LIBRARY · FILM
How film began, and why the frames are the sizes they are
From a plate exposed for hours to a roll in a pocket camera: the steps that made film, and the sizes that stuck.
- 1827Niépce fixes the oldest surviving camera picture
- 1839Daguerre's process goes public
- 1841Talbot's calotype: negatives on paper
- 1901Kodak introduces 120 roll film
- 1934Kodak names 35 mm still film 135
- 1935Kodachrome, colour slide film
- 1972Polaroid SX-70 instant camera
- 1998Fujifilm Instax Mini
DRAWN TO SCALE
Why the sizes
35 mm came from cinema film: Leica turned the frame sideways along the strip and got 24 × 36 mm. A bigger frame records more detail with the same grain, which is why 120 and sheet film are still shot for prints that hang on walls.
EVERY FRAME AT THE SAME SCALE
- 35 mm24 × 36 mm
- 120 · 6×4.556 × 42 mm
- 120 · 6×656 × 56 mm
- 120 · 6×756 × 70 mm
- Instax Mini46 × 62 mm
- 4×5 inch sheet102 × 127 mm
Black-and-white negative
Silver only. Developed at home in one tank with three chemicals.
Colour negative
Prints and scans; forgiving if you give it a little extra light.
Slide film
Reversal: the frame itself is the positive. Kodachrome was one, from 1935.
Instant
The picture develops in the hand, a minute after the shot.
Film tips that save a roll
Load in the shade
Bright sun can fog the first frames through the leader.
Keep it cold
Unexposed film lasts longer in the fridge; let it warm up before loading.
Expose for the shadows
Negative film forgives too much light far better than too little.
Write it down
Note the ISO on tape on the back of the camera when you load.
Rewind before you open
Opening the back mid-roll ruins what you shot.