APS-C vs. Full Frame Sensor
Derek Smith • 4 August 2022
APS-C vs Full-Frame: What’s the difference?
Full-frame sensors measure the same as 35mm film, which is 36 x 24mm. Meanwhile, smaller APS-C sized sensors measure in at either 23.6 x 15.7mm (Nikon, Pentax, Sony, Fujifilm) or 22.2 x 14.8mm (Canon). That makes full-frame about 2.6x larger in terms of total surface area size.
As already mentioned, there is also Micro Four Thirds (17.3 x 13mm, MFT), and Medium Format (43.8 x 32.9mm).
Full-frame sensors can be found in the best full-frame mirrorless cameras, as well as many of the best DSLRs. You’ll even occasionally find a full-frame sensor in a high-end compact camera. Full-frame sensors are used by Canon, Nikon, Sony, Panasonic, Pentax, Sigma and Leica.
You’ll find an APS-C sensor in many of the best mirrorless cameras too, and they’re also commonly used in DSLRs. APS-C sensors are used by Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm and Pentax. Again, occasionally there are APS-C sensors found in high-end compacts.
The physical size differences lead to both advantages and disadvantages, which we’ll discuss in more detail below.
What is a crop sensor?
You might hear the term crop sensor from time to time, which simply means something which is smaller than full-frame. It’s a term which is most commonly applied to APS-C, but it can also be used to describe even smaller sensors, such as Micro Four Thirds, or even the smaller sensors that you find in compact cameras and smartphone – though it’s rare to hear those described as such.
What is a crop factor?
Crop sensors have a crop factor that you need to take into account when using lenses with your camera. When using a full-frame camera, whatever focal length is printed on the lens (for example 100mm) is what you’ll get when you shoot with it. However, when you use a smaller sensor, you’ll need to apply a “crop factor” to get the equivalent focal length.
Nikon, Fujifilm, Sony and Pentax APS-C sensors have a 1.5x crop factor, while Canon APS-C sensors have a 1.6x crop factor. Therefore, the 100mm lens mentioned above gives you an equivalent of either 150mm or 160mm – simply times the focal length by the appropriate crop factor.
Other sensor sizes have different crop factors. A Four Thirds sensor has a 2x crop factor (100mm becomes 200mm), while a one-inch sensor has a 2.7x crop factor (100mm becomes 270mm). It also works with bigger than full-frame sensors too – medium format has a 0.79x crop factor, which would make a 100mm lens equivalent to 79mm.
List of sensor crop factors:
Medium format = 0.79x
Full frame = 1x
APS-C (general) = 1.5x
APS-C (Canon) = 1.6x
Four Thirds: 2x
One inch = 2.7x
What are the benefits of APS-C?
When it comes to image quality, it’s a general rule of thumb that a bigger sensor equals better performance – but there’s plenty of advantages to APS-C, usually depending on what exactly it is you want from your camera.
One of the big advantages is that APS-C systems are normally smaller and lighter than full-frame equivalents. With smaller bodies and smaller optics, it’s a good choice if you don’t want to carry heavy gear, such as while travelling or for hiking long distances. If you want to shoot handheld, it can be easier to keep smaller and lighter bodies stabilised, too.
On that note, the crop factor also means that your longer lenses don’t need to be as long, heavy, or expensive as full-frame equivalents to get you closer to the action. That’s why cameras such as the recently announced APS-C cameras Fujifilm X-H2S and the Canon EOS R7 have been pitched strongly as wildlife and action cameras.
Speed is also something that is generally easier to achieve with APS-C, especially at affordable prices. Cameras like the Canon EOS R7 offer up to 30fps shooting, in a camera which costs a fraction of the price of similarly speedy models, such as the Nikon Z9 or the Canon EOS R3. That gives ordinary amateur photographers without the big budgets of professionals the chance to capture fast-moving action in a much more affordable fashion.
Does sensor size matter?
Having a smaller sensor can give other benefits as well, and here’s an example which illustrates the cost and weight advantage of using APS-C, particularly when looking at the whole system, which includes the camera and lenses.
APS-C system: Fujifilm X-H2S, plus 16-55mm f/2.8 and 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 costs £5200 and weighs about 2700g.
Full-frame system: Nikon Z9, plus 24-70mm f/2.8 and 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 costs £8800, and weighs about 3500g.
