Film format
A film format is a technical definition of a set of standard characteristics regarding image capture on photographic film, for either stills or filmmaking. It can also apply to projected film, either slides or movies. The primary characteristic of a film format is its size and shape.
In the case of motion picture film, the format may also include audio parameters (though often not). Other characteristics usually include the film gauge, pulldown method, lens anamorphosis (or lack thereof), and film gate or projector aperture dimensions, all of which need to be defined for photography as well as projection, as they may differ.
Motion picture film formats
Digital camera formats
Still photography film formats
Multiple image
Designation[a] | Type | Introduced | Discontinued | Image size | Exposures | Comment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
101 | roll film | 1895 | 1956 | 3+1⁄2 × 3+1⁄2 in | ||
102 | roll film | 1896 | 1933 | 1+1⁄2 × 2 in | One flange has gear teeth | |
103 | roll film | 1896 | 1949 | 100 × 125 mm | ||
104 | roll film | 1897 | 1949 | 4+3⁄4 × 3+3⁄4 in | ||
105 | roll film | 1897 | 1949 | 2+1⁄4 × 3+1⁄4 in | Like 120 film with 116-size flanges | |
106 | for roll holder | 1898 | 1924 | 3+1⁄2 × 3+1⁄2 in | Roll holder films were wound inside out | |
107 | for roll holder | 1898 | 1924 | 3+1⁄4 × 4+1⁄4 in | ||
108 | for roll holder | 1898 | 1929 | 4+1⁄4 × 3+1⁄4 in | ||
109 | for roll holder | 1898 | 1924 | 4 × 5 in | ||
110 (early roll film) |
for roll holder | 1898 | 1929 | 5 × 4 in | No relation to the later 110 cartridge format. | |
110 ("Pocket Instamatic") |
cartridge | 1972 | Present[2] | 13 × 17 mm | 16 mm stock, registration perforated Introduced with Kodak's "Pocket Instamatic" series Daylight, Transparency, Black & White Fujifilm ceased 110 production in 2009. Lomography revived the format in 2011. | |
111 | for roll holder | 1898 | Unknown | 6+1⁄2 × 4+3⁄4 in | ||
112 | for roll holder | 1898 | 1924 | 7 × 5 in | ||
113 | for roll holder | 1898 | Unknown | 90 × 120 mm | ||
114 | for roll holder | 1898 | Unknown | 120 × 90 mm | ||
115 | roll film | 1898 | 1949 | 6+3⁄4 × 4+3⁄4 in | ||
116 | roll film | 1899 | 1984 | 2+1⁄2 × 4+1⁄4 in | Like 616 film with wider flanges | |
117 | roll film | 1900 | 1949 | 2+1⁄4 × 2+1⁄4 in | 12 | Like 620 spool with 120 keyslot |
118 | roll film | 1900 | 1961 | 3+1⁄4 × 4+1⁄4 in | 3.474-inch spool | |
119 | roll film | 1900 | 1940 | 4+1⁄4 × 3+1⁄4 in | ||
120 | roll film | 1901 | Present | 2+1⁄4 × 3+1⁄4 in 56 × 70 mm 2+1⁄4 × 2+1⁄4 in 2+1⁄4 × 1+5⁄8 in |
8 10 12–13 15–16 |
2.4 inch (60.96 mm) stock, unperforated, paper-backed |
121 | roll film | 1902 | 1941 | 1+5⁄8 × 2+1⁄2 in | ||
122 | roll film | 1903 | 1971 | 3+1⁄4 × 5+1⁄2 in | 6 or 10 | Postcard format |
123 | roll film | 1904 | 1949 | 4 × 5 in | ||
124 | roll film | 1905 | 1961 | 3+1⁄4 × 4+1⁄4 in | 3.716-inch spool: same picture size as 118 with longer spool | |
125 | roll film | 1905 | 1949 | 3+1⁄4 × 5+1⁄2 in | like 122 on longer spool; also for stereo pairs, 3+1⁄4 in × 2+1⁄2 in x 2 | |
