In a world of instant previews and infinite retries, medium format film landscape photography offers something rare: slowness, intentionality, and soul.
Photographers are rediscovering the magic of medium format film, not just for its technical excellence but for how it transforms the entire creative process. With its larger negatives and refined aesthetic, medium format provides a depth of tone, texture, and detail that feels immersive. Every frame becomes a deliberate act of seeing.
Using a landscape camera shifts your mindset from reactive to reflective. You’re not firing off dozens of shots hoping to fix them later in Lightroom. You’re composing with care, metering with purpose, and engaging with the scene in front of you.
Choosing the Right Medium Format Film Camera for Landscapes
The best landscape camera depends on how and where you shoot. Below are some legendary options:
1. Hasselblad 500C/M
The Hasselblad 500C/M is a legendary choice for landscape photographers who appreciate control, craftsmanship, and optical clarity. Introduced in the 1950s and refined through the years, this modular landscape camera has become iconic in medium format photography for good reason.
Its 6×6 square format encourages creative composition, shifting your mindset from traditional horizontal landscapes to more balanced and often symmetrical framing. The waist-level viewfinder changes how you interact with your environment, slowing you down, keeping you present, and inviting more considered compositions from ground level.
Creative advantages of shooting landscapes with the 500C/M:
- Encourages vertical and abstract compositions thanks to the square format
- Fewer distractions when composing through the waist-level finder
- Seamless lens-switching for wide or telephoto views mid-shoot
- Film backs can be swapped mid-roll for different film stocks
Paired with Carl Zeiss T lenses, images come out razor-sharp with beautifully rendered tones and micro-contrast, even in challenging light. Built like a mechanical sculpture, the 500C/M thrives on a tripod, making it perfect for slow, intentional photography in nature.
2. Pentax 6×7
The Pentax 6×7 blends the immersive quality of medium format film with the handling of a classic 35mm SLR. Built like a tank but engineered for intuitive use, it’s a favourite among landscape photographers who prefer spontaneity in the field, from coastal adventures to alpine ridgelines.
With a massive 6×7 negative, the camera produces prints that hold exceptional detail without sacrificing portability. Its through-the-lens viewfinder gives a familiar eye-level shooting experience, making it easier to respond to shifting light or fast-moving clouds when composing landscapes.
Why landscape photographers love the Pentax 6×7:
- Leaf shutter lens options available for flash sync versatility
- Strong ecosystem of wide-angle lenses ideal for panoramic vistas
- Ergonomic design for quick shooting during hikes or travel
- Optional wooden grip enhances stability for handheld shots
The Pentax 6×7 encourages movement. You can set it on a rock, frame the sea spray, and fire the shutter. Its TTL metering prism offers on-the-go light measurement, while its minimal design removes distractions, letting you focus on light, shape, and story.
3. Fujifilm GFX 100 II
The Fujifilm GFX 100 II redefines what’s possible in digital landscape photography. With a massive 102MP medium format sensor, this camera delivers jaw-dropping resolution, colour fidelity, and dynamic range, making it a serious tool for professionals who want the best of both analog soul and digital efficiency.
This isn’t just about pixels. The larger-than-full-frame sensor renders incredible microcontrast and depth, especially when capturing intricate natural textures like rocky coastlines, foliage, or snow-blanketed peaks. Dynamic range stretches across highlight-rich skies and deep shadowed forests; no HDR needed.
What makes it a landscape workhorse:
- 102MP BSI CMOS sensor with rich 16-bit colour output
- 5-axis IBIS for handholding in rugged terrain
- Weather-sealed body ready for remote or harsh environments
- Hybrid viewfinder & articulating screen for flexible compositions
- Film simulations like Classic Chrome and Velvia for creative expression straight from the camera
The GFX 100 II offers near-instant feedback and the ability to bracket, tweak, and shoot through changing light conditions. Still, it preserves the ethos of medium format: thoughtful shooting, immersive tones, and visual storytelling with depth.
4. Phase One XT
The Phase One XT is a comprehensive platform designed for capturing museum-grade landscape imagery. Merging Phase One’s 150MP digital back with a compact, travel-ready field camera design, the XT system brings large-format-level movements and staggering image quality to the medium-format space.
Its modular body integrates shift movements directly, perfect for correcting perspective and stitching wide vistas without distortion. The XT pairs seamlessly with Rodenstock lenses, known for their impeccable optical performance, edge-to-edge sharpness, and minimal chromatic aberration, ideal traits for expansive landscape photography.
What sets the XT apart:
- 150MP back-side illuminated sensor with ultra-low noise
- Integrated shift movements (±12mm) for perspective control and panoramic stitching
- Rodenstock HR lenses with image circles designed for movements
- Carbon fibre and aluminium build for lightweight field use
- Capture One integration for seamless tethered or RAW workflow
The Phase One XT is engineered to slow you down in the best way—focusing your attention on framing, light, and geometry with full technical freedom. It’s not built for speed, but for deliberate excellence.
5. Mamiya 7
The Mamiya 7 is often hailed as the ultimate travel companion for serious landscape film shooters. Offering a 6×7cm negative in a remarkably compact rangefinder body, it delivers stunning detail and tonality, without the bulk typically associated with medium format gear.
Its leaf-shutter lenses are razor-sharp, whisper-quiet, and allow flash sync at any speed, making it ideal for dawn or dusk work in varied lighting. The rangefinder design, while limiting for close-up work, shines in wide, sweeping compositions where zone focusing and minimalist controls encourage fast yet deliberate framing.
Landscape photographers love the Mamiya 7 because it balances portability and image quality better than nearly any other medium format system.
Some standout features include:
- Interchangeable leaf-shutter lenses, from ultra-wide 43mm to 150mm telephoto
- Auto-exposure metering for intuitive light management in the field
- 6×7 negatives deliver sharp scans and smooth tonal transitions
- Near-silent operation that is ideal for remote, meditative landscapes
- Viewfinder framelines for fast, unobstructed composing
The Mamiya 7’s lenses, especially the 43mm f/4.5, are legendary for edge-to-edge clarity and low distortion, perfect for expansive mountain ranges or coastal scenes. If your vision leans wide and you value clarity, this landscape camera delivers in both remote wilderness and everyday urban stillness.
Your Landscape Vision Deserves a Medium Format Camera: Start at PhotoCo
Exploring landscapes with a medium format film camera is a mindset. The way it slows you down, sharpens your eye, and preserves each scene with breathtaking detail is something digital can’t quite replicate.
At PhotoCo Camera House, we make it easier to start that journey. Our curated range of second-hand medium format film cameras, from iconic models like the Hasselblad 500C/M and Pentax 6×7 to lightweight rangefinders like the Mamiya 7, offers you quality-tested tools that have already stood the test of time.
Buying second-hand means:
- Access to professional-grade gear at a fraction of the original cost
- A sustainable way to explore analogue photography
- The character and soul that only seasoned film cameras can offer
Browse our collection, ask our team for guidance, and bring home a piece of photographic history, ready to help you capture your next great landscape.
