Welcome to another dose of reality from your friendly neighbourhood enablers at Chemical Dependency Lab. Today, we're diving deep into the intoxicating history of 35mm film – the format that got most of us hooked in the first place.
Let's be honest: if film photography were a substance, 35mm would be the entry-level stuff that everyone tries first. It's accessible, relatively affordable, and once you get a taste, you're already planning your next roll. But how did this particular format become the universal standard that's still feeding our collective chemical dependency over a century later?
The Origin Story: Edison, Dickson, and the Magic 35mm Number
Our story begins in the 1890s with Thomas Edison and his associate William Kennedy Laurie Dickson, two gentlemen who inadvertently became the first dealers of what would become photography's most popular format. In 1891, Edison filed a patent for devices that photographed and viewed moving images on film loops 35mm wide, created by splitting 2.75-inch wide film rolls in half and adding perforations.
But here's the kicker – Dickson never actually explained why 35mm film or the 4:3 aspect ratio were chosen as formats. The decision was partly economic genius and partly practical necessity. By slitting 70mm film to create 35mm strips, Dickson effectively doubled footage output, minimizing waste while maintaining adequate image quality for the Kinetoscope.
The width wasn't arbitrary either. Since sprocket holes needed to be placed on each side of the film so that it could be advanced and registered accurately, Dickson found that the actual film width needed to be 1 and 3/8ths inches (35mm) to provide enough room for the image and the perforations. Sometimes the best standards are born from simple practicality rather than grand vision.
From Motion Pictures to Still Photography: The Leica Revolution
While 35mm started its life in the movie business, its transition to still photography created the addiction we know and love today. The film languished in cinema cameras for decades until a German optical engineer named Oskar Barnack had a brilliant idea that would change photography forever.
In 1912, Barnack began work on a new motion picture camera at the Ernst Leitz Optische Werke in Wetzlar, but struggled to get shutter timings right due to inconsistent film emulsions. In response, he created a film tester to determine correct exposure settings. This testing device, known as the Ur-Leica, accidentally became the prototype for all 35mm cameras to follow.
The genius of Barnack's approach was recognising that 35mm motion picture film was widely available and inexpensive. By doubling the standard cinema frame size from 18x24mm to 36x24mm, he created a format that was both economical and capable of producing quality images. By 1932, Leica's competitor Zeiss had introduced the 35mm Contax, and Kodak entered the market in 1934 with the Retina I.
The Competition: Why Other Formats Couldn't Kick the Habit
Throughout photography's history, 35mm has faced numerous challengers, each promising to be the next big thing. Yet like that friend who keeps saying they'll quit but never does, photographers keep coming back to 35mm.
Medium Format: The Premium Stuff
Medium format film, also known as 120, has been around since 1901 – actually predating 35mm for still photography. Medium format sits nicely between 35mm and large format, remaining fairly portable but giving a much larger image size than 35mm. The format offers various frame sizes from 6x4.5cm to 6x17cm panoramic, providing 3-4 times as much film surface as 35mm, allowing for better tonality, finer detail, and less apparent grain.
But here's why it never dethroned 35mm: Higher cost of entry due to lower production numbers, fewer shots per roll (typically 8-16 images), and less accessibility. Medium format is like the artisanal craft beer of film photography – superior in many ways, but not what you're reaching for every day.
If 120 film is your taste hoewever, you can find 120 film for sale here.
Large Format: The Hard Stuff
Large format is photography's equivalent of cask-strength whisky – powerful, uncompromising, and definitely not for beginners. With bodies ranging in size from a few pounds to the size of a truck (literally), large format cameras pump out negatives that make 35mm cower in fear. We're talking sheet film in sizes like 4x5 inches or 8x10 inches.
The quality is undeniable, but when you shoot large format film you work at a much slower pace. It's contemplative, methodical, and about as far from point-and-shoot as you can get. Perfect for landscape photographers with infinite patience; not so much for street photographers chasing decisive moments.
