This is not accurate for all cameras, but using round numbers makes it easier to illustrate the concept. While it is a helpful frame of reference, you’d have a tough time finding a digital sensor that is the exact same size as the physical 35mm film standardsįor the sake of simplicity going forward in this article, we will consider a “Full Frame” sensor to be 36mm (w) x 24mm (h), and a “Super 35” sensor to be 24mm (w) x 18mm (h). The recorded end product can be screened on any number of displays, so it opens up the playing field of formats and aspect ratios, all of which then makes it even more difficult to standardize. Today, the sensor is specifically manufactured for the camera, so there’s no specific limitations or standards to the size and shape of the imager as there was with film. It’s much more economical to create a standard that is used widely. It didn’t make sense to have dozens of companies making all sorts of different sized film for different cameras with proprietary mechanisms that only worked with a specific size/type of film. These formats evolved as a standard because there are limitations to manufacturing and distributing a physical item (film stock) that are less of a concern with a digital sensor. This results in a smaller area of exposure, as the height of the Full Frame (24mm) has become the width of Super 35, and the width of Full Frame (36mm) has become the height of approximately two frames of Super 35 (18mm high each). Super 35 is based on a standard which uses the same exact film, but instead is rotated 90 degrees and the exposed frame area is perpendicular to the direction of the film and passed through the camera vertically. The term Full Frame is a reference to the standard of the imaging size of 35mm film running horizontally parallel along the strip of film, as it does in standard 35mm stills cameras. In fact, if you’ve ever used a Canon 5D or a Sony A7, you have used a device with a “full frame” sensor. While full frame in high-end digital cinema cameras is a pretty recent development, it’s been around in one way or another for decades in digital stills cameras and over a century in film photography. (If you’re looking for the TL DR – scroll down to the section with the trendy clapping emojis.) Standards There is a good bit of confusion and some slightly flawed “rules of thumb” that have been going around, but if you know what’s up and you’re willing to possibly do a little math, you will pick the right camera and lens combination for your next project. The full frame image sensor format has fully hit the digital cinema world – now at multiple tiers of budget – so it’s probably a good time to clear some stuff up.
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