Does Medium Format Have a Reason to Exist here in 2023? Sony A7R V says not
Related: digital sensor, golden age of photography, medium format, pixel shift, Sony, Sony A7R, Sony A7R II, Sony A7R III, Sony A7R IV, Sony A7R V, Sony mirrorless, true-color sensor or image
re: Sony pixel shift
re: Sony A7R V Pixel Shift with Motion Correction a Medium Format Killer?
re: Fujifilm GFX100S and Hasselblad X2D
I’ve published three proofs that Sony A7R V 4-shot Sony pixel shift outperforms 100-megapixel medium format in detail, acutance and overall appeal.
The latest proof arguably makes the case that you don’t even need pixel shift. Lens quality of a reference lens like the Voigtlander FE 50mm f/2 APO-Lanthar can bridge and overcome the gap. You might win in the central area with the GFX100S (vs single-shot on Sony), but you’ll lose in other areas and on depth of field and diffraction. A very small sharpness advantage for the GFX100S is easily outweighed by other factors.
If you must have single-shot captures maybe medium format does something for you. Or maybe it doesn’t: there is only a 1.22X linear resolution difference between the two. When you factor in focusing accuracy including Eye AF and related technologies along with with lens performance (focus accuracy and optical performance), it’s not clear to me that there is any substantive argument for medium format at this point, barring special cases.
I am eager to try out Sony A7R V pixel shift in the desert and mountains, perhaps in late January. I do not anticipate finding any limitations that would alter my three proofs. Indeed, I suspect they will be bolstered.
There are things Fujifilm could do: offer a Sony-style 4-shot pixel shift with motion correction, introduce or support (eg Voigtlander) much higher performance optics, etc. But that ain’t happening as far as I see.
Happy New Year! It’s the golden age of photography.
