Most DSLRs and mirrorless cameras come with an APS-C sensor size of 22 x 15 mm. Crop sensors have less megapixel count than full-frame, so the image file size is smaller. Full frame sensors share the same dimensions of 35mm film (24 x 36mm). However, they are damned more expensive than your crop frame sensor! (Not to mention heavier and bulkier)Ĭrop frame sensors might also be the better choice for you if you are a wildlife or car racing photographer, as you can get more “reach” with the same lens!īut remember, your camera sensor is just one tiny piece of the whole puzzle -knowing how to use your camera is a damn sight more important that getting a full frame. A full-frame camera uses a full frame sensor, meaning it is the same size as the full frame of 35mm film. Full frame and crop refer to a cameras sensor size. It can also be a better choice if you are a landscape photographer, or architectural photographer, as you get that wider angel of view. The other reason is higher image quality, which means you get sharper, better quality colour images. It’s for this reason alone that many people choose to upgrade! The first is that the full frame sensor provides a broader dynamic range, and therefore handles low light better, and gives you less noise (even when using high ISO’s) than a crop sensor. Totally generalising here, but the full frame is usually considered “better”, for a few reasons. So, which is better - full frame or crop frame? Let let me show you an example! So the first image below is how your image would look on a full frame camera with a 50mm lens. That means your 50mm focal length lens will “act” more like an 80mm would on a full frame!Īnd if you had a 28mm, that would act more like a 45mm lens. So for a 50mm lens, you’d take 50 and multiply it by 1.6 for Canon (or 1.5 if you had Nikon) which gives you 80mm. The sensor in a full frame camera is larger and captures more light. What you can do is take the focal length of the lens you’re using (or want to use!) and then multiply it by that crop factor we just spoke about. Better Low Light Performance The biggest difference between full frame sensors and crop sensors is size, and that makes all the difference when it comes to dim lighting. This is where that good ol’ crop factor we’ve just been talking about comes in. Therefore, it captures only a part of what a full sensor would capture when using the same focal. How do I know how a lens will perform on MY camera? First of all, a crop sensor is smaller than a full frame sensor (which is obvious). So the actual lens focal length remains the same, it just ACTS differently on a crop frame sensor. What this means in practice is that you need to consider how lenses are going to “perform” on your camera - so for example, a 50mm lens will give one field of view on your full frame camera, but act completely different on your crop frame, perhaps closer to how an 85mm would perform on a full frame.
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