To sum up, the main advantages of APS-C cameras are:
Cheaper
Faster
Smaller
Lighter
APS-C cameras are best for:
Wildlife photography
Sports photography
Travel photography
Street photography
Photographers on a budget
What are the benefits of Full Frame?
Full-frame is often seen as the “gold-standard” for many photographers, with APS-C often thought of being the preserve of enthusiasts and those with a lower budget. While that’s not strictly fair or accurate these days, there are lots of advantages of using a camera with a larger sensor.
If the best image quality is your main concern, then generally speaking, full-frame will help you achieve that in a wider variety of settings. Low light performance is generally better, as is dynamic range for the most part.
If you crave super high resolution cameras, you’ll only find them with full-frame (and larger sensors) too. APS-C tends to max out at around 26-32 megapixels, whereas full-frame offers up to and beyond 50 or 60 megapixels (you can go even further with medium format, where you can now get 100 megapixel sensors). This generally makes full-frame better suited to high-detail type shots, as well as giving you more flexibility when it comes to cropping in post-production while still maintaining a high pixel count.
It’s easier to achieve a shallow depth of field when using a full-frame sensor. Although you can achieve the same look when using crop sensors, you might need to get too close to the subject for the same kind of background blur. It’s generally why portrait photographers, for example, prefer to use full-frame.
When it comes to using your lenses, knowing exactly what you’re getting (i.e. 100mm = 100mm) when shooting full-frame is more straightforward. That also means if you’re using older / vintage lenses from DSLR or even film days, you know exactly what you’re getting when using them on mirrorless full-frame models.
To sum up, the main advantages of full-frame cameras are:
Better image quality
Higher resolution
Easier shallow depth of field effects
Straightforward to understand lens focal lengths
Full-frame cameras are best for:
Landscape photography
Portrait photography
Low light photography
Studio photography
Which should I buy – APS-C Vs Full-Frame?
There’s not necessarily a right or wrong answer when it comes to full-frame vs APS-C and deciding which you should buy. You should think about the types of subjects you like to shoot, the budget you have available, and how much bulk and weight you are prepared to carry around.
If you’re a landscape photographer, for example, looking for a high-resolution camera which can deliver exceptional dynamic range, and you also want to shoot in low light, then full-frame is the obvious choice. Similarly, if you’re a portrait photographer who wants the best resolution and easy-to-achieve shallow depth of field effects, full-frame is the way to go.
On the other hand, if you’re a wildlife or sports photographer and don’t want to splash out on a super-expensive full-frame camera, but you do want to get close to the action, use fast-frame rates and carry something small and lightweight, then APS-C is probably the more sensible option. Travel photographers who don’t want to unnecessarily weigh themselves down might also choose to opt for APS-C, or Micro Four Thirds for an even smaller system.
To conclude, the simple truth is that no, not every photographer needs full-frame. While the larger sensor will provide higher image quality in lots of different scenarios, you’ll also have to pay the price for it both in terms of cost and size and weight. For that reason, many will be served just as well, if not better, by choosing a crop camera.
