Differences between full frame cameras and half frame

[mahfoudhhi]

Good day everyone:
What are the differences between full frame and half frame cameras from all aspects (using zoom lens or wide angle lens)? I will appreciate it if the followings are included:
Sharpness, accuracy and speed of focus, distortion, quality of colors (if it is more vivid).. etc.
I know the following:
full frame takes X1.5 for Nikon and X1.6 for Canon than half frame in terms of angle.
Full frame has more vignetting at the edges than half frame.
full frame cameras use different kind of lenses (half frame lenses will not fit full frame, but the other way around is possible).
thank you in advance. waiting for your nice answers.

[DanK]

Hafedh,

The term commonly used for the smaller sensors is "crop sensor."

The questions you ask are too broad for an answer in a short post. However, there is a tutorial on this site that explains the basics: https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tu...ensor-size.htm. I suggest that you start by reading that and then post questions that this does not answer for you. That will allow us to focus our replies better.

However, I will ignore my own advice for a moment and give you one general answer: for most people, it makes no real difference. I say that as someone who has both a crop sensor camera (Canon 50D) and a full frame camera (Canon 5D Mark III). For certain specific purposes, one or the other is superior. For example, the full frame camera, because it has larger photosites (in turn because it has a lower density of pixels) handles low light conditions considerably better, with less noise. On the other hand, the crop sensor camera, because of its narrower field of view, has much more "reach": with a given lens, you can be farther away from the subject and still fill the frame. This allows you to carry shorter, cheaper, lighter lenses. Conversely, if you are interested in very wide-angle work, or need very narrow depth of field, the full frame format holds an advantage.

However, in many cases, the results will be very similar. Under many conditions, if I took identical photos with the two cameras, processed the images carefully, and posted them on the web (a very low-resolution medium), I doubt you would be able to tell the difference. Even printed at modest sizes, I doubt one could tell.

Therefore, I generally tell people who are not highly experienced that if they don't have a specific need for full frame and don't want to (1) spend a lot more money, and (2) carry heavier equipment, they can forget about this and buy a crop sensor camera. Today's crop sensor cameras are very good instruments.

Dan

[RustBeltRaw]

Sharpness, accuracy and speed of focus, distortion, quality of colors (if it is more vivid).. etc.

The sensor's size has no effect on these factors. Generally speaking, larger sensors are found on higher-end cameras, and frequently produce more (subjectively) pleasing/vivid colors. While this is inherent to a given sensor, it has nothing to do with the sensor's size. One advantage of a big sensor is (generally) reduced noise, provided that other electronics in the camera, plus the manufacturer's noise algorithms, are up to the task.

Sharpness, focus speed, and distortion are all primarily determined by your lens.

full frame takes X1.5 for Nikon and X1.6 for Canon than half frame in terms of angle.

The 1.5x and 1.6x multipliers apply to focal length. While the lens's angular field of view is related to the focal length, it's not quite as simple as dividing the field of view angle by the focal length multiplier.

Full frame has more vignetting at the edges than half frame.

Most lenses vignette at the corners. On full frame, you can see the vignetting. On crop frame, the most-vignetted areas are hidden, since the sensor is only seeing light from the middle of the lens. So a full frame sensor is more likely to see any vignetting in a lens, but using a crop sensor doesn't guarantee no vignetting.

full frame cameras use different kind of lenses (half frame lenses will not fit full frame, but the other way around is possible).

Generally true. Within a given camera mount, most full-frame lenses will work on crop-frame cameras.

[HaseebM]

Hafedh,

..the full frame camera, because it has larger photosites (in turn because it has a lower density of pixels) handles low light conditions considerably better, with less noise.
Dan

If I could afford one, the above one reason alone is enough for me as I indulge in astrophotography.

[krispix]

Most lenses vignette at the corners. On full frame, you can see the vignetting. On crop frame, the most-vignetted areas are hidden, since the sensor is only seeing light from the middle of the lens. So a full frame sensor is more likely to see any vignetting in a lens, but using a crop sensor doesn't guarantee no vignetting.

I can't agree with this statement, I'm afraid. The fact is that ALL lenses vignette at the corners due to the circular image projection. Whether this vignetting is visible is dependent on the size and placement of the sensor in relation to the image plane. If you use a lens designed for a crop-sensor arrangement on a full-frame camera you will, almost certainly, end up with vignetting in the corners. This is why crop-sensor lenses are much smaller, lighter and cheaper than their full-frame counterparts. As long as the lens you use is designed for the format you're employing it on you should not suffer any vignetting problems. However, as with all things in this life, you get what you pay for and if you buy a plastic lens from China that retails at 1/10th the price of the lens produced by your camera manufacturer, then all things are possible - vignetting being just one of them.

[DanK]

As long as the lens you use is designed for the format you're employing it on you should not suffer any vignetting problems.

That's not correct. Lots of lenses vignette noticeably when used with their intended format. For example, check this review. Some software includes lens-specific corrections for this. The relevance to the OP's question is that if a lens designed to be used on FF vignettes on a FF, it will vignette less or not at all on a crop sensor because the outter parts of the image circle don't fall on the sensor. The review I linked has photos showing this.

[chauncey]

One reason to choose that crop sensor camera is...consider the fact that the center portion of any FF lens is the "sweet spot" of that lens and that this is the very portion of the lens that a crop sensor utilizes.
Kinda like having your cake and eating it to.

[rambler4466]

To follow up on Dank's 8:05 comments, rather than invest in a full frame for wide angle advantages etc. why not, when framing a scene with a "crop camera", just drop back 20 feet or so, maybe less??, and bingo, you create a "full frame view".

[mahfoudhhi]

Thank you very much everyone for the very good info., especially for those who put extra effort in writing their comments.
Any more please?