126 (early roll film) |
roll film | 1906 | 1949 | 4+1⁄4 × 6+1⁄2 in | No relation to the 126 cartridge format introduced in 1963. | |
126 ("Instamatic") |
cartridge | 1963 | 2008 | 26.5 × 26.5 mm | 12, 20 (later 24) | 35 mm stock, registration perforated Introduced with first "Instamatic" cameras under the name "Kodapak" |
127 | roll film | 1912 | Present | 1+5⁄8 × 2+1⁄2 in 1+5⁄8 × 1+5⁄8 in 1+5⁄8 × 1+1⁄4 in |
8 12 16 |
46 mm stock, "Vest Pocket" |
128 | roll film | 1912 | 1941 | 1+1⁄2 × 2+1⁄4 in | for Houghton Ensignette #E1[3] | |
129 | roll film | 1912 | 1951 | 1+7⁄8 × 3 in | for Houghton Ensignette #E2 | |
130 | roll film | 1916 | 1961 | 2+7⁄8 × 4+7⁄8 in | ||
135 | cartridge | 1934 | Present | 24 × 35 mm | 24 or 36 | 35 mm stock, double perforated formerly available in 12, 18, 20, or 72 exposures[4] |
220 | roll film | 1965 | 2015 (EU/US), 2017 (Japan) | 2+1⁄4 × 3+1⁄4 in 60 × 70 mm 2+1⁄4 × 2+1⁄4 in 2+1⁄4 × 1+5⁄8 in |
18 21 24−27 30−33 |
2.4-inch (60.96 mm) stock, unperforated, no backing paper Twice as long as 12F Final films in 220 were professional films for commercial/wedding photography; Kodak Portra (2015) and Fujifilm Colour Negative and Reversal (2017 in Japan only). Ilford ceased 220 production in 2004 after their 220 spooling plant broke down. |
235 | loading spool | 1934 | Unknown | 24 × 36 mm | 35 mm film in daylight-loading spool | |
240 / APS | cartridge | 1996 | 2011 | 30.2 × 16.7 mm | 15, 25, or 40 | 24 mm stock, registration perforated Daylight, Transparency, Black & White (Chromogenic 400CN) |
335 | stereo pairs | 1952 | Unknown | 24 × 24 mm | 20 pairs | Special length for Realist format stereo pairs |
435 | loading spool | 1934 | Unknown | 24 × 36 mm | 35 mm film in daylight-loading spool | |
50 | for roll holder | 1915 | March 1941 | 3+1⁄4 × 2+1⁄4 in | for Graflex rollholder | |
51 | for roll holder | 1915 | Feb 1951 | 4+1⁄4 × 3+1⁄4 in | for Graflex rollholder | |
52 | for roll holder | 1915 | Mar 1949 | 5+1⁄2 × 3+1⁄4 in | for Graflex rollholder | |
53 | for roll holder | 1915 | Feb 1951 | 5 × 4 in | for Graflex rollholder | |
54 | for roll holder | 1915 | Mar 1949 | 7 × 5 in | for Graflex rollholder | |
500 | film pack | 1911 | 1948 | 1+3⁄4 × 2+3⁄8 in | 12 | redefined 1921 as 1+5⁄8 × 2+7⁄16 in |
515 | film pack | 1905 | 1955 | 5 × 7 in | 12 | |
516 | film pack | 1909 | 1955 | 2+1⁄2 × 4+1⁄4 in | 12 | |
518 | film pack | 1903 | 1976 | 3+1⁄4 × 4+1⁄4 in | 12 sheets | |
520 | film pack | 1906 | 1976 | 2+1⁄4 × 3+1⁄4 in | 16 sheets | |
522 | film pack | 1904 | 1955 | 3+1⁄4 × 5+1⁄2 in | 12 sheets | 3A postcard |
523 | film pack | 1904 | 4 × 5 in | 12 sheets | ||
526 | film pack | 1920 | 1941 | 4+3⁄4 × 6+1⁄2 in | ||
531 | film pack | 1926 | 1941 | 2+9⁄32 × 5+11⁄32 in | 60 × 130 mm | |
540 | film pack | 1920 | 1941 | 1+3⁄4 × 4+1⁄4 in | ||
541 | film pack | 1920 | 1941 | 3+1⁄2 × 4+3⁄4 | 12 | 90 × 120 mm |
542 | film pack | 1911 | 1948 | 3 × 5+1⁄4 in | 75 × 135 mm | |
543 | film pack | 1920 | 1948 | 3+3⁄4 × 5+1⁄2 in | 12 | 100 × 150 mm |
616 | roll film | 1931 | 1984 | 2+1⁄2 × 4+1⁄4 in or 2+1⁄2 × 2+1⁄8 in |