Louth Photographic Society
Good Morning All I have been out a few times with my camera, there are a lot of Fieldfares around in large flocks at the moment, the only trouble is they soon take flight so are quite hard to get near, this one was from the car window. Our first meeting back in the New Year will be January 14th opening with a PDI competition, the categories are "Insects" and "Open" judged by Colin Lusby, please send your entries to Harry with a closing date of midnight the 7th January. The following week is the project night where members were asked to take part and using a prime lens take one photograph a month. Myself and Derek have done the project could any members who have taken part let me know please so I have an idea how much time will be left over. We are hoping to enter the N&EMPF club PDI competition and LPA club PDI competition, Harry as usual will organise an entry for us but if you can send him up to six of your very best PDI's when you have time, please. The main rule is it can't have been in the competition before. You may need to send them in two files as LPA use a size of 1920 x 1080 and NEMPF 1600 x 1200. The new project for this year is water, one photograph a month which includes water. The projects will be then shown January 2027. There is also the LPA individual PDI competition you may want to enter, Derek sent details a few weeks ago but information can be found on the Lincolnshire Photographic associations website. Regards Graham
So, why did I swap my Olympus OM-D E-M5 iii camera, and associated lenses for the Fuji XT-3 and lens system, and return to Olympus / OM Systems just a few years later? The Olympus E-M5 iii was, and still is a very capable camera, with a 20Mp micro four thirds sensor, and fully weather proofed, my camera upgrade path was to the OM-D E-M1 iii, but it would have cost me at least £1000, providing me with dual SD cards, and a few extra controls. It was cheaper for me to sell all my Olympus gear, and buy into the Fuji ecosystem, the XT-3 had the dual SD card slots, and promised to have improved image quality. The Fuji lens selection was extensive, and I bought a pair of zoom lenses, and a couple of prime lenses. Later on I bought the Fuji XS-20 as an everyday carry camera, but it was forever warning of overheating. I was content with the Fuji system for several years, I would liked to have photographed more birds, and wildlife, however the reach (focal length) of the 70-300mm Fuji lens was a limiting factor. I took some of my best photographs with the Fuji system, and the Fuji 16-80mm zoom lens was one of my favourite all-round lens. The turning point for me was the launch of the OM Systems OM-1, with a stacked BSI sensor, and subject detection AF, I could have chosen a Nikon, or Canon camera system but the lens selection was limited at that time for the latest mirror-less cameras. I sold all the Fuji gear, and bought a used OM-1 camera for £850, closely followed by a 12-45mm f/4 zoom lens, the 17mm f/1.8 prime (an all time favourite of mine) the 25mm f/1.8, and the 45mm f/1.8 prime. I’ve repurchased the Olympus E-M5 iii, as it’s a great small everyday carry for travel, and general photography. The lens I bought last year was the 60mm f/2.8 macro lens, which has enabled me to take some great insect photos. For bird, and wildlife photography I have been using the Olympus 70-300mm zoom lens, but I’ve just upgraded that to a OM Systems 100-400mm zoom lens, which is stabilised to 7 stops of IBIS on the OM-1, and is fully waterproof, and dustproof. As the micro four thirds sensor is smaller than a full frame sensor, you have to double the focal length to obtain an equivalent viewing angle to a full frame camera, thus the 100-400mm lens becomes equivalent to 200-800mm on a full frame camera. For this coming year I intend to be more focused (no pun intended) on landscape, and wildlife photography, watch this space. Whatever camera, or phone you’re taking photos with just enjoy your hobby, and keep learning and improving.
Good Morning All I hope you all had a very good Christmas and wishing you all a happy new year. I tried to find one photograph that summed up the year. Regards Graham
I hope that everyone has had a very good, and healthy Christmas. For our Programme for the New Year, I shall be running a photo editing workshop on 4th February, I will provide each participating member with an SD card containing example images for us to work together in editing. I shall be using three photo editing apps, which are all free to download and use, the first of which is: FastStone – This is the software that our Society uses for displaying images during our PDI competitions. The software is excellent for reviewing a file of .jpg images, basic edits, and resizing of images. The software is unable to develop RAW images, but does show a thumbnail preview which can be useful for culling a set of RAW images. Microsoft Windows only. Canva Affinity – This is excellent for developing a single RAW image, processing Focus Stacking, and Bracketed Exposure images. The software also can be used for layering, and compositing of images. I will be demonstrating the Focus Stacking, Bracketed Exposures, layering and compositing of images. You will need a Canva account to download this free software which runs on Windows, and Apple Mac. RawTherapee – This is an extremely complex photo editor, but I firmly believe that the software can rival anything that Adobe produces without the bloat, and cost. However the software has a steep learning curve, especially with the masking tools. One of the best features for me is the preview ribbon of a set of images at the top of the screen, I also like the tabbed editing tools, it is also possible to batch process basic edits onto a RAW file using a RawTherapee pp3 file. RawTherapee can be downloaded to Windows, Mac, and Linux. To gain the best from the workshop I would ask members to download all three software apps to their laptops. In addition there are YouTube tutorials on the use of RawTherapee, which I would encourage you to watch, and that way we can work together to understand how to produce the best results from the software. Wishing all our members a very happy, and prosperous New Year.
