70mm film vs digital

A star wars story displayed on the samsung onyx cinema led s. In the ongoing saga of film based versus digital cameras, it is important to understand that one cannot be judged as better than the other, despite the passionate opinions of photographers everywhere. I own a nikon d700 plus 2 film cameras, a vintage nikon fm2 and a nikon f100 on these, i have shot both kodak portra 400nc and fujifilm pro 400h. Films formatted with a width of 70 mm have existed since the early days of the motion picture industry.

He scans the negatives on the epson v600 and compares them to the digital images taken with the full frame mirrorless camera. Jan 06, 20 while there have been rumors for years about hollywood rental and camera company panavision developing a new camera to replace the aging genesis, thats pretty much all weve gotten. My original article only looked at the top 100 grossing films, hence why some of the charts look slightly different from todays, covering the. Do filmmakers have to abandon film celluloid in order for. Films projected on 70mm are normally shot on 65mm and blown up to 70mm. Jan 14, 2019 for the comparisons, logan uses a kodak portra 400 film for his pentax k 35mm and mamiya 645 medium format cameras. But after seeing dunkirk in both imax 70mm film and dolby cinema digital, i must concede that imax 70mm film is the way to go here, mostly because of the cropping in the digital version. On january 29, 2020, kodak hosted its annual film awards to honor quentin tarantino with lifetime achievement award, and to celebrate all of the highly recognized motion pictures shot on film in 2019, including. For traditional film lovers, a movie shot in 70mm will always be superior to the plasticized images of a digital film, whereas superhero blockbuster fans are almost certainly digital film supporters, considering those cgi effects and epic battle scenes would likely be impossible without digital magic. Imax cameras and film stock are rarely used for mainstream films. Imax claim that their 70mm film is an equivalent of 18,000lines in digital, but practically probably much less. A guide of popular film formats the darkroom photo lab.

In praise of 70mm regardless of how you feel about the quality of 70mm film, a more fundamental question iswhy does it even exist in the first place. This is because 70mm is going to go away as is all film for full length movies. Quentin tarantino explains why 70mm film is better than digital. Dec 27, 2015 what is much more surprising than tarantinos knowledge though is the fact that he has succeeded in convincing a number of theater chains like amc to bring back 70mm projectors to project his new film the hateful eight in this very format, which oftentimes meant necessary adaptations to the screening rooms that involved cutting additional holes in the projector walls in some cases. Lenses that are considered mediocre on 35mm can deliver excellent results on 70mm because the resolution and mtf requirements are significantly reduced. According to imax, 35mm film has a digital equivalent of 6000 lines of horizontal resolution 6k, while 70mm film has the equivalent of 18,000 lines of digital resolution more like. Lens sizes equivalent 35mm film to digital lens sizes. When you scan film, good scanners resolve right up to their dpi dots or pixels per inch rating. Dunkirk imax 70mm footage vs standard footage youtube. We watched dunkirk in standard digital and 70 mm imax to. Film scans also have complete rgb color information and resolution at each pixel. How digital cinema took over the 35mm film the new republic. The additional 5 mm are for four magnetic strips holding six tracks of stereophonic sound.

The triumph of digital will be the death of many movies. The comparison, as ever, is with film and readers of our recent coverage of the dual 70mm 3d system at londons science museum might find the comparison interesting. In the 1970s, the imax corporation developed a new way to shoot and project 70mm film run through the projector horizontally, so that the width of the film is the height of the frame. The first 70 mm format film was most likely footage of the henley regatta, which was projected in 1896 and 1897, but may have been filmed as early as 1894. Digital cameras can be carried with one hand in a small case. Jun 04, 2018 never in my life have i been able to have a film vs. Following is a list of films released in imax which use imax, a motionpicture film format and projection standard. The imax release of dunkirk will be digitally remastered into the image and sound quality of the. Movies originally filmed with 35 mm film are often converted to 70 mm for imax productions and drivein theaters. What is the benefit of film like 70mm over digital projection. It uses a special film that is four times the size of 35mm which used to the the standard format before movies moved to digital exhibition. The paper has markings on the back so you could advance the film by looking through a. The same advantages that accrue to larger film formats also apply to digital sensors.