The Also-Rans
Over the years, numerous other formats tried to muscle in on 35mm's territory. There was 127 film (the "Vest Pocket" format), 126 cartridges, APS, and countless others. Most are now extinct or barely clinging to life. Even 620 film – essentially 120 film on a different spool that Kodak created to force camera upgrades – couldn't survive. Don't forget disc film, which Kodak introduced when compact discs were the peak of technology.
The lesson? In the format wars, convenience and availability trump almost everything else.
Why 35mm Still Reigns Supreme in 2025
Despite digital photography's dominance and the constant predictions of film's demise, 35mm is experiencing what can only be described as a full-blown renaissance. Kodak's 2024 sales of film stocks surged 20%, and manufacturers are doubling down. But why is 35mm leading this revival rather than its technically superior medium format cousins?
The Accessibility Factor
First and foremost, 35mm remains the most accessible format for both newcomers and veterans. Because it's the most popular, 35mm has the widest range of emulsions to choose from. Want slide film? Colour negative? Black and white? Experimental stocks from boutique manufacturers? 35mm has it all.
The cameras themselves are everywhere. From your gran's attic Canon AE-1 to influencers favourite Leica M6s fetching premium prices, there's a 35mm camera for every budget and skill level. KEH reports that models like the Canon AE-1 and Nikon F100 are especially appealing to both old and new film shooters, with 35mm cameras in higher demand because they're generally more affordable and easier to use than other formats.
The Sweet Spot of Quality vs Convenience
While 35mm doesn't offer the resolution of larger formats, it hits a sweet spot that's "good enough" for most applications while remaining portable and practical. You can shoot 36 exposures without reloading, carry multiple rolls without needing a sherpa, and still enlarge your images to reasonable sizes without visible grain becoming an aesthetic choice rather than a limitation.
The Digital Backlash Effect
Ironically, digital photography's very perfection has driven people back to film. In an AI-image-saturated world, the human process of film feels authentic, with a 2025 report noting 40% of users cite it as a "digital detox." Film's imperfections – the grain, the happy accidents, the inability to immediately delete and reshoot – have become features, not bugs.
Gen Z and millennials particularly love film's retro charm, with Instagram's #FilmFridays trend driving a 20% sales spike in 2024. Social media platforms that once threatened film's existence are now driving its revival. The irony isn't lost on us.
The Infrastructure Advantage
Perhaps most importantly, 35mm benefits from existing infrastructure that other formats lack. Processing labs, while reduced from their heyday, still widely support 35mm. Scanning equipment is optimised for it. Online communities share knowledge about it. Reddit's r/analog boasts 1.5 million members.
This creates a self-reinforcing cycle: more people shoot 35mm because it's supported, and it's supported because more people shoot it. It's the network effect in analogue form.
The Future of Our Shared Dependency
As we look ahead, 35mm's position seems secure for the foreseeable future. The Pentax 17, released in 2024, represents the first truly new, mass-produced 35mm film camera in quite some time. Major manufacturers are investing heavily: Fujifilm announced an investment of approximately $100 million in 2023 to expand instant film production, while Eastman Kodak invested $60 million to upgrade its film coating facility.
The market numbers tell a compelling story. The 35mm film market, estimated at $500 million in 2025, is projected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 7% from 2025 to 2033, reaching approximately $950 million by 2033. Not bad for a supposedly dead format.
Your First Hit is on Us (Sort Of)
So there you have it – the origin story of photography's most successful format. From Edison's workshop to Instagram feeds, 35mm has survived technological revolutions, format wars, and countless predictions of its demise. It's the cockroach of the photography world, and we mean that in the most affectionate way possible.
At Chemical Dependency Lab, we're here to feed your 35mm habit with the finest chemicals and processes available. Because while digital might be more practical, there's nothing quite like the anticipation of waiting for your negatives to develop, the surprise of forgotten frames, and the tangible satisfaction of holding your images in your hands.
You can find 35mm film for sale on our site here.
Remember: the first step to recovery is admitting you don't want to recover. Welcome to the club.
Need your fix? Chemical Dependency Lab is your trusted dealer for all things film development. From 35mm to 120, colour to black and white, we've got the chemicals to keep your dependency thriving. Visit us at www.chemicaldependency.co.uk
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