With the release of the new Pentax 17 half-frame camera, we thought we would put together a beginners guide to all things half-frame.
What is a half-frame camera?
A half-frame camera uses 35mm film however, it captures images on half of the standard 35mm film frame. This means that you get double the images you would normally from a 24 or 36 exposure roll of film.
Things to remember when shooting a half-frame camera
It's important to remember that when you're shooting on a half-frame camera, your photos are in a portrait format when you're holding the camera normally. If you want to take an image with a landscape format, you would need to rotate the camera and hold it vertically.
Although, you can treat each shot as a separate image, being able to shoot a pair of images on one full frame does open up the opportunity to get creative.
Example photo taken using the Pentax 17
What are the benefits of using a half-frame camera?
One of the main advantages of using a half-frame camera is the ability to take twice as many photos on a single roll of film, making it a more cost effective way of getting into analogue photography.
What are the downsides to using a half-frame camera?
The main drawback of a half-frame camera is that each image is only half the size of a standard frame. This results in a lower image quality than an image taken on a full-frame camera.
Example photo taken using the Pentax 17
Getting my half-frame camera developed
There are two different options to choose from when order processing for your half-frame camera. If you would like each image scanning and printing separately, then you will need to pick our half-frame options. Picking this will mean that you will receive each image scanned and printed individually.
If you would like the scans and prints to be done as pairs, then you can place order as a standard 35mm roll. Picking this options will mean that you receive two images per frame on your scans and prints.