Crop Vs. Full frame sensor?

[FDSA]

I've seen a lot of posts about different lenses and bodies and things about crop and full frame sensors. What is the difference and what does it mean?

 

[hankejp]

probably easier to refer you to a website than to explain it. At least for me.

Digital SLR Crop Factor

 

[bdavison]

Full Frame is just another term for 35mm sized sensor. In other words the actual sensor in the camera is the same size as a single frame of 35mm film.

Cropped sensors are those normally found in P&S cameras, or in consumer grade DSLR's. Big full frame sensors are expensive, so the they make smaller sensors for low-end cameras. The term cropped is just describing smaller field of view on the smaller sensor cameras.


As far as lenses.....gonna half to be more specific about which type of lenses.

Unless you are talking about the difference between full frame lenses and digital lenses.
The full frame lenses have the optics tuned for a wider field of view, so they take full advantage of the larger sensor size.
The digital lenses have the optics tuned for a smaller field of view for the smaller sensors.

For instance. Nikon labels their digital lenses with the abbreviation "DX" indicating that they are tuned for cropped sensor size cameras, and "FX" for full sized/film lenses.

You can however put full frame lenses on cropped sensor cameras, and vise versa. But there is a conversion factor that takes place.

 

[KmH]

...You can however put full frame lenses on cropped sensor cameras, and vise versa. But there is a conversion factor that takes place.

If you put a lens designed for APS-C size sensors on a full frame camera the image will be heavily vignetted because of the small image circle projected by the crop sensor lens. In fact most full frame camera automatically only turn on that part of the large sensor that will be illumiunated by the crop sensor lens thus reducing the total number of pixels in the image.

 

[Dwig]

I've seen a lot of posts about different lenses and bodies and things about crop and full frame sensors. What is the difference and what does it mean?

Most of the discussions, even the link posted in another reply, tend to make it all more difficult than it has to be. Its simply that most DSLRs are a different format (difference sized image sensor) than the classic 35mm image. Anytime two cameras, film and/or digital, have different formats (difference sized image capture areas) there is a difference in what angular field of view is created by a particular focal length.

 

[Josh66]

If you put a lens designed for APS-C size sensors on a full frame camera the image will be heavily vignetted because of the small image circle projected by the crop sensor lens. In fact most full frame camera automatically only turn on that part of the large sensor that will be illumiunated by the crop sensor lens thus reducing the total number of pixels in the image.

...If it can even physically mount to the body.
Not sure about other manufacturers, but Canon EF-S (for APS-C sized sensors) lenses will not mount to full frame bodies. EF lenses can be used on both though.

 

[Dwig]

...If it can even physically mount to the body.
Not sure about other manufacturers, but Canon EF-S (for APS-C sized sensors) lenses will not mount to full frame bodies. EF lenses can be used on both though.

Nikon doesn't prevent their DX lenses (APS-c format) from fitting film or FX ("full frame") bodies. Their FX bodies will default to cropping to the DX format.

 

[KmH]

...If it can even physically mount to the body.
Not sure about other manufacturers, but Canon EF-S (for APS-C sized sensors) lenses will not mount to full frame bodies. EF lenses can be used on both though.

It's my understanding that EF-S lenses will mount on FF Canon bodies but the rear element of the lens interferes with the movement of the mirror.
Or do I have that wrong.

 

[tsaraleksi]

It's my understanding that EF-S lenses will mount on FF Canon bodies but the rear element of the lens interferes with the movement of the mirror.
Or do I have that wrong.

EF-S lenses will not mount on EF bodies, they are physically prevented. However, 3rd party lenses that are made for crop cameras will have the lens interference you refer to.

 

[Josh66]

It's my understanding that EF-S lenses will mount on FF Canon bodies but the rear element of the lens interferes with the movement of the mirror.
Or do I have that wrong.

As far as I know - they can't.

I have a 350D and a 10s (35mm); I only have one EF-S lens (kit lens) and it will not mount to the 10s. There's an additional spacer or something that prevents it from mounting up.

If other EF-S lenses can mount to other full frame bodies, I don't know - but I kinda doubt it.

 

[Seefutlung]

Full Frame Sensor = Same size as a 35mm film frame

Crop Sensor = approx. 50% of a 35mm film frame (Canon, Nikon, Sony)
or approx. 25% of a 35mm film frame (Olympus, 4/3rd's systems)

FF sensors tend to deliver a better Image Quality (IQ) at elevated ISO and at larger print sizes (greater than 8"x10") and can sustain significantly more cropping while maintaining high IQ.

Gary