In cinematography, full frame refers to the use of the full film gate
at maximum width and height for 35 mm film cameras. It is sometimes
also referred to as silent aperture, full gate, or a number of other
similar word combinations. It is the original gate size pioneered by
William Dickson and Thomas Edison in 1892 and first used in the short
film Blacksmithing Scene. Full frame is generally used by all 4-perf
films, whether silent, standard 35 (Academy ratio width), or Super 35.
The introduction of Academy ratio in 1932 required that the lens mount
needed to be shifted slightly horizontally to re-center the lens at
the new center of frame; however, the gate size did not change as the
extra negative information would be cropped out by lab processes in
post-production. 4-perf Super 35 is nearly identical to the original
full frame standard, although the lens mount requires vertical re-
centering when common topline extraction is used. It should also be
noted that hard mattes for all common ratios exist and either replace
the film gate itself or are inserted within it. However, these are
usually not used in the event that any reframing needs to be done.
A half-frame camera is a camera using a film format at half the
intended exposure format. A common variety is the 18x24mm format on
regular 135 film. It is the normal exposure format on 35mm movie
cameras. For still cameras using the 35mm film, the usual format is
24x36mm, so still cameras taking 18x24mm exposures are called half-
frame cameras.
Medium format has traditionally referred to a film format in still
photography and the related cameras and equipment which use this film.
Generally, the term applies to film and cameras used to produce images
larger than the 24 by 36 mm of 135 film, but smaller than the 4"×5"
size, which is considered to be large format.
In digital photography, medium format refers either to cameras adapted
from medium format film photography uses, or to cameras making use of
sensors larger than that of a 35 mm film frame. Often, medium format
film cameras can be fitted with digital camera backs, converting them
to digital cameras, but some of these digital backs, especially early
models, use sensors smaller than a 35 mm film frame. As of 2006,
medium format digital photography sensors were available in sizes of
up to 36 by 48 mm, with 39 million pixels for use with commonly
available professional medium format cameras. Sensors used in special
applications such as spy satellites can be even larger, but are not
necessarily described as medium format equipment.
A lot of photographers will just need to "deal with it".
Joseph McAllister
Pentaxian
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