APS film

Advance Photo System, or APS was introduced in 1996 as an alternative to the still-popular 35mm format, being 24mm wide and coming in 3 major formats:

• H for "HDTV" (30.2 x 16.7 mm; aspect ratio 16:9; 4x7" print)
• C for "classic" (25.1 x 16.7 mm; aspect ratio 3:2; 4x6" print)
• P for "panoramic" (30.2 x 9.5 mm; aspect ratio 3:1; 4x12" print)

The C and P formats are formed by cropping, each format can be selected via the camera (with the exception of some disposable cameras) at any time for use with the format.

Adoption

Despite the features of the new film it's size hindered it's adoption by professional photographers, having only 56% of the frame size of 35mm film (which is generally regarded as small in itself) which begs the question as to why several semi-professional SLR cameras were produced to use this format.

APS film was much better suited for use in compact 'point and shoot' cameras for the general public than for professional use, and while it fulfilled this need well less than 5 years after it's release Digital technology became affordable and convenient, pushing APS format into a very small market share when it remains to this day. Though the film is still sold and developed in most places 35mm is, it can cost up to one and a half times as much to develope.