Hi, everybody. Welcome to Episode 53 of the Photography Explained Podcast. I’m your host, Rick, and in each episode I will explain one photographic thing in plain English in less than 10 minutes (ish) without the irrelevant details. I explain things in just enough detail to help you and me with our photography.
What I tell you is based on my lifetime of photographic experience, not Google. Well, there might be the odd thing that I have to look up but mainly this is the stuff that I know. Ok in this one there was stuff I needed to look up.
Still not got the polished intro I was looking for – still having to read it out. I think the fact I’ve reworded it didn’t really help me because I’ve done 50 episodes of the same intro and never managed to get it just right.
Anyway. Let’s get into this one.
What is a crop sensor camera explained in less than 10 minutes? Here is the answery bit.
A cropped sensor camera has a smaller sensor than a full-frame camera. Cropped sensor cameras are generally cheaper and smaller than full-frame cameras. Cropped sensor cameras have a crop factor applied to the focal length of any lens, meaning that 50mm on a full-frame camera is effectively circa 80mm on a cropped sensor camera. Cropped sensor cameras have a greater depth of field than full-frame cameras.
Okay, that was the formal bit – now let’s do a bit of explaining.
You can listen to the episode here
Or keep on reading. Or do both. Entirely up to you!
(Crop sensor camera = cropped sensor = crop sensor ok?)
What is a camera sensor?
This is the bit at the back of the camera that records the image. It’s where the film used to be back in the day. And yeah, I’m old enough to know what film cameras were because that’s what I started off using.
So what is a cropped sensor?
Let’s go through this one more time.
- A full frame camera sensor is 36mm x 24mm
- A micro four-thirds sensor (which I covered in the last episode) is 18mm x 13.5mm
So crop sensors, they’re the ones in the middle.
A cropped camera sensor is smaller than a full-frame camera sensor and larger than a Micro Four Thirds camera sensor. Now if you are thinking a Micro Four Thirds camera is a cropped sensor camera think again.
Cropped sensor sizes
This is the bit I had to research because it does vary slightly.
So how big is a cropped sensor?
- Canon EOS 400 D (according to the Canon website) – 22.3mm x 14.9mm
- Canon EOS 90 D – 22.3mm x 14.8mm.
Don’t worry this will make sense.
- Nikon D3 (according to the Nikon website) – 23.5mm x 15.6mm
- Nikon D7500 – 23.5mm by 15.7mm.
So this varies slightly with Canon and Nikon. Are there any other manufacturers out there? Yes, there are.
- Sony Alpha 6000 (according to the Sony website) – 23.5mm x 15.6mm
- Fuji XT 4 (according to the Fuji website) – 23.5mm x 15.6mm
So what comes out of all those painful numbers?
The Canon (copped) sensor is a different size from Nikon, Sony, and Fuji. So there are two slightly different sizes but the principles are all the same. The crop factors vary slightly, but we’ll get on to that.
Nikon, Fuji, and Sony are all pretty much the same, to within point one of a millimetre which is good enough for me. But they’re slightly different on Canon (cameras).
A quick word on Fuji
Yeah, before I go on, as I’m talking about cropped sensor cameras, the Fuji system is based on cropped sensor cameras. But we’ll get onto this term later.
Fuji doesn’t do a full-frame version. There isn’t an alternative – that is it. Their entire system is based on the cropped sensor.
Why is sensor size so important?
If you go to episode eight (of the Photography Explained Podcast), Why Is Camera Sensor Size Important? You can find out lots more about this.
Okay, let’s move on. We’re going to try and beat the 15 minutes of the last episode.
APS-C – What does this mean?
Cropped sensor cameras are also referred to as APS-C cameras. And I wish that they were not.
This is a real hangover back to a film camera system called the Advanced Photo System (APS). I find this term does not help in any way shape or form. So I don’t want to say any more about it. If you see an APS-C that is referring to a cropped sensor camera, that’s all you need to know. What it stands for just, it’s irrelevant.
Go back 20-30 years and it might have relevance. So let’s forget that. Let’s stick with cropped sensor cameras ok?
Next point – is a Micro Four Thirds camera a cropped sensor camera?
The answer is no, but this is not important. I treat it differently because it’s a different (camera) system. I covered it in the last episode. So if you want to know more, go back to 52. What Is A Micro Four Thirds Camera Explained In Less Than 10 Minutes where I talked just about Micro Four Thirds.
Okay, crop factor.
Now we need to go back to the beginning of full-frame. On a full-frame camera, a 50mm lens is 50mm and this is the standard view, the same as the human eye sees.
With an APS-C sensor. I’ve done it, I’ve used the term I hate.
With a cropped sensor camera (that’s better), the crop factor for Canon is 1.6. And for the others (Sony, Fuji, and Nikon) it is 1.5. What does this mean?
You put a 50mm lens on a cropped sensor camera, there is a crop factor. So like I say on a Canon it is 1.6. So you multiply the focal length by 1.6, which equals 80. So a 50mm lens on an APS-C camera sorry a 50mm focal length on a cropped sensor camera (I still have APS-C on my screen – that’s why I keep on saying it!). A 50mm focal length on a cropped sensor Canon camera is (effectively) 80mm. And with my lightning-quick maths on the others is (effectively) 75mm.
Yeah, I said last time on an Olympus Micro Four Thirds camera, or Panasonic for that matter, it’s a two times crop factor, which means (50mm) would (effectively) be 100mm.
Okay, so that’s the crop factor, now depth of field.
