Editing Medium format (section)

===Film handling===
The medium-format film is usually [[roll film]], typically allowing 8 to 32 exposures on one roll of film before reloading is needed. This is fewer than 35&nbsp;mm cartridges, which typically take 12 to 36 pictures on one roll. This is somewhat offset by the fact that most medium-format systems used interchangeable film magazines, thereby allowing photographers to switch rolls quickly, allowing them larger numbers of exposures before needing to load new film or to change the film type. Some companies had bulk film backs that used 70&nbsp;mm double-perforated film that allowed up to 75 feet of film to be loaded at one time. While rolls of large format film were produced at one time, their use was specialized, typically for aerial cameras installed in military aircraft or printing industry equipment.

Most large format film is [[sheet film]], that is, film where each picture is on a separate piece of film, requiring that the camera be frequently reloaded, usually after every picture, sometimes using magazines of up to five pictures or reduction backs that allow multiple pictures on a single sheet of film. Medium-format sheet film was produced for some cameras, but these cameras tend to be smaller, lighter, and easier to use than large format gear. Sheet film was never commonly used in cameras smaller than medium format.

Film cost per exposure is directly related to the amount of film used, thus, the larger the film size, the more expensive each picture will be. An 8 by 10&nbsp;in large-format negative is far more expensive than a 6 by 6&nbsp;cm medium-format picture, which is substantially more expensive than a frame of 35&nbsp;mm film.

35&nbsp;mm cartridges are generally easier to load and unload from a camera than medium-format rolls. A 35&nbsp;mm cartridge is placed inside a camera, and in most motorized cameras this is all that is needed; the camera loads the film and rewinds it into the cartridge for removal. Far fewer medium-format cameras are motorized, and medium-format roll film does not have sprocket holes, so loading often requires that marking on the backing paper of the film be lined up with markings on the camera, and on unloading, the backing paper must be carefully secured to protect the film from light.