What's the Difference Between 35MM & 120 Film?

Shot on 35mm Kodak Portra 400

Shot on 120 Kodak Portra 400

35mm and 120 film are today’s most commonly available film formats. Sure there are large-format films in sizes 4” x 5” and bigger, but those tend to be more of a specialty stock. Most camera shops that deal in film photography will have a selection of 35mm & 120 film. Many people venture into the realm of film photography through second-hand 35mm cameras like the ever-popular Canon AE-1 or Nikon F series. With film photography seeing a resurgence in the last 5-10 years, a second-hand 120 format camera like the Mamiya RB 67 or a Yashica 124G might be a likely first-time camera these days. This begs the question, which format is better?

Why Shoot 35MM Film?

The biggest reason? Accessibility. For those looking to try out film photography or who shoot prolifically, 35mm is easy and accessible. Despite the scaling back of affordable consumer films, you can still find color 35mm film in most drugstores and tourist traps across the world. And camera stores worldwide will likely have a wide variety of 35mm films to choose from. Not to mention, there are more 35mm cameras available. 35mm cameras purchased on the used market tend to be more readily available and affordably priced, and your shooting is more economical since you have more shots per roll vs. 120 film. And aside from the ones whose now outdated electronics have given up working, this is still the case.

While 35mm was primarily used professionally by journalists and sports photographers, where the near-instant autofocus and super-telephoto lenses available for 35mm cameras were of benefit, it was mostly an amateur format. The cameras were often compact, some even pocketable, with a large array of lenses and accessories available for them. Prior to the introduction and widespread use of digital cameras, 35mm was the most popular film format in the world. The 35mm format was/is so popular that many amateurs never consider that other formats could be better suited to their work or even know that other formats exist!

Shot on 35mm Kodak Portra 400

Shot on 120 Kodak Portra 400

Benefits of Shooting 35mm Film:

Compact and Lightweight: 35mm cameras are often compact in size, lightweight, and easy to carry, making them great as everyday cameras or easily packed in with other gear needed for a shoot.

Cost of gear: The abundance of 35mm cameras manufactured during the height of their popularity means that there are just more of them out there still. The higher supply means that only the obscure or highly desirable models come with an even higher price tag.

Film availability: There are more film options in the market for 35mm. New films will usually launch first in 35mm and only be made in 120 once there is enough demand for them. Plus there are film stocks, such as Fujifilm C200 and previously Kodak Gold, that are considered consumer-only film stocks available in 35mm.
The economy of film usage and developing cost: 35mm film has more shots per roll than 120 film. Many rolls of 35mm film come with 24 or 36 exposures, in comparison to the sub-20 frames you’ll get on a roll of 120 film. This means that you won’t have to buy as many rolls of film if you’re shooting 35mm. The increase in frames per roll also leads to more images per the processing of your rolls, saving you money there as well.

Shot on 35mm Kodak Portra 400

Shot on 120 Kodak Portra 400

Disadvantages of 35mm Film:

Resolution: The amount of detail available on the negative is its resolution. Since 35mm negatives are smaller than 120, they have less resolution as well. Most consider the biggest disadvantage of 35mm film, compared to medium format, to be the resolution. If you print your images large, the maximum size you can print a 35MM negative will be exponentially smaller than an image made on 120 film without up-resing your image.

Shot on 35mm Kodak Portra 400

Shot on 120 Kodak Portra 400

Why Shoot 120 Film?

120, also known as medium format, is a film format for still photography introduced by Kodak in 1901 to be used in their Brownie No. 2 camera, and by the 1960s was the most popular film format. Only 10 years later in about 1970, however, it was replaced by 35mm for disciplines like journalism when the Nikon 35mm cameras rose in popularity.

120 film is named as such because it was the 20th daylight-loading roll film (on flanged spools) that Kodak produced, whose format numbering standard began with 101. It was originally intended for amateur photography but was later superseded by 35mm film in this role. A smaller spool version of the same roll of film for snapshot cameras called 620 was widely available in the 1950s. 620 however is no longer made, but 620 spools can take 120 film stocks manually spooled onto them. 120 survived the test of time over other medium formats, such as 620 or 126, and is the only medium format film still currently being produced today.

Depending on the type of camera it’s shot on, 120 actually applies to a few different exposure dimensions (also known as framing ratios). 120 film is always 6 cm wide (2 - 1/4"), but different cameras shoot different variations of frame length. There are 6×4.5 cm, 6×6 cm, 6×7 cm, 6×9 cm, and panoramic 6×12 cm and 6×17 cm. You can see that 120 film is quite a bit larger than 35mm whose dimensions are typically 24×36 mm.

Benefits of Shooting 120 Film:

It’s a bigger film, which translates to higher resolution images from which you can make larger prints or very high-resolution scans.
It’s “Professional”: Because of the high resolution of the images, medium format is geared better for professional applications (weddings, portraits, high-end commercial work.).
The cameras have a better build quality: Medium format cameras were almost all designed for professional photographers, so the build and meter quality of the camera bodies and lenses is built to withstand professional usage.

Shot on 35mm Kodak Portra 400

Shot on 120 Kodak Portra 400

Shot on 35mm Kodak Portra 400

Shot on 120 Kodak Portra 400

The adaptability of camera bodies: Many medium format cameras were built with a modular design, allowing for customization and adaptability.
The medium format “look”: Medium format images have a distinctive ability to provide a greater separation of subject and foreground/background. The film plane on medium format cameras is much larger, so in turn, you have more room to isolate your subject in a thin slice of focus.
Availability: 120 film can be found at any reputable camera store, and several cities have a local professional lab that can process it.

Disadvantages of 120 Film:

The weight: Most medium format cameras are hefty. Then add on lenses and film backs, and an average medium format setup will probably weigh over 10lbs.
The slap: Hasselblad, Rollei, Pentax, and Mamiya all make medium format camera systems that give excellent optical quality. But they are very heavy and shooting them handheld can give less than ideal results at slower shutter speeds due to the vibration of the SLR-esque mirror.
Higher cost of entry: Due to the lower production numbers of most medium format cameras, less tend to be available on the used market, making the ones that are available and desirable more expensive.
Not economic in terms of shooting: Fewer shots per roll (typically 8-16 images per roll depending on the camera) means that even though developing costs can vary, you will likely be paying more for buying and processing film for your 120 cameras.
Less accessible: you probably won’t be able to buy film for 120 cameras or drop the film off at your drugstore to be developed since this is historically a professional format.

Shot on 35mm Kodak Portra 400

Shot on 120 Kodak Portra 400

So is 120 better than 35mm?

Both formats have pros and cons, determining what format to choose will likely depend on whether 35mm or 120 better suits your needs as a film photographer. 120 film gives a better resolution quality than 35mm and since the film comes in rolls like 35mm film, you can load them just as easily in daylight. However, the gear tends to be more expensive to get into and less available. There are fewer film stocks too. And the inflated costs of shooting 120 doesn’t stop at the equipment. If you’re shooting commercially on film, or shooting a wedding where your client’s end goal is to print/display your images, and you need the higher resolution that comes from the larger negative, 120 is probably the best format for you.

If being more agile, having lighter weight gear, and being able to purchase and develop film more readily, then 35mm might be the more advantageous format to your style of shooting. Additionally, if you want a wider variety of film stocks, shoot prolifically, or want to try out a wider variety of cameras and lenses, then 35mm will suit you better.

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