Now then, this is the one that I still can’t get my head around.
A full-frame camera has less depth of field than an APS-C. Camera. I’ve done it again. I’m going to start that one again.
A full-frame camera has less depth of field at an equivalent focal length than a cropped sensor camera. It’s all to do with optics, dimensions, and stuff that I will never understand. That’s all I need to know. That’s all I’m going to tell you.
Cropped sensor cameras are in general terms cheaper than full-frame cameras. Mainly because the sensor is smaller and sensors are expensive.
Smaller APS-C cameras.
I’ve done it again. Shoot me now. Cropped sensor cameras are generally smaller than full-frame cameras. This is because the sensor is smaller, and therefore everything around it is scaled down a little bit.
What about lenses?
This is one of those really odd things. Let me just tell you this one. You cannot use a Canon lens for a cropped sensor camera (which is an EF-S lens) on a full-frame camera.
But you can use a full-frame Canon lens (which is an EF lens) on a crop sensor camera.
Okay, nice and clear. It’s one to bear in mind for the future.
Okay, so do I need a crop sensor camera or a full-frame camera?
The number one answer to any question in photography is (it seems) – it depends.
- What are your aspirations?
- What’s your budget?
- How big do you want to print your photos?
I did make the point last week and I’ll make it again here because it’s equally relevant. When I do work for architects and I give them the photos, they can’t tell if the photos are taken with a Micro Four Thirds camera or a full-frame camera.
Most people are just looking at things on screens these days.
And I proved this, which I mentioned in the last episode – worth mentioning (which I will). I took some photos on the Micro Four Thirds camera and issued them to the same client who’s had photos from me for a number of years now taken with a full-frame camera.
Nobody said anything, nobody noticed any difference (no one knew). And I had a good old zoom in and there was plenty of detail.
So don’t worry about it too much.
Rubbish cameras
This isn’t on my notes. This is just a thought that came into my head.
It’s really hard to buy a rubbish camera these days. The most basic camera can produce fantastic photos. But the massive generalisation is the more money you spend, the better the quality of the images that you can create. Can, not will.
So get the best camera you can, get the best lens you can (that you can afford and need) and learn to use them – and that’s more important.
What do I do?
Well, I use a Canon 6D full-frame camera. And I also use an Olympus EM5 Mk2 which is a Micro Four Thirds camera. I use the Canon 6D for my architectural and construction photography work and the Olympus for travel and personal work.
Why is that?
It’s just what I’m used to to be honest with you. I’ve had the Canon 6D for years and before that a Canon 5D. It’s my workhorse camera.
And the Olympus camera?
I got the Olympus camera quite recently so I’ve never transitioned over to micro four thirds for my architectural work. There isn’t any real reason why not, I still get great photos.
But I’m talking about APS-C aren’t I (done it again – said APS-C again. I’ve got a thing about APS-C in my head. Now I’ll probably go to sleep saying APS-C over and over and over which is going to give me nightmares).
Me and crop sensor cameras
I’ve had lots of crop sensor cameras in the past. The first one was a Fuji. I think it’s an ST-X 1 – oh no that was a 35mm (film camera), sorry.
No, but I have had lots of Canon cropped sensor cameras, and they’ve all been brilliant. And I don’t look at photos taken with a (basic) Canon cropped sensor camera from 15 years ago, and look at them and think they look rubbish, I don’t. I don’t notice a difference (I just appreciate the content).
They really are good.
My one-line summary.
A cropped sensor camera has a smaller sensor than a full-frame camera and is generally cheaper and smaller than a full-frame camera.
Next episode.
Why would you spend more money on something bigger than a full-frame camera? Even bigger than a cropped sensor camera? Why are there bigger cameras at all?
Great question Rick. What am I talking about?
There are medium format and large format cameras – what are these? These are the very expensive holy grails for some photographers.
I don’t need one. But I’d love one.
And in the next episode, I will tell you what they are and why (I want one).
I’d like one. Like I say I don’t need one. I just want one. Okay, I’m done.
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Thank you
Thank you for listening to my small book perfectly formed podcast
My websites
Check out Rick McEvoy Photography To find out more about me and my photography blog, and also the Photography Explained Podcast website where you can find out all about this podcast, what I’m going to answer and you can ask me a question of your own.
I probably need to update the subject list now because it’s grown enormously because every time I do an episode I find three or four or five things that I need to explain.
This episode was brought to you very much by the power of morning optimism. It’s just gone noon, oh failed on that, and the faint chance that I’m actually getting the hang of this. Now I wrote that before I recorded this – clearly I’m not. Apologies for the stumbling. I’ve gone over time again. I’ll try and get back to my 10 minutes on the next one.
So I’ve been Rick McEvoy. Thanks again very much for listening to me and for giving me 14 minutes and 45 seconds of your valuable time, and I will see you on the next episode.
Cheers from me Rick
OK – that was the podcast episode.
Want to know more?
Head over to the Start page on the Photography Explained Podcast website to find out more.
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Let me know if there is a photography thing that you want me to explain and I will add it to my list. Just head over to the This is my list of things to explain page of this website to see what is on there already.
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And finally a little bit about me
Finally, yes this paragraph is all about me – check out my Rick McEvoy Photography website to find out more about me and my architectural, construction, real estate and travel photography work. I also write about general photography stuff, all in plain English without the irrelevant detail.
Thank you
Thanks for listening to my podcast (if you did) and reading this blog post (which I assume you have done as you are reading this).
Cheers from me Rick
