v1.0, 2005-05-31
The following tables compare different types of film and film cameras. Even
though digital is rapidly replacing film, there are still some limitations which
could take years for digital to overcome. It is important to realize that most of
today's digital cameras are being compared to consumer grade 35mm film cameras. A
single frame of 35mm film can only hold so much information but as you can see,
other types of professional film can capture details that are beyond the ability
of any digital camera costing less than $20,000.
Format | Size | Shots/Roll | Cameras |
35mm | 24 x 36mm | 36, 24, 12 | Various |
Medium Format (also known as 120 or 220 film) | |||
645 | 56 x 42mm | 16 | Pentax 45, Mamiya 45, Hasselblad H1, etc. |
6x6 | 56 x 56mm | 12 | Hasselblad 200/500, Rollei TLR, Yashicamat TLR, etc. |
6x7 | 56 x 67mm | 10 | Pentax 67, Mamiya RB67/RZ67, etc. |
Large Format | |||
4x5 | 4" x 5" | sheet film | Various |
5x7 | 5" x 7" | sheet film | Canham, Rembrandt, etc. view cameras |
8x10 | 8" x 10" | sheet film | Deardorff, Sinar, Calumet C-1, Toyo, etc. view cameras |
35mm |
645 |
6x6 |
6x7 |
4x5 (102 x 127mm)
= approx. 15 times 35mm
5x7 (127 x 178mm)
= approx. 26 times 35mm
8x10 (203 x 254mm)
= approx. 60 times 35mm
Notes: