Large format film
Large format film is sold as individual sheets rather than rolls, most commonly in 4x5 and 8x10 inch sizes, for use in view and technical cameras. It delivers the largest negatives available to still photographers, prized by landscape, architectural and fine art shooters for extraordinary detail and full perspective control. Compare large format film prices from UK retailers on Filmproof.
About Large format film
What is large format film?
Unlike roll formats, large format (or sheet) film is loaded one sheet at a time into a film holder in complete darkness, then inserted into a view camera for each individual exposure. Common sizes include 4x5 and 5x4 inch, which are the same size described differently, along with larger formats such as 5x7, 8x10 and 10x8, and specialist ultra-large formats beyond that.
The huge negative size, dozens of times the area of a 35mm frame, produces exceptional resolution and tonal range, and view cameras allow movements like tilt and shift that let photographers correct perspective or control depth of field in ways smaller formats simply can't match.
Popular large format film stocks
Large format film is available from most of the major manufacturers who still support the format, including Kodak (T-Max, Tri-X, Portra and Ektar in sheet form), Ilford (HP5 Plus, FP4 Plus, Delta), and specialist black and white makers such as Fomapan and Adox, which produce sheet film alongside their roll stocks. Colour sheet film is a smaller, more expensive part of the range than black and white.
Because each sheet is exposed and processed individually, some photographers develop large format film by hand at home even if they don't process roll film themselves, giving precise control over each exposure's development.
Buying and shooting large format film
Large format film is sold by the sheet, usually in boxes of 10, 25 or 50, and prices per sheet are significantly higher than a 35mm or 120 exposure, reflecting both the size of the film and the smaller scale of production. Stock and available sizes can vary more between retailers than roll film.
Filmproof tracks large format sheet film prices and stock across UK retailers, so you can compare cost per sheet across sizes and brands before committing to a box.