Full-Frame Vs. Super 35 Cameras

INTRODUCTION

In digital cinematography, sensor size isn’t just a technical detail - it’s a storytelling tool. For decades, Super 35 dominated cinema, shaping the look of everything from intimate documentaries to Hollywood blockbusters.

But in recent years, full-frame - or large format - digital sensors have reshaped the industry. From early prosumer cameras like the Canon 5D MkII to modern cinema workhorses like the Sony Venice and Arri Alexa Mini LF, they’ve opened up new aesthetic possibilities.

So in this video, let’s break down the differences between Super 35 and full-frame sensors. From field of view and depth of field to lens compatibility and noise performance, we’ll explore how each format influences your image, your workflow, and ultimately, your story.

TECHNICAL DIFFERENCES

The reason Super 35 and full-frame cameras look different comes down to sensor size.

Before digital, most films were shot on Super 35. This used 35mm film running vertically through the camera, recording an image area roughly 18mm tall by 24mm wide.

Large format systems like VistaVision, 70mm, or IMAX did exist, but they were niche tools used for only a handful of productions.

So when digital cinema cameras arrived, most manufacturers modeled their sensors on Super 35 dimensions.

Later down the line however, manufacturers started to produce digital cameras primarily designed for still photography, which could also record video.

Unlike 35mm cinema cameras which recorded the image onto vertical strips of film with perforations on either side, still photography 35mm cameras, also called 135, were designed so that the film was flipped horizontally, with sprockets on the top and bottom, to capture frames with a greater surface area of approximately 24mm tall by 36mm wide.

So, when these digital photography cameras which could also record video, such as the Canon 5D MKII, started getting produced they had a 24mmx36mm sized sensor. To differentiate this larger sensor video format from Super35 sensors - it was labelled as ‘full-frame’.

Today, cinema cameras like the Sony Venice, Arri Alexa Mini LF, and Blackmagic Pyxis continue this full-frame tradition, sitting alongside the more traditional Super 35 options.

FIELD OF VIEW

The most obvious difference between the two formats is field of view.

If you put the same lens on both sensors, the full-frame camera captures more of the lens’s image circle, resulting in a wider frame. Super 35, being smaller, crops in, producing a narrower frame.

This “crop factor” is about 1.5x. So, a 35mm lens on Super 35 gives you a field of view closer to a 50mm lens on full-frame. To match framing, you’d need to use a wider lens on Super 35.

For example a 35mm lens on a full frame camera gives approximately the same field of view as a 24mm on Super 35. 

So as a very rough rule, Super 35 needs a prime lens about one focal length wider to match a full-frame shot.

But here’s the key: changing focal length doesn’t just change framing - it also changes the look of the image.

DEPTH OF FIELD

Because framing on full-frame often requires longer focal lengths, the result is a shallower depth of field. This means backgrounds fall more out of focus, even in medium or wide shots, creating a stronger sense of separation between subject and background.

On Super 35, you’ll typically use wider lenses for the same framing. Wider lenses have deeper depth of field, so more of the scene remains in focus. This contributes to the classic “filmic” aesthetic of 20th-century cinema.

Full-frame often feels more immersive and dimensional, with compressed backgrounds and a pronounced bokeh. Super 35 feels more traditional, with images that keep characters and environments more evenly balanced in focus.

LENS COMPATIBILITY

Super 35 also has a practical advantage: lens availability.

Because the format has been standard for so long, most cinema lenses - especially vintage glass - were designed to cover Super 35, not full-frame.

Each lens comes with an image circle which is the diameter of the circular cone of light projected by the lens. Most cinema lenses from the past were manufactured with an image circle which was only wide enough to cover the size of Super 35 film or sensors.

Many of these older Super 35 lenses will vignette heavily on full-frame. 

Full-frame sensors therefore require lenses with a larger image circle. That means your options are often limited to either modern cinema lenses built for large format, or rehoused stills lenses originally designed for 135 or medium format photography. These can be more expensive and harder to source.

The upside for choosing a Super 35 camera is that full-frame lenses will always cover its sensor. However, Super 35 lenses won’t necessarily cover full-frame cameras.

There’s also a special format that uses a special type of lens called anamorphic. If you want to shoot with anamorphic lenses which produce this widescreen format, then you’ll most likely have to use a Super 35 camera, as most 2x anamorphic lenses are designed to cover this smaller sensor. 

There are a few niche lenses for large format with anamorphic squeeze - which year by year are being manufactured more frequently. However, even more so than with spherical glass, with anamorphic the options for large format are still quite limited. 

In short, if you’re drawn to the vast world of vintage cinema glass, or anamorphic lenses, then Super 35 offers more choices.

NOISE

Sensor size also impacts low-light performance and noise.

If two sensors have the same resolution, the larger full-frame sensor will usually have bigger pixels. Bigger pixels gather more light, producing a cleaner signal-to-noise ratio.

This translates into full-frame sensors generally having better high-ISO performance in low light conditions, cleaner shadows, and often more usable dynamic range - since you can recover more detail from the shadows without noise overwhelming the image.

Of course it depends on the model of the camera, but as a general rule, full-frame cameras will produce a cleaner image in low light conditions than Super-35 cameras. You’ll usually be able to push the ISO or sensitivity on full-frame cameras higher before noise becomes noticeable. Although, for high end cinema cameras this is negligible. 

LOOK

Ultimately, neither format is “better” - they’re just different tools.

If you’re shooting in locations with tight spaces and need a wider field of view then a full-frame camera may be better. Or, if you’re after a greater variety of vintage lenses then Super 35 may be better.

Full-frame offers wide, immersive frames, shallow depth of field, and strong low-light performance. Super 35 delivers a more controlled, classic film look, with a wider  variety of lens availability and deep ties to cinematic history.

The choice comes down to story, location, and budget. Do you need the expansive depth and dimensionality of full-frame, or the vintage glass and timeless feel of Super 35?