Half Frame Slide Scanning

We scan half frame slides from compact cameras and output full-size digital images comparable to regular 35mm slides. These unique slides from the 1960s require special handling to produce quality scans that maximize their smaller film format.

What Are Half Frame Slides?

The "half frame" name refers to the fact that these cameras produce an image size that is half the size of a typical 35mm slide. While standard 35mm slides measure 24mm × 36mm, half frame slides measure 18mm × 24mm.

Film Efficiency: The smaller frame size meant photographers could capture twice as many images on the same roll of film. A standard 36-exposure roll of 35mm film would yield 72 exposures in a half frame camera—a significant advantage when film and processing costs added up.

Frame Orientation: Half frame slides typically have a portrait (vertical) orientation, as opposed to the landscape (horizontal) orientation of standard 35mm slides. This is because the film runs perpendicular to normal 35mm orientation in the camera.

History of Half Frame Cameras

Half frame cameras became popular in the 1960s as an economical solution for amateur photographers. These cameras offered several advantages:

Compact Design: The smaller film format allowed manufacturers to create very compact, portable cameras while still using readily available 35mm film—no special film cartridges needed.

Cost Savings: Doubling the number of exposures per roll meant significant savings on film and processing costs, making photography more accessible to casual users.

Standard Film Availability: Unlike truly miniature camera formats, half frame cameras used regular 35mm film that was available everywhere. No special ordering or limited selection.

Notable Half Frame Cameras

Olympus Pen Series: The most famous half frame cameras were the Olympus Pen series, which began in 1959 and included numerous models throughout the 1960s and 1970s. These compact, well-built cameras made half frame photography mainstream.

Yashica Samurai: The most advanced half frame camera was the Yashica Samurai, a true single-lens reflex (SLR) camera designed specifically for the half frame format. Its innovative design and quality optics represented the peak of half frame camera technology.

Canon Demi: Canon's entry into the half frame market offered reliable performance in a compact package and was popular among casual photographers.

Our Half Frame Slide Scanning Process

When we scan your half frame slides, we upsize them to produce digital files comparable in size to regular 35mm slide scans. This ensures your half frame images integrate seamlessly with your other digitized slides.

Professional Handling: The smaller film area of half frame slides means they require careful handling during scanning to capture maximum detail and minimize any quality limitations of the smaller format.

Quality Output: While half frame slides contain less physical film area than full-frame 35mm, our scanning process extracts all available detail and produces high-quality digital files suitable for viewing, printing, and sharing.

Pricing: Half frame slides are scanned at our standard 35mm slide scanning rate of 49¢ per slide, despite the extra attention required for the smaller format.

What to Expect from Half Frame Scans

Image Quality Considerations: Because half frame slides contain only half the film area of standard 35mm slides, they inherently have less resolution and potentially more visible grain. This is a limitation of the format itself, not the scanning process.

Realistic Expectations: We scan half frame slides at high resolution and apply our professional editing to each image. However, the smaller film area means these scans won't have quite the same quality potential as full-frame 35mm slides. This is simply the physics of working with a smaller original image.

Still Worth Preserving: Despite their smaller size, half frame slides contain your valuable memories and are absolutely worth digitizing. Our scanning process ensures you get the best possible quality from these compact formats.