6, later 8 | Similar to 116 film but on a thinner spool |
620 | roll film | 1932 | 1995 | Similar to 120 film but on a thinner spool | ||
828 | roll film | 1935 | 1985 | 28 × 40 mm | 8 | 35 mm, one perforation per frame Bantam |
35 | roll film | 1916 | 1933 | 1+1⁄4 × 1+3⁄4 in | 35 mm stock, unperforated | |
00 UniveX | roll film | 1933 | 1+1⁄2 × 1+1⁄8 in | 6 | made by Gevaert | |
Hit (for example TONE camera) | roll film | 1937 | unknown | 14 × 14 mm | 10 [5] | 17.5 mm stock; used in imported miniature toy cameras [6] |
Disc | cassette | 1982 | 1998 | 8 × 11 mm | 15 | circular sheet of film attached to rigid carrier |
Half-frame | cartridge | 1934, later than | Present | 18 × 24 mm | 48 or 72 | 135 film in "half-frame" cameras |
Minox | cartridge | 1938 | Present | 8 × 11 mm | 15, 36 or 50 | nominally 9.5 mm-wide stock (in reality 9.2−9.3 mm) |
Karat | cartridge | 1936 | 1963 | Early AGFA cartridge for 35 mm film | ||
Rapid | cartridge | 1964 | 1990s | 12 | AGFA cartridge for 35 mm film (replaced Karat, same system) | |
SL | cartridge | 1958 | 1990 | 24 × 36 mm 24 × 24 mm 18 × 24 mm |
12 16 24 |
Orwo Schnell-Lade Kassette for 35 mm film |
Kassette 16 | cartridge | 1978 | 1990s | 13 × 17 mm | 20 | Orwo, 16 mm stock, central perforation (holes between frames) Introduced exclusively for the Pentacon k16 camera |
Super 16 (Rollei) | cartridge | 1963 | 1981 | 13 × 17 mm | 18 | Rollei, 16 mm stock, perforation on both edges? with kino film (?) only by Rollei for the Rollei 16 camera; also Wirgin Edixa 16 (Franka / alka 16) |
Minolta-16 | cartridge | 1955 | 1974 | 10 × 14 mm (original) 13 × 17 mm (later) |
20 | Minolta, 16 mm stock, originally double perforated (single perforated or unperforated film could be loaded), later single perf to allow larger 13 × 17 mm image |
For roll holder means film for cartridge roll holders, allowing roll film to be used with cameras designed to use glass plates. These were spooled with the emulsion facing outward, rather than inward as in film designed for native roll-film cameras. Types 106 to 114 were for Eastman-Walker rollholders, while types 50 to 54 were for Graflex rollholders.
The primary reason there were so many different negative formats in the early days was that prints were made by contact, without use of an enlarger. The film format would thus be exactly the same as the size of the print—so if you wanted large prints, you would have to use a large camera and corresponding film format.
Roll film cross-reference table
Before World War II, each film manufacturer used its own system of numbering for the various sizes of rollfilms they made. The following sortable table shows the corresponding numbers. A blank space means that manufacturer did not make film in that size. Two numbers in one box refers to films available with different numbers of exposures, usually 6 and either 10 or 12. Spool length is measured between inner faces of the flanges; several films of the same image size were available on different spools to fit different cameras.
