35mm films

35mm film, 35mm film or KB film is probably one of the most common film formats. As the name suggests, the film is 35mm wide. Depending on the camera, the size of the image differs. Actually, 35mm film was developed for motion picture film production.

The first 35mm camera, the Leica I, was built by the Leitz company in Wetzlar. After that, this film format became more and more popular. The reasons for its great success and why it is still the format that most photographers use today can certainly be explained in several ways.

First of all, the handling is certainly comparatively easy compared to other formats, especially before the invention of 35mm film. The film cartridge protects the film material very well. In addition, inserting the film into the camera is much easier than with medium format film, for example. Later, the camera technology was improved so that you only had to insert the cartridge and the camera did the winding itself.

Another advantage of 35mm film is simply the size of the format. It allows for relatively compact cameras, but still very high image quality that is sufficient for most applications. For a long time, the image quality was still far superior to that of the emerging digital cameras. Today, it is still possible to digitize 35mm negatives and hang them on the wall as large prints without any problems. Of course, the quality of the camera lens also plays a role here.

Normally, 12, 24 or 36 images fit on a 35mm film. The film is not wound from one spool to another like medium format film, but is wound back into a small cartridge. 35mm film is sold either in ready-made cartridges or by the meter. 35mm films are still relatively easy to get, there are still some manufacturers and are also still easy to develop.

A selection of different 35mm films