dumb question

[dataz722]

I am a complete begginer and have what is probably a really stupid question .... but what is this full frame vs dx that I keep hearing people talk about? Sorry if this is just a really basic question

 

[Big Mike]

The 'standard' for most DSLR cameras, is to compare them back to 35mm film SLR cameras. One big difference between a 35mm film SLR and 'most' digital SLR cameras, is that the size of the sensor is smaller than a frame of 35mm film. They call these DX or APS-C sized sensors...you might also hear them referred to as 'crop factor' bodies etc.

The result is that you get a narrower field of view on a 'cropped sensor' than you would on a 35mm film SLR, for the same focal length.

When it comes to film or sensors, bigger is better. So it's an advantage to have a larger sensor and some digital SLR cameras have a sensor that is the same size as 35mm film....so we call them 'full frame' sensors/cameras. These are typically quite expensive but the image quality will most likely be better than a camera with a smaller sensor.