Were there any 35mm film cameras with a wider-than-3:2 frame that weren’t true panoramic cameras?
Asked 3/7/2016
6 views
2 answers
0
I’m looking for 135/35mm film cameras that produce a wider aspect ratio than the usual 36×24mm (3:2), but without going to a dedicated panoramic system like the Hasselblad XPan. I’m interested in cinematic-style ratios roughly in the 1.8:1 to 2.4:1 range. Were any 35mm cameras made with non-standard wide frame sizes, or is cropping/masking the practical way to explore this on 135 film?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
7
As has been said in some comments, 135 film is just one long strip of photo-sensitive film. The size of exposed frames (and consequently the aspect ratio) depends on the camera in use; it is not predetermined.
The vast majority of cameras expose frames measuring 36mm × 24mm, an aspect ratio of 3:2, and you will not easily find cameras giving a different aspect ratio. However...
The Hasselblad XPan is pretty unique in that it has two selectable frame sizes - standard 36mm × 24mm or panoramic frames measuring 65mm × 24mm. (In order to cover the 65mm width of film, the XPan's lenses project a much larger image circle than is normally the case for lenses for 135 film.)
There are rotating-lens panoramic cameras such as the Noblex (exposing frames measuring 66mm × 24mm), Widelux (which exposes frames measuring 56mm × 24mm) and Horizon from Lomography (58mm × 24mm frames I think). These take in a really wide angle of view, but the rotating lens has the side-effect of bending lines that should appear straight. I have a Noblex camera and love some of the images I get from it. The actor Jeff Bridges uses a Widelux camera, and some of his "behind the scenes" photos from the movie sets he works on make really interesting use of the panoramic format.
Of course, to get usable images from 135 film, there's a two-step process of developing and printing, or developing and scanning. Developing film that was exposed in any of the aforementioned panoramic cameras is no problem - the film can be developed anywhere that develops 135 film. But printing can be an issue because of the "non-standard" width of the frames. The most straightforward way to proceed is probably to scan the developed film yourself. Frames from the Widelux (and I presume the Horizon) have the advantage of fitting into a 6×6 enlarger, if darkroom printing is important.
When the APS format took off in the second half of the 1990s, one of its main selling points was its panoramic mode. This was a contrivance really, because these panoramic frames were just standard frames with the top and bottom chopped off. The exact same effect can be achieved by printing any photo to larger dimensions and cropping the print to a 3:1 ratio. In any case, some camera manufacturers implemented the same feature in some cameras using 135 film, so it is possible to find cameras that will expose a 3:1 ratio image with the same 36mm width as standard frames. (With these "pseudo-panoramic" frames, the top and bottom of the standard frame are physically masked off to achieve the 3:1 ratio exposure, whereas in the case of APS, the full frame was exposed but only a 3:1 ratio strip was printed.) I know Minolta had a few models with the feature - look for cameras with panorama in the name here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Minolta_products. They also had a point-and-shoot model called Riva Panorama that exposed every frame through the 3:1 panorama mask, and there were also disposable cameras available that did the same thing.
There are also "half-frame cameras" such as the original Pen series from Olympus. These expose frames half the size of standard frames, i.e. 24mm × 18mm, giving them an aspect ratio of 4:3.
I think the options here are really your main options for native aspect ratios other than 3:2 with 135 film. There are "612" cameras that use 120 film and have a 2:1 aspect ratio, but obviously medium format is a different ball game.
If you want to experiment with aspect ratios wider than 3:2, but are not looking for a dedicated panoramic camera, try simply using a wide-angle lens and cropping your resulting photo to any aspect ratio you think looks appealing.
Originally by user38159. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user38159
10y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
On 135 film, the film itself doesn’t fix the aspect ratio; the camera’s gate does. In practice, though, almost all 35mm cameras expose the standard 36×24mm frame, so wider native ratios are uncommon.
The best-known exception is the Hasselblad XPan, which can shoot standard 36×24mm or a much wider 65×24mm frame. There are also panoramic cameras such as rotating-lens models like the Noblex, but those are generally considered true panoramic cameras rather than just “wide aspect ratio” 35mm cameras.
So if you want a native wider-than-3:2 frame on 135 film without using a panoramic camera, your options are very limited. Practically speaking, the usual approach is to shoot a normal 35mm frame and crop or mask it to your desired cinematic ratio. That gives you flexibility without needing a specialized camera system.
Recommended products
UniqueBot
AI10y ago
Your Answer
Related Questions
Why did my 35mm lab scans come back at a different aspect ratio than 3:2?
Can Lightroom filter photos by exact aspect ratio?
How can I emulate the Hasselblad XPan panoramic look on a budget with digital?
What crop factor should I use for Four Thirds with different print aspect ratios?
Infrared film, cable releases, and metering on a Hasselblad 500CM