Color Balance and Film
Daylight-balanced color films produce the most natural colors in the relatively
bluish light of daylight or electronic flash. Tungsten-balanced color films give the
best results in the relatively reddish light from incandescent light bulbs. Digital cam-
eras must deal with lighting colors as well, but often their automatic white balance
feature overcomes any color cast.
Thirty-five millimeter cameras use 35mm film, which is packaged in cassettes of 12,
24, or 36 exposures per roll. Some 35mm films can be purchased in 50- or 100-foot
rolls, then bulk loaded into separately purchased cas-
settes. This reduces the cost per exposure and, if you
use a great deal of film, can be worthwhile.
Medium-format cameras use roll film. Roll film is
wound around a spool and is backed with a sepa-
rate strip of opaque paper to protect the film from
light. Depending on the camera, 120 roll film
makes 16 6×4.5cm, 12 6×6cm, 10 6×7cm, or 8
6 ×8cm images. Each size applies to different cam-
eras. Fuji makes a popular studio camera that
takes 6×8cm images. Mamiya is the leader in
6 ×7cm cameras, Hasselblad leads with 6×6 cm
cameras, and Pentax and Bronica make excellent
6 ×4.5cm cameras.CHAPTER 3 FILM BASICS 33FIGURE 3.1
Black and white
still plays a
major role in
today’s color,
digital world.
©2004 Amanda J. SmithThirty-five millimeter
film is listed as “135 film”
because 135 was the original
Kodak product number for this
film size. Other manufacturers
later adopted the designation.