And then there is non perforated 35mm paper backed roll film which is 828: Kodak decided to give it a single perforation and put it into plastic cartridges and voila! ::: 126. Kodak 110 has to be a recycled number. My 1904 stereo Brownie No.2 takes 116 film which is 4 inches wide. It's all marketing done by focus groups for groups who like to focus.
I always wondered why they didn't go with size, sheet film does after all. Maybe because picture format can vary so much? Even FF 35mm cameras varied some from 24x36 early on. Just one of those oddities we come to know.
Great post. I have been wondering such measurements and code myself. It was about the 120 format that I was the most interested in. And if/when Kodak is no longer present does that mean a renaming fiasco ?
:munch:
Last year I had several conversations with a professional photographer who kept referring to his 120mm cameras and 120mm film. I get a kick out of it too, especially the way he corrected me when I referred to the my gear and film as 120. It really doesn't matter -- he showed me his pictures and despite me being smarter than him on film format nomenclature,he is a much more creative photographer.