony paired with their best glass is about as good as it has ever been from a technical superiority standpoint. IMHO, those systems collectively obviate the need for an MF digital camera.
I generally agree with this, though I would add the word “generally” (or “may” or “often”) before the word “obviate.”
There’s no arguing with the fact that the slightly larger miniMF sensor systems can produce measurable improvements in technical things like noise, detail, dynamic range, and more. This would objectively trump the smaller FF systems, but for a few other uncomfortable facts.
1. The best FF camera systems produce outstanding image quality when used by competent photographers. We’re talking about differences so small that they are rarely actually visible.
2. The smaller FF systems also come with a much more developed and diverse set of important adjuncts to the camera itself — the wider selection of lenses (also of excellent quality) and other accessories and tools.
I do not say that there is never a reason to use the larger miniMF systems, and I could actually see owning one myself if a few key changes were made.
I’m not gong to make myself popular by saying this (that train left he station long ago) but the number of photographers whose work benefits in real-world ways by choosing the larger system over alternatives is very small.
I’m still often surprised by the banal quality of much of the posted photography done with these systems — about the same amount done with others. To simplify, the photos seem to fall into three categories: mediocre photographs that show no benefit from the larger system, excellent photographs that would look just as fine if made with a different system, and a smaller group of excellent photographs that are arguably better for using the larger format.
YMMV.
Sep 06, 2025 at 11:25 AM
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