Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2, M.Zuiko Digital 14-42mm 1:3.5~5.6 EZ

The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 07/31/24

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Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2, M.Zuiko Digital 14-42mm 1:3.5~5.6 EZ

The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 07/30/24

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3:4 Image Aspect Ratio, The Half-Frame Format

Cameras and Lenses: The 3:4 image aspect ratio is the defining characteristic of the half-frame film photography format, where images are recorded in vertical 18x24mm frames, half the size of the 24x36mm film frame.

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The half-frame format, or the 3:4 image aspect ratio, gained popularity in the 1960s when it was used as the picture format for the compact and lightweight Olympus Pen camera series, which were becoming popular as casual and travel cameras.

The format utilizes half the size of the standard 24x36 film frame format, making the image a vertically oriented 18x24mm frame size.

The format allows photographers to take twice the number of exposures on a single roll of negative film, allowing a 24-frame film roll to take up to 48 images, and a 36-frame film roll up to 72 images.

On film, the frame continues as a niche format, appealing to enthusiasts with projects like diptychs, the pairing of two images on one full-frame image, or other creatives.

Recent reintroductions of half-frame 35mm camera models, such as the Kodak Ektar H35 and Pentax 17 (2024), have definitely shown a resurgence in interest in this format.

In the digital era, the frame aligns closely with the aspect ratio available in many modern digital cameras and mobiles, where the format is almost the standard for sharing photos on social media platforms.

The format allows photos to be fully displayed on mobile displays without cropping.

The strongest suit for the 3:4 image aspect is for portraiture and subjects with strong vertical orientations, such as tall buildings in the urban scape, waterfalls, and vertical landscape features.

The format is just as adaptable for still-life, close-ups, or everyday general shots, where image cropping is kept tight. The format is also favored for large art prints and vertical wildlife images.

For the casual user, the format, which is a square with an elongated height, might be intimidating initially as it does not conform to the width and height of the standard 3:2 image aspect.

Image composition might have to be done with a mindset opposite to the one used for the horizontally oriented 3:2 image ratio, complete with a new meaning and adaptability of subject matter.

Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2, M.Zuiko Digital 14-42mm 1:3.5~5.6 EZ

Emulated on the half-frame format, here are images shot with an Olympus PEN E-PM2, a mirrorless digital with the smallest footprint when it was launched in 2012, mounted with an M.Zuiko Digital 14-42mm 1:3.5~5.6 EZ lens.

With the lens focal length set to 19mm (equivalent to 38mm on the full frame), image framing should be almost identical to the Pentax 17. Colors and image characteristics are, of course, from two different worlds.

The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 07/26/24

Minolta P's

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Vintage Camera Marketplace by ImagingPixel

Malaysia's Online Marketplace for Vintage Film and Digital Cameras, Lenses,
and Camera Accessories. Follow ImagingPixel on Facebook, Pinterest, and X.

The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 07/25/24

Minolta P's

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Vintage Camera Marketplace by ImagingPixel

Malaysia's Online Marketplace for Vintage Film and Digital Cameras, Lenses,
and Camera Accessories. Follow ImagingPixel on Facebook, Pinterest, and X.