What is the benefit of film like 70mm over digital. On the whole, 35 mm movie theaters are becoming less and less common in the u. Jul 25, 2017 although it runs a tight 107 minutes, the movie is, according to nolan, best seen on an imax screen, preferably projected from 70 mm imax film, a format that dwarfs standard digital projection in. I would like to know if there is a dp who tried to get this feeling of film 35mm ex. In this video essay, andrew saladino traces the origins and emergence of 70mm film, in order to understand how it made its way to the big screen and managed to stick around today. And 70mm film is twice as big as 35mm film, which means theres more information on the print as the more traditional 35mm movies we watched in theaters prior to digitals takeover in. Film isnt split up in such a linear way, and because of that, it naturally blends light and colors better. As a film processing lab we obviously have a bias, so not going to say which is better, but just to present the differences and list advantages. One marked disadvantage of 70 mm film is the inability to encode digital sound formats such as dolby digital directly onto the film. Quentin tarantinos anticipated new western, the hateful eight, will premiere this christmas, only in 70mm film, ahead of its digital theatrical release jan. Although it runs a tight 107 minutes, the movie is, according to nolan, best seen on an imax screen, preferably projected from 70 mm imax film, a format that dwarfs standard digital. Digital camera sensors, are made up of millions of tiny squares that give us an image. For the comparisons, logan uses a kodak portra 400 film for his pentax k 35mm and mamiya 645 medium format cameras.

Photographers anita sadowska and alex hutchinson recently did a film versus digital comparison through a fashion photography shootout. He scans the negatives on the epson v600 and compares them to the digital images taken with the full frame mirrorless camera in the video, logan puts the cameras to different tests. Film and digital differ not only on the underlying technology in the camera, but also in the production process. Regarding the imax 70mm film vs digital presentation of 2001. Although later 70 mm prints use digital sound encoding specifically the dts format, the vast majority of existing and surviving 70 mm prints predate this. Nikons 16mm prime is a fisheye lens designed to provide a 180degree angle of view diagonally on a 35mm film camera or fxformat dslr. Nolan is a huge proponent for using film and not digital.

Whats the difference between 70 mm imax and digital imax. From my understanding 70mm film is equivalent to approximately 18k resolution. The question is rather topical as recently weve seen a number of high profile films choose to shoot on film, including star wars. Film prices are on the rise, and 70mm, always reserved for somewhat extravagant film releases like lawrence of arabia and the sound of music, grows a little rarer every year. In the new documentary side by side, keanu reeves takes us on a tour of the past and future of the moviemaking process. For projection, the original 65 mm film is printed on 70 mm film. However, since 2002, some feature films shot with digital cameras or on regular 35mm film stock have undergone imax digital media remastering dmr processing. That only leaves 70mm, the largest gauge and a recent subject of. Jul 15, 2016 the comparison, as ever, is with film and readers of our recent coverage of the dual 70mm 3d system at londons science museum might find the comparison interesting. Even more interesting are the extreme requirements made of the camerawork thats shown at facilities like this, which are engineered and maintained to a level which clearly shows. Digital technology has created a groundbreaking evolution in cinema, challenging film as the standard format for motion pictures.

Mxt vs imax which big screen format is an imax 70mm motion picture camera 70 mm imax 35 2k or 4k digital 70mm vs digital film what gives the 70mm. Quentin tarantinos the hateful eight to debut in 70mm. What is 70mm film, and why is it worth seeing on the big screen. May 22, 2017 i would like to know if there is a dp who tried to get this feeling of film 35mm ex. The merits of digital versus film photography were considered by photographers and filmmakers in the early 21st century after consumer digital cameras became widely available. A digital camera would have to be 156 megapixels to give you the same kind of detail as 35mm film. Film scans resolve detail about as well as the original film, up to the resolution of the scanner. The 16mm lens on the 35mm film camera resulted in a lot of distortion fisheye type distortion. What is much more surprising than tarantinos knowledge though is the fact that he has succeeded in convincing a number of theater chains like amc to bring back 70mm projectors to project his new film the hateful eight in this very format, which oftentimes meant necessary adaptations to the screening rooms that involved cutting additional holes in the projector walls in some cases. The best print of 35mm can equal 8k digital but there are many intermediate stages of film so it is more equivalent to 4k and a presentation print of 35mm will degrade every time it is put through the projector unlike digital. With medium format 6x6 film you get 56 x 56 3,6 sq mm, which is 282 megapixel. Interstellar is playing this weekend in six different formats, including imax 70mm, 70mm, the imax experience, 35mm, 4k digital, and 2k digital.

As there are no 70mm film prints of the movie then the best way to see the film will be in an imax screen equipped with a laserbased projector such as the cineworld leicester square, and in. You show a digital copy of a film once or a thousand times and the quality remains undiminished while the studios bottom lines grow. The differences between film based and digital cameras. Shaw were the cofounders of what would be named the imax corporation founded in september 1967 as multiscreen. For projection, the original 65 mm film is printed on 70 mm 2. On the other side, we also have early adopters who jumped to digital in 20062008 and have been using it ever since, such as robert rodriguez he started to shoot on digital in 2002 with spy kids 2 and shot all of his later films in the same medium similarly, james gunn is also a digital early adopter who is not afraid to try new technology. Mar 07, 2016 one might think that with our everadvancing digital technology, the resolution would be far better in a highdefinition digital film, making the discussion of 70mm vs. Voting is easy you pick your favorite products by dragging and dropping. High performance optics for a new 70mm digital format.