Good Morning, All, We had a very good last meeting before Christmas, thank you to my partner Jane for her hard work preparing the buffet, also thank you to Tony for preparing the quiz, there were some very good questions with Robin and Heather coming out on top with a fantastic 48 points. Thank you to Harry as well for running the raffle and to everyone who donated a prize. We now start our Christmas break but if you get bored there are things that you could be doing. The first meeting back on 14th January will be a PDI competition, with the categories of "Insects" and "Open", you can start sending entries to Harry now, remember three insect entries and three open entries with an (R) after one entry which will be removed if there are too many entries, but you may use it some other time. Derek sent information regarding the individual LPA PDI competition, it would be good if a few members entered. They do like you to go along on the day of the competition as well if you enter or just go along anyway if you didn't. The Print Of The Year (POTY) competition is held in February, so it would be a good time to look through your prints and sort some out ready. For newer members it may seem a funny time of year but our camera club year runs from the beginning of May to the end of April, all rules are under competitions on our website but the main one is that your entry hasn't been in a print of the year competition before, there are six subjects plus best mono in competition, this can be from any of the subjects. The subjects are Landscape, Pictorial, Nature, Photojournalism / Street, Record and Portrait. Regards Graham
The buffet and quiz evening was one of the highlights of our calendar, it's the culmination of the year's events before the Society takes a Christmas break. The buffet was excellently prepared by Jane, who is Graham's partner, with plenty of delicious food, pork pies, sandwiches, plum bread, with cheese, quiche, mince pies, and cake. Tony Gaskins produced an esoteric quiz, and Robin and Heather scored the most points with 48 points, I scored a miserable 17 points, but we all had a lot of fun with the answers. The raffle raised £47, with some members collecting more prizes than others, amid lots of laughter and banter. Overall it was an excellent evening, enjoyed by all. A big thank you to Jane for the buffet, Tony for the quiz, and Harry for organising the raffle. Wishing all our members, and readers a merry Christmas.
Good Morning, All We did go to the sand racing again last week, the weather was a bit overcast but as no sky is required for this kind of photography, so good action shots are still possible. Last week at the club we held our monthly competition, of prints, with the categories of "People" and "Open". There was a very good entry with some excellent prints. David Whitehouse came first in the People section with Dave Turner winning the Open section. All the results are on our website under competitions with a blog on the evening as well. This week our Christmas buffet and quiz night will be held. The buffet will be provided for you but feel free to bring a drink along with you (a beer or glass of wine if you wish). Dave Mann will also be providing tea and coffee. Tony is doing a quiz for us all so bring a pen and paper if you remember, Christmas jumpers are optional. Harry will be selling raffle tickets, and if you would like to provide a prize please bring it along and give it to Harry. Regards Graham
A print competition was held last night with the categories of “People”, and “Open”. The judge for the evening was Dane Butler, this was his second time judging with us, and he is showing much more confidence in judging at photographic clubs. In the “People” category there was a wide variety of inventive images of people, from solo portrait style, to street, and groups of people, the highest placed print in this category was the “Pride Celebration (Cologne)” taken by David Whitehouse. In the “Open” category Dane had to judge wildlife, portraits, landscape, macro, and architectural prints, I thought he did a superb job, his choice for the top spot was “Cloud Inversion Summit of Snowdon” by Dave Turner. The website Competition page has been updated with the images, and results.
Good Morning All Last week at the club we viewed the Lincolnshire photographic Associations mono group presentation, Dave Turner who goes to the group talked us through the evening with Chris Birchmore and Richard Hildred talking about their photographs. There is a blog on the evening on our website, but inspired by the evening I thought I had better try a few mono photographs myself. This week, Wednesday 10th December, we will hold our monthly print competition, with the categories of "People" and "Open", to be judged by Dane Butler from Dunholme. There are good number of entries so should be a very good competition. The following week, Wednesday 17th December, is our buffet and quiz night, for new members the buffet will be supplied and anyone who would like to donate a raffle prize please give it to Harry. The evening is for members only. Regards Graham
Last night members were treated to a showing of the LPA (Lincolnshire Photographic Association) Mono Group presentation. Three of our members, Dave Turner, Richard Hildred, and Chris Birchmore are members of the LPA Mono Group. Dave Turner excellently presented this showcase of the Mono Groups work, many of the images presented were stunning, and inspirational. A simple photo of a padlock on a gate took on a different dimension when presented in monochrome, and landscape photography becomes dramatic in monochrome, especially with a moody sky. It was a very interesting, and well attended evening. Thank you to Dave Turner for presenting, and Dave Mann for the refreshments.