[RobertsMx]

I can't agree with this statement, I'm afraid. The fact is that ALL lenses vignette at the corners due to the circular image projection. Whether this vignetting is visible is dependent on the size and placement of the sensor in relation to the image plane. If you use a lens designed for a crop-sensor arrangement on a full-frame camera you will, almost certainly, end up with vignetting in the corners. This is why crop-sensor lenses are much smaller, lighter and cheaper than their full-frame counterparts. As long as the lens you use is designed for the format you're employing it on you should not suffer any vignetting problems. However, as with all things in this life, you get what you pay for and if you buy a plastic lens from China that retails at 1/10th the price of the lens produced by your camera manufacturer, then all things are possible - vignetting being just one of them.

Chris, I think the point originally made assumed that FF lenses are generally used on APS-C. In that case, the vignetting (and in fact sharpness across the frame) can be expected to be better in crop frame because the smaller sensor is discarding the edges.

[Colin Southern]

Vignetting has largely become a moot point; Yes, it happens, but for the most part its minor, and it's a trivial matter to correct in post-production (in fact many packages will do this automatically).

To the OP: Full Frame and Crop-Factor each have their own strengths and weaknesses -- ultimately which is better for any given situation depends on what that situation is. For example, if you're shooting dangerous amimals from a distance the crop-factor camera may well allow you to buy a much cheaper 400mm lens rather than a far more expensive 600mm lens. On the other hand, if you want to shoot very low light subjects, you may well benefit from better noise characteristics of a FF camera.

[inkista]

Here's the difference. But you may not be able to see it.

Full frame:

5DmkII. EF 24-105 f/4L IS USM. @24mm.

Half-frame (2x crop)

Panasonic DMC-G3. Lumix G 20mm f/1.7. (@40mm equiv.)

[mahfoudhhi]

Thank you for the two pictures, but the two are different than each other (different view, different circumstances maybe) and the colors and light in the second one is better, I guess!!

[benm]

I have found two major differences between full-frame and crop:
1. Full-frame has a wider field of view so it is easier to acquire the target (birds-in-flight or anything else that is moving).
2. Full-frame does not need to be enlarged as much as a crop-frame to obtain the same picture size so noise is less apparent.

[Colin Southern]

I have found two major differences between full-frame and crop:
1. Full-frame has a wider field of view so it is easier to acquire the target (birds-in-flight or anything else that is moving).

But the flip-side to that is the bird will contain less detail on the FF camera (assuming same lens and same pixel count)

2. Full-frame does not need to be enlarged as much as a crop-frame to obtain the same picture size so noise is less apparent.

Depends on how you look at it. If you want the FF camera to show the same field of view as the image taken with the crop-factor camera then you need to firstly crop the image and then enlarge what's left, which makes any noise more visible.

If both cameras have the same pixel count (one FF and the other CF) - and are of similar vintage technology - then generally the FF camera will have lower noise to start with though (due to larger photoreceptors).

[Colin Southern]

Thank you for the two pictures, but the two are different than each other (different view, different circumstances maybe) and the colors and light in the second one is better, I guess!!

For all intents and purposes, there's ZERO difference in "colour and light" between FF and CF cameras; the differences you see above are due to different exposures and/or processing. Pretty much the ONLY difference you'll see for most photography will be the difference in the field of view.

[RobertsMx]

Good day everyone:
What are the differences between full frame and half frame cameras from all aspects (using zoom lens or wide angle lens)? I will appreciate it if the followings are included:
1-Sharpness, accuracy and speed of focus, distortion, quality of colors (if it is more vivid).. etc.
I know the following:
2-full frame takes X1.5 for Nikon and X1.6 for Canon than half frame in terms of angle.
3-Full frame has more vignetting at the edges than half frame.
4-full frame cameras use different kind of lenses (half frame lenses will not fit full frame, but the other way around is possible).
thank you in advance. waiting for your nice answers.

I numbered your questions for convenience.
1- Those aren't necessarily dependent on sensor size. Of these, AF speed could potentially be quicker with smaller sensor.

2-Yes. Sony, Pentax and Nikon APS-C sensors have a 1.5x crop factor. Canon uses slightly smaller APS-C sensor, hence 1.6x. All that really means is that the field of view for same Focal Length is narrower on APS-C by that factor, which also affects DOF.

3-Not necessarily. Full frame cameras use full frame lenses. APS-C cameras use full frame or APS-C lenses. When former, the APS-C sensors use only central part of the (full frame) lens which helps reduce vignetting and reduce "corner issues" because it goes unused. However, this luxury goes away when APS-C cameras are equipped with APS-C lenses.

4-Well, in case of Sony and Nikon, FF cameras can use APS-C lenses, and vice versa. When using APS-C lenses on FF Sony, for example, the user can select APS-C mode ("On": Forces APS-C mode, "Off": continues as FF which will result in vignetting due to smaller image circle of APS-C lenses, "Auto": to allow camera to automatically detect if APS-C lens is being used or FF). In case of Canon, the situation is different, hence EF and EF-S lenses. EF-S lenses can interfere with mirror movement on FF camera so the compatibility is missing.

For example, if you put Sony Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 E lens ("E" identifies the lens as APS-C in Sony's nomenclature) on A7r which is a 36MP full frame camera, and have menu option set to "Crop Mode: Auto or On", the camera will use only central "APS-C sized" portion of the sensor basically making the camera perform like a 16MP APS-C camera.

In this case, the lens - sensor combination will produce a field of view and depth of field comparable to using a 35mm f/2.8 lens on FF sensor.

[mahfoudhhi]

Thank you very much Ben Manu and 'Have a guess'.
very good addition.
Thank you Kathy Li, although I could not figure out the main difference!!