Nº 04CamerasIntermediate14 min readUpdated 2026
Every Camera Format Ever Made — and Which Still Matters
From 8x10 large format to Micro Four Thirds. A working photographer's guide to what each format does well, and what it is bad at.
Sensor / film sizes
| Format | Dimensions | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Large format (8x10) | 203 × 254 mm | Niche fine art, contact printing |
| Large format (4x5) | 102 × 127 mm | Architecture, fine art, film only |
| Medium format film (6x7) | 56 × 70 mm | Mamiya RB/RZ67, Pentax 67 — still used |
| Medium format film (6x6) | 56 × 56 mm | Hasselblad 500, Rolleiflex — iconic |
| Medium format digital | 44 × 33 mm (or larger) | Hasselblad X, Fuji GFX, Phase One |
| Full-frame (35mm) | 36 × 24 mm | Industry standard for pro digital |
| APS-C | ~23 × 15 mm | Enthusiast, second bodies, sport reach |
| Micro Four Thirds | 17.3 × 13 mm | Travel, video, lightweight kits |
| 1-inch | 13.2 × 8.8 mm | Premium compacts (Sony RX100, drones) |
| Phone sensors | ~7 × 5 mm to smaller | Always with you, computational |
DSLR vs mirrorless
DSLRs use a mirror that flips up to expose the sensor — the optical viewfinder shows the scene through the lens. Mirrorless cameras remove the mirror; the viewfinder is an electronic screen showing the live sensor feed. Mirrorless is now the industry direction. Canon stopped developing new EF lenses in 2018; Nikon stopped F-mount in 2022.
Cameras that defined eras
- 01Leica I (1925) — invented 35mm photography
- 02Hasselblad 500C (1957) — to the moon and back, six times
- 03Nikon F (1959) — first system SLR, dominated photojournalism
- 04Canon AE-1 (1976) — first microprocessor-controlled SLR, sold 5M units
- 05Nikon D1 (1999) — first professional DSLR under £5,000
- 06Canon 5D Mark II (2008) — full-frame video for under £2,500, changed cinema
- 07Sony A7 (2013) — first full-frame mirrorless, started the current era
- 08Fujifilm GFX 100 (2019) — 100MP medium format at the price of a pro DSLR kit
Sources & further reading
- Michael R. Peres — The Focal Encyclopedia of Photography (4th ed., 2007)
- George Eastman Museum — Technology Collection
Fact-checked against the sources above. Spot an error? Email studio@capturetime.co.
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