Eastman | AGFA | Ansco | Ensign | Vulcan | Seneca | Rexo | Spool length (in) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
101 | H6 | 8A, 8B | 3+1⁄2-inch | 202 | 303 | 3.661 | |
102 | 1B | 1+1⁄2-inch | 204 | 1.655 | |||
103 | K6 | 10A, 10B | 4-inch | 206 | 3.912 | ||
104 | L6 | 12A, 12B | 5-inch | 208 | 5.064 | ||
105 | C6 | 5A, 5B | 2+1⁄4-inch C | 210 | 315 | 2.509 | |
115 | 13A, 13B | 7-inch | 230 | 7.126 | |||
116 | D6 | 6A, 6B | 2+1⁄2-inch | 232 | 348 | 425, 426 | 2.814 |
117 | B1 | 3A | 2+1⁄4-inch A | 234 | 2.470 | ||
118 | E6 | 7A, 7B | 3+1⁄4-inch | 236 | 354 | 430, 431 | 3.474 |
119 | 11A, 11B | 4+1⁄4-inch | 238 | 4.490 | |||
120 | B2 | 4A | 2+1⁄4-inch B | 240 | 360 | 415 | 2.466 |
121 | AB6 | 2A, 2B | 1+5⁄8-inch | 242 | 1.850 | ||
122 | G6, G10 | 18A, 18B | 3+1⁄4-inch A | 244 | 366 | 445, 446 | 3.715 |
123 | J6 | 10C, 10D | 4-inch A | 246 | 4.693 | ||
124 | F6 | 7C, 7D | 3+1⁄4-inch B | 248 | 372 | 435 | 3.716 |
125 | 18C, 18D | 3+1⁄4-inch C | 250 | 375 | 3.912 | ||
126 | 19A | 4+1⁄4-inch A | 252 | 4.898 | |||
127 | A8 | 2C | Ensignette 1J | 254 | 381 | 407 | 1.860 |
128 | O6 | Ensignette 1 | 1.606 | ||||
129 | N6 | Ensignette 2 | 2.059 | ||||
130 | M6 | 26A, 26B | 2+7⁄8-inch | 260 | 390 | 436, 438 | 3.132 |
616 | PD16 | 2.814 | |||||
620 | PB20 | 2.468 |
Single image
Size (inches) | Type |
---|---|
1+5⁄8 × 2+1⁄8 | "sixteenth-plate" tintypes |
2 × 2+1⁄2 | "ninth-plate" tintypes |
2 × 3 | sheet film |
2+1⁄4 × 3+1⁄4 | sheet film |
2+1⁄2 × 3+1⁄2 | "sixth-plate" tintypes |
3 × 4 | sheet film |
3+1⁄8 × 4+1⁄8 | "quarter-plate" tintypes |
3+1⁄4 × 4+1⁄4 | sheet film,[7] "quarter-plate" glass plates |
3+1⁄4 × 5+1⁄2 | postcard or 3A |
4 × 5 | glass plate,sheet film |
4 × 10 | sheet film |
4+1⁄4 × 5+1⁄2 | "half-plate" tintypes |
4+3⁄4 × 6+1⁄2 | "half-plate" glass plates, sheet film |
5 × 7 | sheet film |
6+1⁄2 × 8+1⁄2 | "whole-plate" glass plates, sheet film, tintypes |
7 × 17 | sheet film |
8 × 10 | glass plates,sheet film |
8 × 20 | sheet film |
11 × 14 | sheet film |
12 × 20 | sheet film |
14 × 17 | sheet film |
16 × 20 | sheet film |
20 × 24 | sheet film |
Size (cm) | Type |
---|---|
6.5 × 9 | sheet film |
9 × 12 | glass plate, sheet film |
10 × 15 | sheet film |
13 × 18 | sheet film |
18 × 24 | sheet film |
24 × 30 | sheet film |
Instant film
Designation | Type | Introduced | Discontinued | Image size | Exposures | Comment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Type 20 | Polaroid roll film cartridge | 1965 | 1979 | 2+1⁄8 × 2+7⁄8 in | 8 | |
Type 30 | Polaroid roll film cartridge | 1954 | 1979 | 2+1⁄8 × 2+7⁄8 in | 8 | |
Type 40 | Polaroid roll film cartridge | 1948 | 1972 (color) 1992 (monochrome) |
2+7⁄8 × 3+3⁄4 in | 6 or 8 | |
Type 50 | Polaroid peel-apart film pack | 19?? | 2008 | 4 × 5 in | Including Type 55 | |
Type 80 | Polaroid peel-apart film pack | 1971 | 2006 | 2+3⁄4 × 2+7⁄8 | 8 or 10 | |
Type 100 | Polaroid peel-apart film pack | 1963 | 2016 by Fujifilm
[8]. Reintroduced in 2018 |
2+7⁄8 × 3+3⁄4 in | 8, 10 or 11 | Discontinued by Polaroid in 2008. Produced and sold by Fujifilm until 2016, where As it was discontinued. [8] New 100 type film made by a company called One Instant. Production started in 2018 |
SX-70, Type 600 |
Polaroid integral film pack | 1972 | – | 3+1⁄8 × 3+1⁄8 in | 8 or 10 | Discontinued by Polaroid in 2008. Reintroduced by Impossible Project in 2010. |
Kodak Instant | Kodak integral film pack | 1976 | 1986 | 91 × 67 mm | 10 | |
