Full frame (cinematography)

In cinematography, full frame refers to an image area (today most commonly on a digital sensor) that is the same size as that used by a 35 mm still camera. Still cameras run the film horizontally behind the lens, whereas standard 35 mm motion-picture cameras run the film vertically. Thus, a 35 mm still camera's image is significantly larger than that of a standard 35 mm motion-picture camera.

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35 mm still frame

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35 mm motion-picture frames

Specialty motion-picture formats have used film running horizontally, notably VistaVision (which produced a "full-frame" image) and IMAX.

Historically, most digital cinema cameras have used Super 35 sized (similar to APS-C) sensors, largely to maintain compatibility with existing lenses and to produce traditional "cinematic" depth of field and field of view.

Full-frame cameras require lenses with larger optics and produce shallower depth of field than conventional 35 mm cinema cameras.

Technical specifications

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See also

• Image sensor format
• 35 mm format
• Full-frame digital SLR
• Full-frame mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera
• Half-frame camera
• List of film formats
• Silent film
• Reframing (filmmaking)