The term 135 (ISO 1007) was introduced by Kodak in 1934 as a designation for cartridge film 35 mm (1.4 in) wide, specifically for still photography. It quickly grew in popularity, surpassing 120 film by the late 1960s to become the most popular photographic film size. Despite competition from formats such as 828, 126, 110, and APS, it remains so today.

135 camera film always comes perforated with Kodak Standard perforations. This effectively eliminates such films from being "diverted" to professional 35 mm uses, where Bell & Howell perforations are standard. 135 camera film (negative or reversal), if passed through a Western Bloc professional motion picture camera, will pass undamaged, but it will not pass with the expected and required registration accuracy for such professional uses. Eastern Bloc professional motion picture cameras generally (but not always) use Kodak Standard-perforated stocks. Most Eastern Bloc professional motion picture cameras which have been exported to Western Bloc countries have generally (but not always) been converted to Bell & Howell by skilled camera technicians in the East before such export.^{[citation needed]}

The size of the 135 film frame has been adopted by many high-end digital single-lens reflex cameras, referred to as full-frame digital SLRs.