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What Is the Advanced Photo System (APS)?
The Advanced Photo System (APS) is a recent film and camera format that offers many advantages over
traditional 35mm film cameras. It is centered around a new type of film and a specially designed film cartridge.
The most exciting capability of APS the ability to shoot three different picture formats. You can choose between
Classic (C) format, HDTV (H) format and Panoramic (P) format. These correspond to 4x6-inch, 4x7-inch and
4x12-inch prints (or enlargements of comparable ratios).
The APS film itself has an invisible magnetic layer that can be used to communicate with the camera and
photofinisher. It also enables the camera to record detailed information about the photograph on the back of
the prints.
An often overlooked advantage of the magnetic layer is that the cropping you choose for the three print form
ats is done magnetically. Just like how you can re-record an audio cassette, you can change the cropping
marks and later print a Panoramic picture as a Classic, and vice versa. (Sorry, you can't re-record the picture
itself, since it is done on the film and not the magnetic portion of the negative. If you want this capability, you'll
want to shoot with a digital camera.)
APS reprints and storage are made simple as well. An index print is created with each roll processed, which
shows a tiny version of each photo on the roll. Simply read off the number next to it, and you know which one
to choose. Also, with APS you'll never have to handle negatives again because the film is stored inside the
cartridge — just bring the whole canister in to the photofinisher.
You'll also find that APS cameras tend to be smaller than their traditional 35mm counterparts, because of the
innovative design of the film cartridge.
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