FF camera vs 1.6 crop...

[Wheaten59]

Do any of you see a change down the road with Canon doing away with 1.6 crop cameras and going strickly with FF?

 

[Digital Matt]

It's possible, certainly. As the technology gets cheaper, sensors will get bigger. I can't say what Canon will do, but I can certainly say that I myself will not buy any digital only lenses, as I know for a fact that I will move to FF.

 

[Big Mike]

It seems that doing that might be a logical choice, once the FF sensors become much less expensive to manufacture...as it would give then a decided market advantage over crop sensor cameras.

However, I would venture to say that the crop cameras are already good enough that most of the people using them don't need anything better. So maybe there is no point in upgrading their lower and mid level cameras...but of course, if they only sold people what they need...the would make a lot less money :roll:

You have to consider that Canon is heavily invested in cameras with crop sized sensors...and lenses specifically for them. They would alienate a lot of their users if they suddenly abandoned the crop sensors...of course, history shows that they did just that when the changed the lens mount when they moved from manual focus FD lenses/cameras to autofocus EF lenses. Have they learned their lesson or not?

The bottom line is that the crop sensor cameras are very good, and they will be around for a while yet. I don't think that there is really much of a reason to avoid investing in the smaller sensor cameras and the EF-S lenses. (Unless you plan to upgrade to a full frame like the 5D or 1Ds mk III etc.) Even if Canon does shift to full frame sensors...the existing crop cameras won't stop working...and will be useful for years to come.

 

[usayit]

This is a good read:
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/digital-camera-sensor-size.htm

My opinion... I think Canon will eventually move to full frame sensors. As the cost to manufacture FF sensors goes down, at some point it just makes sense. I can see a low end cheaper DSLR from canon using a crop sensor of less pixels.

Of all that is written about FF versus APS sensors, I think the biggest factor is pixel density (thus noise).. Similar reasons why APS negative came and went away as 35mm negatives survived.

 

[Alex_B]

i would like even medium format sensors ... but they are way too expensive... ... so i ended up with 35mm and do not regret it.

but then again I am a wide angle person, if i was a telephoto person I would sometimes prefer smaller sensor ... given they provide similar image quality.

 

[Alex_B]

to come back to the question .. i could imagine aps-c sensors to disappear at some point. at least if even smaller sensors get better.

 

[usayit]

i would like even medium format sensors ... but they are way too expensive... ... so i ended up with 35mm and do not regret it.

but then again I am a wide angle person, if i was a telephoto person I would sometimes prefer smaller sensor ... given they provide similar image quality.

Me too.. I would have probably offloaded all the Canon stuff if Pentax followed through with the 645D.

For the regular consumer market.. highly doubt it... too many people are invested in 35mm lenses and medium format AF lenses are expensive.

Just like in film... there have been many attempts at smaller formats... 110, APS, etc.. none of them survived. I'd say the same for sensors.

 

[table1349]

Do any of you see a change down the road with Canon doing away with 1.6 crop cameras and going strickly with FF?

No.

 

[Garbz]

As above. The problem isn't one of simply cost. It's a whole array of cost vs expectations. Even if they could get APS yields out of a wafer with FF sensors on it (let alone even fit more FF sensors on) it may still make no logical sense to go that route.

As yields go up so too does the cost saving of cramming more smaller sensors on a wafer. Chances are some savings will be passed to consumers in face of serious competition, more likely is that if for some reason they can get a perfect yield rate they'd pocket or reinvest the saving. While people will pay $7000+ for the APS Canon 1D MkIII let alone the 40D and 400D they will continue to make APS sensors. FF cameras will continue to exists, they will continue to remain a high end niche, and perhaps in 5 or 10 years there will be a few more FF models out there but I don't see any of the companies abandoning their APS sized formats for all or even just their prosumer / professional SLRs, ... ever. ... unless some physical limitation prevents further improvements in the technology like a lens which is perfectly diffraction limited.

 

[jstuedle]

It's possible, certainly. As the technology gets cheaper, sensors will get bigger. I can't say what Canon will do, but I can certainly say that I myself will not buy any digital only lenses, as I know for a fact that I will move to FF.

Can't speak to Canon as I shoot Nikon. But I still don't own a DX format lens and I plan to never own one. I'm glad I made that decision as the first DX lenses were introduced. I see a D3 in my near future. That 14mm f/2.8 I have for my D1's I have will work nicely on a FF D3, don't you think? I do believe FF will be the way of the future in pro bodies, both Nikon and Canon. I believe cost advantage will dictate the clip chip format in the future D80 type camera and below, no matter the cost in the future. I think the D200/D300 simi-pro type bodies may well be full frame in the next 3 to 5 years as well.

 

[Alex_B]

I see a D3 in my near future.

I might be a 35mm Canonite, but still ... congratulations I am sure you will have fun!