F Series | Fuji integral film pack | 1981 | c. 1990 | 91 × 69 mm | Film compatible with Kodak Instant, but in a different cartridge and rated at a (slightly) different speed | |
Kodamatic | Kodak integral film pack | c. 1980 | 1986 | 91 × 67 mm | 10 | |
Trimprint, Instagraphic |
Kodak peel-apart film pack | 1983 | 1986 | 4 × 3+1⁄2 in | 10 | [9][10] |
System 800 | Fuji integral film pack | 2010 | 91 × 69 mm | |||
Spectra, Type 700, Type 1200 |
Polaroid integral film pack | 1986 | Oct. 2019 | 3+5⁄8 × 2+7⁄8 in | 10 or 12 | Discontinued by Polaroid in 2008. Reintroduced by Impossible Project in 2010.
Discontinued by Polaroid Polaroid Originals in 2019. |
Captiva, Type 500 |
Polaroid integral film pack | 1993 | 2006 | 2+7⁄8 × 2+1⁄8 in | 10 | |
InstantACE | Fuji integral film pack | 2010 | 91 × 69 mm | |||
8x10 | Polaroid film pack | 19?? | – | 8 × 10 in | 1 | Discontinued by Polaroid. Reintroduced by Impossible Project. |
i-Zone |
Polaroid integral film pack | 1997 | 2006 | 36 × 24 mm | 12 | |
Fujifilm Instax Mini, PolaroidMio, PolaroidType 300 |
Fuji/Polaroid integral film pack | 1998[11][12][13] | – | 46 × 62 mm | 10 | |
Instax Wide | Fuji integral film pack | 1999[13] | – | 99 × 62 mm | 10 | |
Instax Pivi | Fuji integral film pack | 2004 | – | 46 × 61 mm | ||
I-Type | Impossible integral film pack | 2016 | – | 3+1⁄8 × 3+1⁄8 in | 8 | Same image format as Polaroid Type 600, but the film cartridge does not contain a battery |
Instax Square | Fuji integral film pack | 2017 | – | 62 × 62 mm | 10 |
See also
References
- ^ "The History of Kodak Roll Films". Archived from the original on 22 February 2009. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- ^ "What is 110 film?". lomography.com. 16 May 2012. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- ^ "The Ensignette Camera". Retrieved 19 October 2011.
- ^ "Ilford History and Chronology". Retrieved 20 June 2011.
- ^ "Reloading Hit Cameras". Retrieved 23 October 2011.
- ^ "17.5mm or "Hit" Style Cameras". Retrieved 23 October 2011.
- ^ "Speed Graphic FAQ file". Rochester Institute of Technology. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
- ^ a b "インスタントカラーフィルム「FP-100C」販売終了のお知らせ". Fujifilm. 29 February 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
- ^ Ortner, E.H. "What's New In Photography". Popular Science (September 1983): 93. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
- ^ "Photo Kit Copies CRT Images". Popular Science (December 1983): 74. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
- ^ "Fujifilm Instax Mini 10 camera, c2000". National Media Museum. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
- ^ "Fuji may enter U.S. instant film market". EUROPE: Nytimes.com. 31 October 1998. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
- ^ a b "23 "Japanese Historical Cameras" of 1999 Named". JCII Camera Museum. Japan Camera Industry Institute. Archived from the original on 12 February 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
External links
- Film Formats and HDTV
- Table of Film formats Archive by Mark Baldock
- Kodak roll films starting with 101
- The history of Kodak roll films
- Classic camera film sizes, sources, and film adapters, with spool dimensions
- American Widescreen Museum
- Sub-35 mm movie film formats history webpage
- Plate and tintype sizes
- Michael Rogge's brief history of film formats