144:("Film") since multiplying a lens focal length by the crop factor gives the focal length of a lens that would yield the same field of view if used on the reference format. For example, a lens with a 50 mm focal length on an imaging area with a crop factor of 1.6 with respect to the reference format (usually 35 mm) will yield the same field of view that a lens with an 80 mm focal length will yield on the reference format. If it is desired to capture an image with the same field of view and image quality but different cameras, the aperture and ISO settings also need to be adjusted with respect to the crop factor. The focal length of the lens does not change by using a smaller imaging area; the field of view is correspondingly smaller because a smaller area of the image circle cast by the lens is used by the smaller imaging area.
328:
336:"1/1.8-inch" format with a 9 mm sensor diagonal has a crop factor of almost 5 relative to the 43.3 mm diagonal of 35 mm film. Therefore, these cameras are equipped with lenses that are about one-fifth of the focal lengths that would be typical on a 35 mm point-and-shoot film camera. In most cases, manufacturers label their cameras and lenses with their actual focal lengths, but in some cases they have chosen to instead multiply by the crop factor (focal length multiplier) and label the
373:
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192:-sized image sensors, smaller than the standard 36 × 24 mm (35 mm) film frame. The result is that the image sensor captures image data from a smaller area than a 35 mm film SLR camera would, effectively cropping out the edges of the image that would be captured by the 36 mm × 24 mm 'full-size' film frame.
210:, but on a camera with a 1.6 crop factor, an image made with the same lens will have the same field of view that a full-frame camera would make with a ~45 mm lens (28 × 1.6 = 44.8). This narrowing of the FOV is a disadvantage to photographers when a wide FOV is desired. Ultra-wide lens designs become merely wide;
400:
as a non-cropped (full-frame) 35 mm camera, but enlarging the image to a given reference size, will yield a reduced depth of field. On the other hand, using a different lens with the same field of view as the non-cropped camera (matching the 35 mm-equivalent focal length), at same f-number,
408:
The extra amount of enlargement required with smaller-format cameras increases the blur due to defocus, and also increases the blur due to camera motion (shake). As a result, the focal length that can be reliably hand-held at a given shutter speed for a sharp image is reduced by the crop factor. The
314:
lenses, Sigma DC lenses, Tamron Di-II lenses, Pentax DA lenses, Fujifilm XF and XC lenses, and Sony Alpha (SAL) DT & E lenses. Such lenses usually project a smaller image circle than lenses that were designed for the full-frame 35 mm format. Nevertheless, the crop factor or FLM of a camera
417:
around the edges can give better results on a smaller sensor. However, since the image projected onto the sensor must be magnified more to make a print using a smaller sensor, lenses used on smaller formats must deliver a higher-resolution image to the sensor for acceptable quality and the smaller
335:
Smaller, non-DSLR, consumer cameras, typically referred to as point-and-shoot cameras, can also be characterized as having a crop factor or FLM relative to 35 mm format, even though they do not use interchangeable lenses or lenses designed for a different format. For example, the so-called
306:
that would not cover a 24×36 mm frame, but is large enough to cover the smaller 16×24 mm (or smaller) sensor in most DSLRs. Because they cast a smaller image circle, the lenses can be optimized to use less glass and are sometimes physically smaller and lighter than those designed for
368:
A given lens casts the same image no matter what camera it is attached to. The extra "magnification" occurs when the image is enlarged more to produce output (print or screen) that matches a standard output size. That is, the magnification, as usually defined from subject to focal plane, is
412:
Many photographic lenses produce a more superior image in the center of the frame than around the edges. When using a lens designed to expose a 35 mm film frame with a smaller-format sensor, only the central "sweet spot" of the image is used; a lens that is unacceptably soft or
356:
to produce greater magnification on crop-factor cameras than they do on full-frame cameras. This is an advantage in, for example, bird photography, where photographers often strive to get the maximum "reach". A camera with a smaller sensor can be preferable to using a
30:
The outer, red box displays what a 24×36 mm sensor would see, the inner, blue box displays what a 15×23 mm sensor would see. (The actual image circle of most lenses designed for 35 mm SLR format would extend further beyond the red box than shown in the above
285:, and are made using similar technology, the larger sensor will have better signal-to-noise ratio by a factor equal to the ratio of the two sensors' crop factors. The larger sensor has the smaller crop factor and the higher signal-to-noise ratio.
176:
cameras which had sensors smaller than the 35 mm film format, but often utilized existing 35 mm film format SLR lens mounts. Using an FLM of 1.5, for example, a photographer might say that a 50 mm lens on a DSLR "acts like" its
222:
to fill the frame more easily when the subject is far away. A 300 mm lens on a camera with a 1.6 crop factor delivers images with the same FOV that a 35 mm film format camera would require a 480 mm long focus lens to capture.
343:
For example, the Canon
Powershot SD600 lens is labeled with its actual focal length range of 5.8–17.4 mm. But it is sometimes described in reviews as a 35–105 mm lens, since it has a crop factor of about 6 ("1/2.5-inch" format).
