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.

A cartridge of Kodak 35 mm (135) film for cameras.

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

Further information: List of motion picture film formats

Digital camera formats

Further information: Image sensor format

Still photography film formats

Multiple image

Designation[lower-alpha 1]	Type	Introduced	Discontinued	Image size	Exposures	Comment
101	roll film	1895	1956	88.9 x 88.9 mm
102	roll film	1896	1933	25.4 × 50.8 mm		One flange has gear teeth
103	roll film	1896	1949	100 × 125 mm
104	roll film	1897	1949	120.65 × 95.25 mm
105	roll film	1897	1949	57.15 × 82.55 mm		Like 120 film with 116-size flanges
106	for roll holder	1898	1924	88.9 x 88.9 mm		Roll holder films were wound inside out
107	for roll holder	1898	1924	82.55 × 107.95 mm
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

1. Unless otherwise noted, all formats were introduced by Kodak, which began allocating the number series in 1913. Before that, films were simply identified by the name of the cameras they were intended for.[1]

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

Main article: 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, when it was discontinued. [8] New 100 type film made by One Instant introduced 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 with original Polaroid; 8 with Polaroid Originals/Impossible Project	Discontinued by Polaroid in 2008; reintroduced by Impossible Project in 2010; discontinued by 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 Pocket	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

• Film base
• Film stock
• Keykode
• Large format
• Medium format
• Microform

References

1. "The History of Kodak Roll Films". Archived from the original on 22 February 2009. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
2. "What is 110 film?". lomography.com. 16 May 2012. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
3. "The Ensignette Camera". Retrieved 19 October 2011.
4. "Ilford History and Chronology". Retrieved 20 June 2011.
5. "Reloading Hit Cameras". Retrieved 23 October 2011.
6. "17.5mm or "Hit" Style Cameras". Retrieved 23 October 2011.
7. "Speed Graphic FAQ file". Rochester Institute of Technology. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
8. "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.
9. Ortner, E.H. "What's New In Photography". Popular Science (September 1983): 93. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
10. "Photo Kit Copies CRT Images". Popular Science (December 1983): 74. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
11. "Fujifilm Instax Mini 10 camera, c2000". National Media Museum. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
12. "Fuji may enter U.S. instant film market". EUROPE: Nytimes.com. 31 October 1998. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
13. "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