Caught on lm
Mike Crawford explains the bene ts of the 120 format and shares his Slovenian portrait project
For many film photographers, 120 is the ideal format. It offers high-quality negatives, relatively portable equipment and prior to digital, was the standard for many professional photographers. The variety and types of cameras produced since Kodak launched the format in 1901 is extensive and the interest and revival in 120 continues to grow among today’s analogue photographers.
Di erent formats
When referring to 120, unlike 35mm or 5x4 inch film, a specific format is not immediately suggested. Although the most popular 120 cameras produce 6x6cm or 6x7cm negatives, other possible sizes and ratios include 6x4.5, 6x8, 6x9 and 6x12. My very first 120 camera was a secondhand Yashica 635, a popular budget twin lens reflex, which I know installed my love of the square format.
Twenty-five years ago I upgraded to a Rolleiflex 2.8E, which for years was my principal camera, using it primarily for projects relating to cities and location. Indeed, I am so used to the square format that I have only ever bought digital equipment that has the option for shooting 1:1. Although this 60-year-old camera still works perfectly, I bought a Mamiya 6 rangefinder nine years ago. I thought it would be an additional option for travel work, but instead ended up using it for a portrait project.
The rangefinder is not the ideal portrait camera and perhaps I should have got the Hasselblad that I had always desired but had never quite been able to afford. Despite an occasional issue with parallax, otherwise not seeing exactly through the viewfinder what the lens sees, I was impressed by the quality of the Mamiya optics and how sharp my negatives were.
I never think of medium format being of ‘better’ quality than 35mm, but instead consider it a different quality. The surface area of the 6x6 frame is more than four times the size of 35mm so will naturally allow a far finer grained print when enlarged. While I particularly appreciate the texture of 35mm, it is the smooth clarity of 120 that I see as its advantage.
Current cameras
Similar to 35mm, there is a limited availability of new, contemporary 120 cameras with an even greater discrepancy in prices. At the top of the range, Hasselblad and
Rollei produce hybrid professional models that take film and digital backs, both costing upwards of £6,000. Aside from the Linhof Technorama 617, a precision panoramic camera, the majority of medium format equipment currently in production is relatively inexpensive. However, these cameras tend to be made of plastic (as are their lenses), or hand crafted in wood with no lens whatsoever.
Pinholes and plastic
The Holga and Diana have attained cult status and are revered (and sometimes derived), for taking soft, atmospheric photographs due to their plastic lenses. The possibility of light leaks resulting from their cheap design and build is another discrepancy to consider. I bought a Holga in New York over 20 years ago and remember its instructions specifically recommending that the lens cap is discarded to prevent blank exposures, that the camera may need to be wrapped in insulation tape to keep it light-tight and most of all, to lighten up and have fun!
Certainly 120 is also a good format for pinhole photography and several small companies are