3:2 vs 4:3 which do you prefer?

[Tinderbox (UK)]

I normally shoot 3:2 but since i bought my Panasonic GX7 i have started to like the 4:3 aspect ratio, i like the extra head room, more sky in the shots.

John.

 

[bhop]

I still shoot film. So I like my digital pics to match that ratio, plus I print on 4x6 often. No cropping required. I also just prefer the cinematic quality of the wider frame.

 

[enzodm]

I was rigidly shooting 3:2, but I started trying crops at 4:3 and found that sometimes they capture better what I wanted to shoot. After that, I found some support in Freeman's books, where the "tradition" of 3:2 is somewhat put into discussion. So, when needed now I crop 4:3 with less sense of guilt.

 

[KmH]

If you can shoot in 4:3, you don't have to crop as much to get to other aspect ratios.

Unfortunately, most of the DSLR's that have a native 4:3 aspect ratio image sensor have a 2x crop factor.

The 135 format film (35 mm) is based on is a 3:2 aspect ratio.

 

[Derrel]

There used to be (maybe still exists?) a web site devoted to 4/3 aspect ratio images. The site was begun back in the EARLY days of 4/3 format cameras, back when they were thought of as a joke. I used to hang out there and look at the images, and I have to say, I think on standard, non wide-screen computer monitors, the 4:3 aspect ratio horizontals look very lovely.

3:2 is too "skinny" on talls of people; 4:5 or as the British call it 5:4 aspect, is a bit too "dumpy" for portraiture, IMHO, even though it's a common standard.

 

[Tinderbox (UK)]

Think of all the lens glass that is not being use with 3:2 format :mrgreen:

John.

 

[The_Traveler]

I recycle all those bits.

 

[KmH]

4:5 (8x10) is a vertical oriented image, 5:4 (10x8) is a horizontal oriented image.
Of course the same applies to other aspect ratios.

FWIW - 1.25:1, 2:2.5, 12:15, or any aspect ratio where the ratio of the width is 1.25 x the height, are all the same aspect ratio as 4:5

It is convention that width is stated first.

 

[D-B-J]

If a lens is round, and produces a round image on the sensor, why don't we just get round sensors?!

LOGIC.