I am sure every photographer who travels frequently have one time or another grappled with the decision on which camera to bring and most important of all which lens to leave at home.
Since I started shooting with vintage folders, the choice is no longer left up to me. Uhm! In a way it still is, however, I no longer have to worry on which lens I have to bring. The lens on the vintage folders are fixed lens. If I choose to bring the Bessa II (6x9 medium format), the decision to make is how to frame the image carefully than capture it. Due to the lens being fixed, I am forced to get physically as close as possible to the subject - no zoom or telephoto lens to help me here. Once the film is developed and scanned onto my desktop, I can crop it in Photoshop. This ends up being the same thing as using a zoom or telephoto lens.
Okay, I can hear the nay sayers ... going "No way!" "The image will not be sharp enough" and so on and so forth ... Let me explain. As the Bessa II is 6x9 format, after scanning the image is actually 120 MB. This is bigger than any existing digital camera in the market. Below is an example that I had shot at Canal Road just off highway 400 (these pillars are actually supporting the 400 bypass over it)
Reflected Strength - captured by vintage folder Voigtlander Bessa II with Ilford 100 Delta Pro film and scanned by Epson Perfection V750 PRO- shown as is (no editing)
Reflected Strength - cropped in Photoshop no other editing.I am not saying that I no longer use zoom or telephoto lens. I still do with my Hassy. What I am saying is that I do not have to moan or mull over not having a zoom or telephoto lens when I am out shooting with my folders. In fact, I always carry two different folders with me on days that I shoot with them. I bring a 6x6 format folder and a 6x9 format. Why? Since they are so light, I can. Believe it or not they fit into my pockets.
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