Medium format films

Medium format films are about twice as large and older than 35 mm films. The format thus offers, among other things, a higher possible resolution and makes a greater depth of field possible.

Medium format is not loaded into the cartridge after shooting like 35mm film, but is loaded from one spool to another empty spool during shooting. A backing paper protects the film from unwanted exposure. There are also numbers on the paper; depending on the camera, these are visible through a small window on the back of the camera and show the current frame number.

Depending on the camera, the possible number of images can differ. For example, only 12 images fit on a 120 film with a format of 6 cm × 6 cm. With a smaller size, 16 images also fit on one film.

Different types

There are a few different types of medium format film. Type 120 is the normal medium format film. Type 220 fits twice the number of images on the film. However, this type cannot be used in every camera. Type 127 or baby roll film is slightly smaller than the normal medium format film. 127 cameras are rather rare and there are fewer films in this format.

An overview of medium format films from different manufacturers around the world