Sensor DX confusion

[WolfSpring]

Am I reading all this stuff right. If I have a D80 and I put a 70-300mm lens on it, the lowest range I have is automatically equivilant to 105 due to the 1.5x DX sensor?

 

[Jestev]

Am I reading all this stuff right. If I have a D80 and I put a 70-300mm lens on it, the lowest range I have is automatically equivilant to 105 due to the 1.5x DX sensor?

The FOV of the lens is effectively 105-450mm if used on a FF/35mm sensor/image plane. Of course, the sensor doesn't create exactly a 1.5x crop, but it's close enough.

 

[Big Mike]

Am I reading all this stuff right. If I have a D80 and I put a 70-300mm lens on it, the lowest range I have is automatically equivalent to 105 due to the 1.5x DX sensor?

The key word here is "equivelent". What does 105mm mean to you?

It's simply a comparison to 35mm film (which the lens was designed for). So if you are used to using a 35mm film camera, you will have a general idea what FOV you will get from a given focal length. So when you switch to your digital camera, the FOV will be different...and you can use the 1.5 factor to know what the equivelent FOV will be.

However, if you are not very familiar with a 35mm film SLR...then you can ignore all of the 'crop factor' stuff. Put the lens on the camera, look into the view finder...what you see is what you get.

 

[(Ghastly) Krueger]

... and it's important that you consider it's the field of view that is affected. Saying the 70mm is equiv to 105 is more a maketing spin, trying to make you think you have a longer lens.

 

[WolfSpring]

I was actually viewing that as a bad thing. I'm just pissed I want my 18-135 back, but I can't complain I did drop it the first day I bought it and was lucky to get it insured and in the shop, now I just wait for it I'm sure once I get that back and am not using the wife's 18-55 only when I absolutly need a closer then 70mm shot I'll be good to go again.