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The EOS-R is great as a Medium Format Camera

Started Mar 6, 2019 | Discussions thread
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Lobbamobba Contributing Member • Posts: 514
The EOS-R is great as a Medium Format Camera
8

Shot with the Mamiya 55mm f2.8 (38.5mm FF equivalent) at its closest focus distance.

War of the sensor sizes

The comment section underneath DPRs review of the GFX 50R is exploding. On one side sits the people saying that a x1 crop vs a x0.79 crop is negligible. Specially when considering that a high megapixel Full Frame is much cheaper and faster with more affordable lenses.

On the other side we have the lovers of Medium Format Glass and the joy of shooting with them. Compared to most MF cameras the Fuji is actually quite quick.

Meanwhile Im out shooting my Medium Format Glass on my EOS-R with a x0.7 crop.. in other words less than the Fuji. And at a fraction of the cost.
As a bonus I get all the other abilities of the EOS-R such as native EF support, Crisp C-log HD video with zero rolling shutter, stabilization and Canon colors.

Shot with the Mamiya 150mm f3.5 (105mm FF Equivalent), image has been cropped.

But, but.. but..
No the pixels don't get bigger and the resolution doesn't get higher. But a fact remain. Im shooting my MF glass with less of a crop factor than the same lens would give me on the GFX. And thats what its all about ro me. Using more of the glass that these lenses offers on a digital body. Because even though I love shooting film, its not always the best medium for what I do. For work its simply not an option.
And there really isn't much downgrades to the image. When I used the adapter on my Sony A7 I shot plenty of side by sides with my Mamiya645 Film Camera and besides the crop there wasn't anything to point at.

If you are a pixel peeper, looking at corners 10:1 and thinks resolution is the point of MF (which is also ok to think) then this might not be for you.

The key is the Kipon Medium Format Focal Reducer.

The Cost

For me the EOS-R is what I need for work so I own it no matter what, making the cost of it irrelevant. There are versions of the adapter for Nikon-Z, Sony-E, Leica/Panasonic/Sigma-L/SL and Leica-M as well. So Im probably not alone in already owning a compatible camera and have some MG glass laying around.

The adapter costs around $600 dollars but surfaces on eBay for a bit less every now and then.

Cheapest way to get to it for those with no FF camera is to get a used Sony A7. I have made a review of that combo already: Here

So compared to the Fuji GFX we are way bellow the price of just the body.

The adapter

The adapters are available for a plethora of different lens mounts. The most versatile combination would be Mamiya645 to Leica M. Then you can adapt it from M to whatever mirrorless FF camera you have.

If you don't understand the concept of a focal reducer I sugest researching "Speedboosters" which is a brand thats been popular a long time within the m4/3 community. Loads of good explenations about the science online.

Samples

I have made a review showcasing it with +20 examples plus some video clips: Here
Or you can check samples from both the EOS-R and Sony A7 on Instagram: Here
There is also an evolving review: Here

Canon EOS R Leica X1 Sony a7
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