Film photography choices and dilemmas

It's often tempting to get 35mm camera, because they are cheap, easily accessible, film and processing is also relatively cheap.

However, when I look back at my photos, it's clear that medium format delivers better look.

 
Of course, medium format is more expensive: cameras can be extremely expensive (or cheap, but with low quality optics). Film is about the same as 35mm, but you get less frames per roll, so it's more expensive. Processing is not expensive and it can be done at home, but then requires time and effort.

Overall, there is no clear winner, but I came to a conclusion that instead of wasting time on 35mm, it's better to spend the money on medium format film. The end result will be much more pleasing to the eye.

One other aspect of this is that many 35mm (and medium format) cameras are prohibitively expensive not because they are so great, but because they are either extremely rare or they got a cult status because of wide coverage on the web. The more blogs/articles/videos praise about a particular camera, the more expensive it becomes.It's not necessarily a bad thing, as most of the time they are extremely good cameras, but you can also get similar results from a much cheaper (less popular/cult) cameras.

Recently I've scanned some negatives from both, 35 and medium format, and I am now confident that 35 is crap. Even medium format has its limits, and while you can get nice, smooth tones, it requires a lot of time and effort.

Overall, I think analog photography is going to become even more niche than it is now, despite some saying it is coming back. 

For me personally that might be a good thing, because I should be able to sell some of my equipment for a reasonable price.

Truth be told, you can get much better results easier with a relatively cheap, modern digital camera, and do it much easier/faster. Even with a phone.

This brings us to another point: most people are going to view your photos on screen phone, so quality is not that important overall. Not many people will appreciate your perfectly sharp photo on a tiny screen.