#Full frame camera meaning upgrade
#Full frame camera meaning full
#Full frame camera meaning pro

#Full frame camera meaning full

The focal length of your lens, of course, doesn’t magically change when you take it off a full frame camera and attach it to a crop sensor camera the only thing that changes is your angle of view, a phenomenon that is simply a function of sensor size. What Effect Does a Smaller Sensor Have on Your Photographs?Īs stated above, a smaller sensor magnifies your field of view and also causes an apparent increase in the focal length of whatever lens you are using.

These measurements are used to determine what is known as a sensor’s crop factor (Nikon, Sony, Pentax, and Fujifilm APS-C cameras have a crop factor of 1.5, while Canon’s APS-C cameras have a crop factor of 1.6). Canon APS-C sensors measure 22.2mm x 14.8mm. For Nikon, Sony, Pentax, and Fujifilm dSLRs, an APS-C sensor measures in the range of 23.5mm x 15.6mm to 23.7mm to 15.6mm. These smaller sensor sizes vary by manufacturer, though the most common naming convention used by crop sensor cameras is the APS-C. A full frame digital SLR, then, refers to a camera whose sensor size is roughly equivalent to a 35mm film frame (24mm x 36mm).Ī “crop” sensor, on the other hand, is simply one that is smaller than a full frame sensor, thus capturing only a portion of the image that a full frame sensor would, due to the fact that a small sensor magnifies the angle of view. Obviously, digital cameras don’t use film they use a sensor that receives and reads the values of accumulated electrons allowed into the camera via the lens, converting those bits of data into a digital image. This whole discussion hinges on the traditional 35mm film SLR camera as a reference point.

So if you are someone who has ever wondered about this topic, particularly if you are considering purchasing a new camera, a level-headed approach to the issue might do you some good.įull Frame and Crop Sensor: What Do These Terms Mean? crop sensor cameras is a legitimate concern that often gets bogged down by useless arguing.

#Full frame camera meaning upgrade

People, of course, have their personal preferences on things and there’s nothing wrong with that being informed about others’ preferences can actually be helpful by expanding the options we make available to ourselves.Īt some point during your time as a photographer, you have likely encountered some poor individual who posts on an Internet message board that they need help deciding whether to upgrade to a “full frame” camera or stick with their “crop camera,” totally unaware of the upheaval that would ensue as a result of this rather innocent inquiry. And the tools used to make said art tend to fall under the same principle of subjectivity as the art itself.

#Full frame camera meaning pro

Certainly, one could argue credibly that their current pro level dSLR is better in every way than the point and shoot camera they started out with and no one would even challenge that notion.īut photography is art. Too many photography subjects get muddled in argument: this brand vs.