In photography, a slide frame (or slide mount) is a small opaque (picture) frame that encloses the image field of a slide and thus enables the film section to be inserted into a slide projector or viewer. A distinction is made between glassless slide frames and those with glass. In the latter, the slide is embedded between two panes of glass.
Slides framed between glasses allow sharp projection over the entire slide due to the forced planarity of the film. Furthermore, glass panes offer protection against damage to the slide. The advantage of glassless frames is a higher brightness of the projected image. In addition, Newton’s rings and fungal decay are prevented – the film material can “breathe”.
Slide frames are available for all usual film formats and also in numerous special variants. Below, we describe the most common formats, which we digitize at the Gold Coast.
35 mm film (135 film)
Slide frames for the 35 mm format have an outer dimension of 50×50 mm, a window of 23×35 mm and a thickness between about 1 mm (paper frame) and about 3 mm. Some frames are two-coloured – with one light and one dark side. The slide is placed in the frame so that the smooth shiny film side faces the light side (or viewing side) of the frame and the film emulsion faces the dark side (backside).
Agfacolor paper 
Anscochrome paper 
Crystal-Color paper 
CS mount 
Ektachrome paper 
Glass 
Hanimount paper 
Kodachrome paper 
Kodachrome paper 
Kodachrome paper 
Pacific film labs paper 
Perutz plastic 
SAGA paper 
Technicolor plastic 
Telcolor plastic
Pocket film (110 film)
Pocket cameras were widespread in the 70s. They required so-called 110 film cartridges, the film format was 13×17 mm. However, pocket slides are very rare compared to pocket negatives. Usually, the slides were put into special 35 mm slide frames so that you could view them using normal projectors. But there are also the “real” pocket slides with the outer dimensions of only 3×3 cm and a window of 12×16 mm (instead of 5×5 cm like the normal 35 mm slides).
Medium format film (120/220 film)
The medium format 120/220 film format is a roll film which allows several frame sizes:
| Name | Nominal picture size (in mm) |
|---|---|
| 6 x 4.5 | 56 x 41.5 |
| 6 x 6 | 56 x 56 |
| 6 x 7 | 56 x 70 |
| 6 x 8 | 56 x 77 |
| 6 x 9 | 56 x 84 |
| 6 x 12 | 56 x 118 |
| 6 x 17 | 56 x 168 |
| 6 x 24 | 56 x 224 |
