JohnR Loc: Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

The only reason I can come up with is that in 1959 Olympus came out with what they called a Half Frame camera. This used the same 35mm film cassettes readily available but gave twice the shots i.e. 48 shots on a 24 shot cassette. It also resulted in a smaller camera body and lenses than the usual 35mm cameras. Strangely though 35mm film cameras were NEVER called Full Frame cameras as far as I can find out.

Also in the days of film photography - YES there were indeed frames in both movie and still cameras – the frame produced a good clear sharp border around the 36mm x 24mm images and the half frame 24mm x 18mm Olympus versions.

So why, I ask, are present day 35mm format digital cameras called Full Frame when there is NOT a frame anywhere within their innards full, half, or otherwise? Nor are there any frames in APS-C or M4/3 or any other digital cameras! Even smart phones don’t have frames.

There’s no logical reason for it as far as I can ascertain but my guess is that the advertising media are the culprits as using the word Full in an advert implies very strongly that one can get nothing better! The same issue has occurred with monitors and TV’s with the media still promoting Full HD as the best one can get.

So so wrong and in no way beneficial in any way shape or form to any aspiring photographer – how often do new users ask questions about full frame/crop sensor etc as they are confused by all the meaningless terms. (Crop sensor another misused and misconstrued term used mainly to denigrate and demean smaller sensor cameras! – but I won’t start on that bag of worms today!)

Anyway – Photographers of the World – please start calling a spade a spade as it will help promote photography as the precise technology it is.

Cheers JohnR

Quixdraw Loc: x

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Because they're the same size?
Common reference?
Standard size?
No one got nit picky?

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

The FX sensors are, essentially, 24x36mm. Full Frame. That's why. Anyone whose done any digital work will understand someone who says full frame as meaning exactly that. It's the crop sensor crowd that has myriads of sizes with which to contend.
--Bob

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Bill P

Number four, a now lost art.

hassighedgehog Loc: Corona, CA

Historical references are common. Why do we call the size of an engine in a car "Horse power"? It is to give a common reference of comparison between 35 mm film cameras and digital. Not that big a deal.

JohnR Loc: Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

I asked "Why is 35mm format called Full Frame" I know exactly how large the sensor/film format is - there is simply no logical reason to call it full frame.

DeanS Loc: Capital City area of North Carolina

Would you prefer something akin to Small, Medium, or Large. They are different, and not that difficult to comprehend. There are soooo many diff sizes in the crop sensor world that it would be, in my opinion, sorta foolish to label each one by its size. I moved whole hog from film to digital abt 1990, and have owned and shot I don’t know how many diff size sensors. I never, ever stopped to deliberate on any facet of shooting, to contemplate abt anything related to sensor size. In my opinion, it is all semantical.

Btw, I own one of those “crop frame” Olys you mentioned. Sadly, it has been inoperative for many yrs.

Just me, don’t be offended.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Because 35mm was the "standard".
(Begs the question, "Why didn't they call it 36mm?".

JohnR Loc: Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

Measuring car engine power in Horsepower provided an approximate equivalence of the pulling power of the engine compared to what one could expect from an average horse! The term "Full Frame" not only does not provide any equivalence to anything else its also erroneous in that it implies there's nothing more available as its already FULL! Are we hiding medium and large format sensors so as not to cause a conflict

JohnR Loc: Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

35mm is the width of the film from edge to edge outside of the sprocket holes. Its does not refer to the image size in any way. Half frame cameras such as the Olympus Pen still used 35mm film for their 24mm x 18mm images.

Quixdraw Loc: x

Must be a dull day where you are. Common parlance - you can call it Turnip, no one will mind, or understand.

JohnR Loc: Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

Hi Dean, yes I'm happy calling them all whatever as long as the terms cannot easily be used emotively. 35mm is fine by me - I just don't like Full Frame as its incorrect in that there's no frames in any cameras nowadays full or otherwise. Also all sensors are the size they were manufactured to be and none are cropped at all. In some cameras the images might be cropped but the sensors stay the same size. Cheers JohnR

JohnR Loc: Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

Cold wet & windy - Melbourne Australia