Sensor Sizes

July 23, 2019  •  Leave a Comment

Confused about all the different digital sensor sizes? Don’t feel alone. There may be more than you realize. Take a look at the chart below. The blue outline is the standard 35mm format which is actually 24mmX36mm.

1-sensor-sizes-compared1-sensor-sizes-compared

The many different sized digital sensors compared with full 35mm film

On a 35mm DSLR, the sensor size determines how much of the normal scene gets captured. A cropped sensor as it’s called captures more of the center part of the scene while a full frame sensor captures a wider view. Cropped sensors usually have about as many pixels as their full frame counterparts but they have a higher pixel density and the pixels are smaller. The higher spatial resolution provides a magnification factor.

The Canon APS-C for example has the magnification equivalent of 1.6X that of a full frame. This can be a real advantage for long lens shooting. A 500mm lens on an APS-C body for example gives the same view as an 800mm lens on a full frame as demonstrated in the windsurfing image. That advantage is quickly lost on the other end of the focal length range however.

2-full-versus-crop12-full-versus-crop1 Zoom advantage of cropped sensor

A 20mm lens, a super wide with an angle of about 94°, becomes the equivalent of a 34mm lens with an angle of view of only about 63°. This becomes a huge issue when shooting in cramped spaces where you can’t step back far enough to get the shot as demonstrated by the lighthouse staircase image.

3-full-versus-crop23-full-versus-crop2 Disadvantage of cropped sensors

Another drawback to the smaller sensors, since they usually have smaller pixels, is that these small pixels gather less light and therefore their signal-to-noise ratio is less. The result is poorer performance at higher ISO values – noisier images.

So, when deciding on a camera, which one is better? Well, that all depends. In my case I use both full frame and crop sensors but I use them in such a way as to get the advantages of each. For all of my low light work, where my ISO values will be 3200 and up as high as 12800, I use my full frame Canon 6D. And for my long lens work, I almost always grab the 7D MkII with the cropped sensor. With the long lenses I’m almost always shooting below ISO 3200 and I get to take advantage of the magnification factor.

For a really good and entertaining narrative on the many different formats, take a look at “Crop or Crap” by Zack Arias.


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