The charts showing film, digital and tape use may add up to more than 100% as films can use a variety of formats, thereby increasing the count for more than one format. Moreover, any film print deteriorates over time and. Digital cameras today are a little like using polaroid cameras. John from israel emailed me to ask what format most hollywood films are shot on film or digital. I watched dunkirk yesterday on 70mm film awesome movie, highly recommended, but now im wondering just which part of the experience the 70mm film contributed to, given that there was a digital. The differences between filmbased and digital cameras.

Regardless of how they are shot, most films will be converted into a digital format. The resolution of 70mm film is much better than 35mm, providing a richer visual experience and extremely detailed images that are a joy to. One might think that with our everadvancing digital technology, the resolution would be far better in a highdefinition digital film, making the discussion of 70mm vs. Imax is a proprietary system of highresolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio approximately 1. It is estimated that 35mm film has a digital resolution equivalent to 4k. What are the key differences between the 2 presentations. Does imax laser projection really compare with 70mm film.

S as a lot of film production studios themselves switch over to digital filming from using celluloid. They simply cost too much to produce, print and distribute. Digital photography and digital cinematography have both advantages and disadvantages relative to still film and motion picture film photography. Seeing a film on 70mm is a transcendent experience for the senses, but the expenses and scarcity of equipment.

He talks of recently watching david leans ryans daughter in a restored 70mm film print and realising that it was far superior than the best thing. While you cannot make a resolution comparison between film and video, because film does not have a pixels to count, imax states that 70mm film. And 70mm film is twice as big as 35mm film, which means theres more information on the print as the more traditional 35mm movies we watched in theaters prior to digital s takeover in. We watched dunkirk in standard digital and 70 mm imax to see if. Digital imax uses two 2k projectors having resolution of 2. In the photo, above we have a beautifully blended green bokeh in the foreground. When laypeople compare film to digital, they arent comparing film to digital. This 70mm film negative has many times the area of a traditional 35mm film negative, allowing not only for more detail but much more pronounced depth of field.

Is it that film and the digital scan can preserve a higher level of detail from the original shot vs a digital camera. So if a 16mm lens was used on a digital camera what would the distortion be like. However, highformat celluloid films 70mm have relatively comparable, if not better, resolution than highdefinition digital films. Dunkirk in imax 70mm film and dolby cinema digital. I looked at the cameras used to shoot the top 100 usgrossing films for. The use of digital vs celluloid film on hollywood movies.

May 28, 2017 film vs digital a photo comparison with film usage and adoption on the rise, we wanted to resurrect the debate of digital photos versus analog photos. Unlike 70 mm film, 35 mm film can be used in the majority of theaters around the world over the last 100 years, the film strip has been redesigned to incorporate sound and color. The area inside the red rectangle represents the field of view that you would see through a 35mm film camera or a digital slr camera equipped with a full frame image sensor. It could have to do with the scaling and not wanting to distort the image so keeping the natural ratios to preserve quality. There is no response to details finer than the resolution of the scanner, even if its on the film and visible in optical prints. The images you see on this site are from film and scanned to digital. Back in early december at the plus camerimage 2012 festival, panavision unveiled a prototype for a digital camera that will have a sensor equivalent to 70mm. A full frame image sensors light capturing area is about the same as that of 35mm film.

Imax corporation even persuaded its theaters that were in the midst of switching from film to digital projection to hold onto their old equipment in. Even if the hateful eight turns out to be a bust unlikely, it will still look great. Although it runs a tight 107 minutes, the movie is, according to nolan, best seen on an imax screen, preferably projected from 70 mm imax film. To find a theater near you showing dunkirk in imax 70mm or regular 70mm film, check out the ticket page of the movies official website. If so, what is the benefit of delivering the movie to the theater as film vs not. Nov 20, 2019 mxt vs imax which big screen format is an imax 70mm motion picture camera 70 mm imax 35 2k or 4k digital 70mm vs digital film what gives the 70mm. The bigger the film size, the more it will cost to. You can pick as many products as you like, and rank them in order of priority. Jan 11, 2016 film vs digital among hollywood movies. Somehow, i have a feeling that the list of dps who have not tried to emulate the feeling of celluloid film with a digital camera is quite short. In 1932 kodak introduced two new negative format, 620 and 616. Will the imax 70mm film presentation have a higher resolution. Although later 70 mm prints use digital sound encoding, the vast majority of existing and surviving 70 mm prints predate thi. You werent asking about 35mm filmdigital vs 65mm filmdigital picture acquisition but instead what the difference would be between imax laser 4k and 70mm imax as exhibition formats, in this case for dunkirk.