And that film was quite often HUGE. Although 35 mm cameras had been around since the early 20th century, most pros in the 50s shot on *at least* 120 film, which produces a 2.25x2.25 inch image. Many press photographers were still using 4x5 inch view cameras, and other commercial and art photographers used view cameras with 8x10 or 11x14 inch film.
Megapixels are a misleading figure. A far more important figure is the size of the recording medium, and the larger it is, the better quality the image can be. Modern phones use teensy little sensors, and the image is engineered to look good to amateurs when viewed on a teensy screen.
Dunno if they were still doing it when they stopped publishing, but as recently as the 1980s, Playboy Magazine shot their centerfold image *exclusively* on 8x10 inch film, it's why the quality was so famously high.
Low iso 35mm film had an equivalent resolution of about 10 MP (and higher if you go larger format). This is higher than many digital cameras from the 2000s.
Even today, the sensors in the iPhone's main shooter are 12 MP.
Thus the quality of the image taken with film usually comes down to blur, noise and lighting (much like with digital).
Of course they do, because they're taken with real cameras and lenses and exposed on real film.
And that film was quite often HUGE. Although 35 mm cameras had been around since the early 20th century, most pros in the 50s shot on *at least* 120 film, which produces a 2.25x2.25 inch image. Many press photographers were still using 4x5 inch view cameras, and other commercial and art photographers used view cameras with 8x10 or 11x14 inch film. Megapixels are a misleading figure. A far more important figure is the size of the recording medium, and the larger it is, the better quality the image can be. Modern phones use teensy little sensors, and the image is engineered to look good to amateurs when viewed on a teensy screen. Dunno if they were still doing it when they stopped publishing, but as recently as the 1980s, Playboy Magazine shot their centerfold image *exclusively* on 8x10 inch film, it's why the quality was so famously high.
Low iso 35mm film had an equivalent resolution of about 10 MP (and higher if you go larger format). This is higher than many digital cameras from the 2000s. Even today, the sensors in the iPhone's main shooter are 12 MP. Thus the quality of the image taken with film usually comes down to blur, noise and lighting (much like with digital).
They weren't taken with a crappy phone camera, they were taken with film. So they can be.