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I use both 35mm and 6x7cm (2"x2.5") cameras.
35mm generally for color slides, and sometimes B&W but only when I need a light and small camera.
6x7cm is my preferred format, because it allows lower enlargement factor and also because the ratio
of sides is "perfect" (it's only a matter of opinion, of course).
Medium format is the best join of ease of handling and quality.
I do not like extreme views, so I generally use 35 or 50 mm lens on small format and 75mm lens on medium;
47mm lens on medium format or 20mm on small, only in narrow environments (mountain or architectural interiors);
use of 200mm on small format is an exception.
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Medium format camera is a hard body with lens shift capability (up to 25 mm shift);
the roll film holder can be rotated 360ƒ.
Roll film holder for 6x4.5 to 6x12 format can be used.
Shift is mandatory in architectural photography, of course, anyway I find it very useful
in landscape and mountain photography also: high mountains taken from a low site appear fallin over You,
with a normal camera.
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B&W Film and Film processing
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The pursuit of the best quality with medium format led me to AGFA APX25:
in my opinion it renders better grey levels modulation than KODAK Technical Pan,
and the grain, even if more visible, is more sharp and well defined.
I expose at 16 ISO and develope in ILFORD PERCEPTOL, dilute 1+1 for better sharpness;
it must be used only once but this grants standard and unchanged results.
N developement is 14 minutes at 20ƒ, N+1 is 16 minutes at 20ƒ; 30" initial agitation,
then 10" agitation every minute.
After stop bath, double fixing, 4 minutes each, one minute rinse, 3 to 4 minutes in Hypo
Clearing then 10 minutes final wash.
Sometimes, very often, I use ILFORD Delta100 with standard processing in ID11.
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ILFORD Galerie, grade 3 or 2; developement in Dektol, double fixing, 5 minutes rinse,
5 minutes in Hypo Clearing, 1 hour wash.
RC paper only for sample prints; for final prints no variable contrast paper: the difference is slight but You see it.
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Only KODAK EliteChrome 100 (or films belonging to the same family, like P100).
The same way I don't like extreme views, I do not like extreme color nor saturation.
More, I found that KODAK color film has the longest life.
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