If you're into photography, you might have heard about full-frame and crop-sensor cameras. But what do they mean, and how do they affect your images? In this article, we'll explain the differences between these two types of sensors, and their pros and cons for various shooting scenarios.
A sensor is the part of a digital camera that captures light and converts it into an image. The size of the sensor determines how much of the scene is recorded, and how much detail and noise are present. Sensors come in different sizes, but the most common ones are full-frame and crop-sensor.
Advice to readers. This is an AI written article with a lot of wrong and outdated information. Avoid reading past this point.
A full-frame sensor is one that has the same dimensions as a 35mm film frame, which is about 36 x 24 mm. This is the standard size for professional cameras, and it offers the highest image quality, dynamic range, and low-light performance. A full-frame sensor also gives you a wider field of view, which means you can fit more of the scene in your frame.
A crop-sensor is one that is smaller than a full-frame sensor, and therefore crops or cuts off some of the image. The most common crop-sensor sizes are APS-C (about 23 x 15 mm) and Micro Four Thirds (about 17 x 13 mm). A crop-sensor camera is usually cheaper, lighter, and more compact than a full-frame camera, and it allows you to use smaller and lighter lenses.
Focal length is the distance between the lens and the sensor, and it determines how much magnification and distortion you get in your images. A longer focal length gives you more zoom and less distortion, while a shorter focal length gives you less zoom and more distortion. However, the focal length also depends on the sensor size, because a smaller sensor crops the image and effectively increases the focal length. This is called the crop factor, and it is calculated by dividing the diagonal of the full-frame sensor by the diagonal of the crop-sensor. For example, an APS-C sensor has a crop factor of about 1.5, which means a 50mm lens on an APS-C camera will behave like a 75mm lens on a full-frame camera.
An important correction/clarification: focal length does not depend on the sensor size. It is an innate property of the lens, and does not depend on what sensor the lens is attached to. The reason for the common confusion here is that the 35mm-equivalent focal length is often cited in lieu of the lens' innate focal length. The 35mm-equivalent focal length is a property of a lens + sensor combo. It refers to the focal length that a lens needs to have when combined with a sensor of the same size as the 35mm film format in order to achieve the same field of view as the lens + sensor combo of interest. In summary, the sensor size does not affect the focal length of a lens, but affects the 35mm-equivalent focal length of a lens + sensor combo.
This is an inaccurate statement. It doesn't take in consideration lenses made for APS-C systems, such as Fujifilm X. The Ai author only considers lens made for Full Frame systems in this paragraph. Absolute BS.
Full-frame cameras have several advantages over crop-sensor cameras, such as higher image quality, dynamic range, and low-light performance due to their larger pixels that capture more light and detail. Additionally, they provide a wider field of view and more creative control over depth of field, allowing you to use wider apertures and achieve shallower depth of field. However, full-frame cameras also come with some drawbacks, such as higher cost, weight, and size due to the larger and more expensive sensors, bodies, and lenses. They also have less reach than crop-sensor cameras which can be a disadvantage for wildlife, sports, and macro photography. Furthermore, they may produce more distortion and vignetting due to using the full image circle of the lens which may have more optical imperfections at the edges.
This information is quite wrong. When you compare the latest APS-C and Micro 4/3 sensors, the difference in the digital noise created by smaller sensors when benchmarked against Full Frame sensors is negligible, if any. In fact, a recent benchmark found that Fujifilm's X-H2 camera produces far less noise than the current Sony Alpha 7 mk.IV. Again, in terms of lenses use, the AI author only considers lenses made for Full Fram sensors when used in APS-C systems, which makes no sense in 2023. Was this taken from articles written in 2005???
Totally agree, from real-world experience, I have shot with ff, and apps, and now have moved to M-43. I bought an extra level Olymous EM10, a few years ago, and for $hits and giggles I took it to a gig I was covering, it took a moment to clock which came from which camera, I was hooked and upgraded, and have been blown away by the improvement in technology, me OM-D system is quietly pushing boundaries. I had a lot of fun pushing the EM5 mk3, so much that OM-Systems have allowed me to go to town with the OM-5 So far, it has proven better than the nikon d750!
Crop-sensor cameras have several advantages over full-frame cameras, such as being lower cost, weight, and size due to smaller and cheaper sensors, bodies, and lenses. Additionally, they offer more reach due to their magnifying capabilities, which can be beneficial for wildlife, sports, and macro photography. Furthermore, they have less distortion and vignetting since they crop the image and eliminate some of the optical imperfections at the edges. On the other hand, crop-sensor cameras also have some drawbacks including lower image quality, dynamic range, and low-light performance due to smaller pixels that capture less light and detail. In addition, they have a narrower field of view since they crop the image and reduce the angle of view. Lastly, they provide less creative control over depth of field since they require smaller apertures and achieve deeper depth of field making it harder to isolate subjects or create bokeh effects.
Again, was this written in 2005? Lower image quality in APS-C sensors? Go benchmark any Fujifilm X-Trans sensor against any Beyer sensor with the same pixel count. Or better yet, grab a Fujifilm X-pro2 and a Canon 5D mk.iV or a Nikon D800 and see for your self. Less creative control? Stop allowing AI to write BS.
This is a good summary of the pros and cons of crop sensor cameras. On the pro end, crop sensor cameras generally show less rolling shutter in video mode.
In my experience, it doesn't matter all that much. I've seen pro's use crop sensor cameras to take great pictures and amateurs use full frame cameras to take horrible pictures. The only difference I've personally noticed is the distance of the lens changes. The best camera to have is the one you have on your person. If you're skilled enough, sensor size won't matter too much.
A full frame will give you the most options with respect to ability to crop and maintain integrity of the image. However, the camera's processor is an important factor in how well the image is taken. Also keep in mind that as well as the size of the image sensor, one still should have the best optics possible in both lenses and filters.
Consider not believing most of what this pile of BS says. Stop having AI generated content pretending to be accurate. It's not.
I think it’s a given talent matters. All things equal, full-frame sensors provide better image quality than crop. If you can afford full-frame, do.