Jan 06, 2019 120 film is a less popular format than 35mm, but it is technically a superior film to use. Before we dive into our comparison of 120mm versus 35mm film, i want to give a little background on my transition into film. When we say film we are referring to processeddeveloped slides, negatives. Differences of 120mm vs 220mm film camera huzz camera. The increased size of the film negative allows for much more resolution and detail. If youre confused as to the differences between medium format and 35mm, find out in.
Looking up patersons data for their developers, i noted that they give different target gammas for 35mm and roll film. The length of the film is nominally between 820 millimetres. In fact, the 120 film is a black paper roll with a strip of film tapped inside that is drawn through the cameras, when the photographers take their photos. Unlike 70 mm film, 35 mm film can be used in the majority of theaters around the world over the last 100 years, the film strip has been redesigned to incorporate sound and color. I know a lot of photographers that started their journey into photography with film. Then, they transitioned their talents to the digital world and digital cameras. You may have come across the term 35mm equivalent when viewing information about digital camera lenses and their focal lengths. There is no doubt that 120 film will record more data than 35mm as the negative is larger. I just thought it might be worthwhile to add to the excellent technical answers to the question, a more practical response, speaking from experience, at least from shooting 35mm, 8 perf 70mm and 15 perf 70mm imax. Clarks analysis of standard 35mm film showcased that depending on the type of film used, the resolution fell between 4 and 16 million pixels. Iso film speeds are an important part of film photography as each film speed is used for different scenarios and lighting conditions. Our medium format camera was the mamiya 645e and our 35mm camera was the canon a1. The cameras that use 120 film are usually quite a bit larger than their 35mm. The first and most important piece to understand about film speed is that the higher the iso number, the more grain is visible on the film and the subsequent prints.
There is a visible difference between the films used and is usually noticeable on both large and small format screens. The 35mm film format was developed and produced at an experimental scale in thomas a. Individual rolls of 35mm film are enclosed in singlespooled lighttight metal canisters. When to use different iso film speeds guide to film photography. The transition between tones will be much smoother with the larger neg. Jul 29, 2009 difference between 200, 400, 800 speed 35mm film. Please note not every ilford photo film is available in all of these formats. The picture produced on 35mm is sharper, of higher color quality and contains less grain than a film made on 16mm film. In this guide to film formats, we will talk you through the various.
The opticfilm 120 film scanner from plustek converts all your 35mm negatives, mounted slides, and 120mm medium format film into digital files you can edit and view on the computer. Read our glossary of the most common film terms below and. It can do this quickly with an automatic batch scanning feature and uses a high resolution 5300dpi sensor with 48bit color depth to capture all the detail from your. We will show a few visual examples and allow you to draw your own conclusions based upon the. Guide to film formats 35mm, 120, large format parallax. So the debate between film vs digital is a long and kind crazy one. Generally, medium format refers to film and digital cameras that capture. This means it is more portable, but it also means it has less space for details and resolution. Point about 120 film is that its the analogue equivalent of having more megapixels than 35mm film. They just space out the images differently which leads to all the different sizes. The film you choose for your camera matters far, far more than your choice of camera and lens.
It was introduced by kodak in 1963, and is associated mainly with lowend point and shoot cameras, particularly kodaks own instamatic series of cameras. If you make two 8x10 prints from a 35mm and a 6x7 negative you may not see a difference in perceived sharpness but the prints will look different. This is one reason why my 35mm images werent looking the way i wanted them to. So whats the difference between 35mm film and 120mm film then. The type of film you need will be determined by the camera that you are using.
What is the difference in shooting a movie on 35mm film, 70mm. Feb 16, 2004 flickr is almost certainly the best online photo management and sharing application in the world. Aside from the size difference between 35mm and medium format, medium format more surface area and tonality. It can be found in just about any camera shop, or even convenience stores, almost anywhere in the world. May 22, 2019 so what is the difference between 120mm vs 220 mm film. In particular, we will be looking at some similarities and differences between kodak portra 400 and kodak portra 800. May 27, 2014 3 ways of using 35mm film in 120 bodies. The results are very impressive and from our comparisons we think scanned color slide film has a digital equivalent resolution of between 12mp and 24mp depending on what aspect you look at 12mp. With some lomography cameras such as the sprocket rocket and spinner 360 you can actually use this part of the film in your pictures. Aug 21, 2017 some film stocks may offer a warm tone, while others may be used for cool, crisp effects.
The film is held in an open spool originally made of wood with metal flanges, later with allmetal, and finally with allplastic. Dec 14, 2004 theres a lot of difference between film. Comparing the image quality of film and digital petapixel. Edisons laboratory in new jersey by splitting 70mm roll film. Hope you all enjoyed the video, let me know what youll be shooting 35mm or 120 medium format in the comments. Because 120mm is larger than 35mm film, it gives a better and crisper quality to the photo. Not sure what the difference between color negative and slide film is. This makes it ideal for enlargements, because the quality really shines through even when you blow it up to 11.
The 120 film format is a roll film which is nominally between 60. Are 35mm and 120 film the same stuff, just different sizes. The term 35mm equivalent focal length is a comparison of the field of view seen through a digital camera lens compared to the field of view produced by the older 35mm film cameras. A guide of popular film formats the darkroom photo lab. How to choose to shoot with 35mm or 120 medium format film. And discuss the differences between 35mm, medium format and large format film. When you look at scans from a medium format camera compared to 35mm, the size difference really starts to add up. I personally have shot every film format imaginable, except for imax, and i loved the image. Edison compiled his caveat for the double perforated cine film in the fall of 1889, describing it as a double perforated long band passing from. Generally, the 120 film and the 220 film have approximately 61mm. If it was measured in megapixels, it would be around 16 mp. They could use abundant motion picture film in the camera. There are three kinds of films you are likely to encounter. Generally, medium format refers to film and digital cameras that capture images on film or digital sensors larger than 24x36mm fullframe, used in 35mm photography, but smaller than 4x5 inches largeformat photography.
You can still use them with 35mm film if you can manage to load the film into the spool in a way that you can wind it. Jan 17, 2017 difference between film and digital can you see the difference. Here in the lomo world, you hear about expired film a lot, and it is something we all want to or have tried. Film strictly speaking, film is a photographic material that consists of a celluloid base covered with a photographic emulsion. I just bought a nice 35mm canon camera and i want to know what the difference between 200, 400 and 800 speed film is. Below, weve outlined some of the major differences when comparing medium format vs. Whatever the reason or need, there is a film stock out there for you. The film is 35mm wide, and each standard image is 24. Mar 25, 2008 35mm was designed because it was convenient, that is all. It is used to make negatives or transparencies and can be contained in a roll, cassette, or cartridge. Although they are considered to be from the same film stock, these. The only legitimate professional use of 35mm was for newspapers and sports, and theyve already gone digital.
To this day, 35mm is still being tweaked to get the quality that 120 has had for 75 years. Hopefully the images above will give you an idea of the differences. Dec 09, 2018 in this video we will be comparing the two very popular film formats 35mm and medium format 120. Please let us know your thoughts in the comment section below. Show off your favorite photos and videos to the world, securely and privately show content to your friends and family, or blog the photos and videos you take with a cameraphone. Developed in the 1920s by oskar barnack, 35mm is still one of the worlds most popular film formats.