APS-C vs full-frame is a story as previous as time, and as a images journalist, I’m undoubtedly responsible of stoking the flames. But lately, I watched a YouTube video from a incredible creator referred to as Cam Mackey, and he simplified the entire debate into two phrases which have caught in my thoughts ever since: “different looks”.
On a shoot the place he was evaluating the Leica M11 and Fujifilm X100VI, he talked in regards to the totally different codecs. Granted, he did acknowledge that there’s an enormous distinction between the 2, stating: “people out there that say: “Oh, full-frame vs crop sensor, it doesn’t matter,”” agreeing that in some instances it doesn’t, earlier than persevering with, “But those same people will also say: “Oh, medium format’s superior to full-frame””.
And as a predominantly full-frame photographer, I’ve undoubtedly heard that argument again and again. But right here’s the true factor I took away from the video: “So, you definitely get different looks, and you get different image quality, and you get a whole different feel from each sensor size.”
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I completely love this sentiment. It’s such a easy approach to consider sensor measurement, however creatively, it’s a more healthy approach than merely dismissing one or the opposite as higher or worse. After all, they do provide you with totally different appears and totally different benefits. That’s why totally different sensor sizes exist – selection is the spice of life!
APS-C vs full-frame
The largest distinction between an APS-C picture and a full-frame picture is the crop factor. If both images are shot with the same lens, in the same position, with the same exposure settings, the APS-C image will appear zoomed in. If you cropped the full-frame image down to the exact composition of the APS-C image, it will look identical.
A big difference you usually hear people talk about is that full-frame cameras will give you a shallower depth of field and APS-C cameras will compress the image. But technically, an APS-C camera doesn’t produce a larger depth of field, nor does it produce more compression. The perceived difference is simply due to the crop factor.
Use the same lens on both bodies, and you’ll have to get closer to the subject with the full-frame camera, producing a shallower depth of field. And due to the cropped field of view on the APS-C camera, the image might look more compressed at a glance, but if you cropped a full-frame version of that image to the size of the APS-C image, the compression would look identical.
Another point that I often think about is that a lot of full-frame photographers heavily crop their images. But if you know a photographer uses a full-frame camera, you never question it. Ultimately, there’s no doubting that there’s a different quality to a medium format image, a full-frame image, and a crop-sensor image, but at the end of the day, there are way too many variables to simply crown one better than the other. It’s kind of like ranking the greatest bands of all time: everyone has a different taste in music, even if it’s definitely Queen. I digress…
Different cameras for different purposes
There’s a reason why so many photographers end up having multiple cameras with multiple sensor sizes, and that’s because they’re different tools that excel at different applications. A lot of street photographers favor crop-sensor cameras, and a lot of professional portrait photographers favor medium format or full-frame cameras.
In recent years, APS-C has become more and more popular. A lot of this is down to Fujifilm’s excellent selection of X-series cameras. APS-C is also the choice of format for a lot of very popular Instagram photographers, especially those who capture street or travel photography.
So, if you’re choosing between an APS-C and full-frame camera or feel you need to ‘upgrade’ to a full-frame camera, think to yourself: you can still capture incredible imagery on both. At the end of the day, you’re getting “different looks”.
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