301:
Most SLR camera and lens manufacturers have addressed the concerns of wide-angle lens users by designing lenses with shorter focal lengths, optimized for the DSLR formats. In most cases, these lenses are designed to cast a smaller
135:
276:
Since crop factor is inversely proportional to the square root of sensor area (to within a small aspect ratio-dependent factor), it is useful for estimating image sensor performance. For example, if two different-sized
409:
old rule of thumb that shutter speed should be at least equal to focal length (in millimetres) for hand-holding will work equivalently if the actual focal length is multiplied by the FLM first before applying the rule.
404:
Perspective is a property that depends only on viewpoint (camera position). But if moving a lens to a smaller-format camera causes a photographer to move further from the subject, then the perspective will be affected.
315:
has the same effect on the relationship between field of view and focal length with these lenses as with any other lens, even though the projected image is not as severely "cropped". In this sense, the term
352:
The crop factor is sometimes referred to as "magnification factor", "focal length factor" or "focal length multiplier". This usage reflects the observation that lenses of a given focal length
181:
has been multiplied by 1.5, which means that it has the same field of view as a 75 mm lens on the film camera that they are more familiar with. Of course, the actual focal length of a
137:. Given the same 3:2 aspect ratio as 35mm's 36 mm × 24 mm area, this is equivalent to the ratio of heights or ratio of widths; the ratio of sensor areas is the square of the crop factor.
140:
The crop factor is sometimes used to compare the field of view and image quality of different cameras with the same lens. The crop factor is sometimes referred to as the
78:. The most commonly used definition of crop factor is the ratio of a 35 mm frame's diagonal (43.3 mm) to the diagonal of the image sensor in question; that is,
923:
896:
385:
When a lens designed for 35 mm format is used on a smaller-format DSLR, besides the obvious reduction in field of view, there may be secondary effects on
989:
81:
840:
340:. Reviewers also sometimes use the 35 mm-equivalent focal length as a way to characterize the field of view of a range of cameras in common terms.
997:
199:(FOV) is reduced by a factor proportional to the ratio between the smaller sensor size and the 35 mm film format (reference) size.
396:
The depth of field may change, depending on what conditions are compared. Shooting from the same position, with the same lens and same
418:
sensor must have higher SNR in order to compensate the reduced amount of light captured by the lens actually hitting on the sensor.
156:
A 50 mm lens on an APS-C format (crop factor 1.6) images a slightly smaller field of view than a 70 mm lens on a 35 mm camera.
906:
206:
cameras, this factor is 1.3–2.0×. For example, a 28 mm lens delivers a moderately wide-angle FOV on a 35 mm format
218:'. However, the crop factor can be an advantage to photographers when a narrow FOV is desired. It allows photographers with
960:
Defined here as the ratio of the vertical height of a full 35 frame to that of the sensor format, that is CF=Height
319:
sometimes has confusing implications; the alternative term "focal length multiplier" is sometimes used for this reason.
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is fixed by its optical construction, and does not change with the format of the sensor that is put behind it.
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An APS-C format SLR (left) and a full-frame DSLR (right) show the difference in the size of the image sensors.
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Lenses designed for the smaller digital formats include Canon EF-S and EF-M lenses, Nikon DX lenses, Olympus
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photographers understand how their existing ranges of lenses would perform on newly introduced
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Some manufacturers provide both the real focal length and the 35 mm equivalent focal length
8:
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36:
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130:{\displaystyle {\text{CF}}={\text{diag}}_{35{\text{mm}}}/{\text{diag}}_{\text{sensor}}}
63:
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Field-of-view crop in cameras of different sensor size but the same lens focal length.
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as a reference. In the case of digital cameras, the imaging device would be a digital
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unchanged, but the system magnification from subject to final output is increased.
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Multiplier factor in digital imaging, compared to 35mm film camera focal length
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273:(SNR) and sensor unity gain both scale with the square root of pixel area.
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of the lens, and can therefore degrade the performance of the autofocus.
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Digital Travel
Photography: Shooting People and Places Like the Pros
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compared to a reference format; most often, this term is applied to
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71:
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19:"Magnification factor" redirects here. Not to be confused with
26:
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52:
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1/1.8" (high-end compacts like Canon
Powershot G1 - G7/S90)
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Affects of crop factor on focal length, aperture, and ISO.
393:, camera-motion blur, and other photographic parameters.
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than smaller sensors. Due to the statistics of photon
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Depending on aspect ratio; 2 is most commonly used.
281:have the same aspect ratio and a resolution of 10
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474:1/2.3" (compacts and compact superzooms, earlier
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401:the smaller camera's depth of field is greater.
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228:Image sensor format § Table_of_sensor_sizes
434:Crop factor figures are useful in calculating
854:"Digital Camera Sensor Performance Summary"
500:1/1.7" (high-end compacts, later Pentax Q)
168:were coined to help 35 mm film format
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845:
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951:, Full frame vs crop camera comparisons.
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188:Most DSLRs on the market have nominally
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323:Crop factor of point-and-shoot cameras
241:, for example for a fixed focal-plane
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195:Because of this crop, the effective
58:is the ratio of the dimensions of a
430:Comparison of camera sensor formats
257:and hence produce images with less
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990:DSLR Crop/Magnification Factor on
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361:, because the latter affects the
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442:. Some common crop factors are:
823:Lenses for SLR and DSLR cameras
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440:35 mm equivalent magnification
269:, the desirable properties of
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998:"Focal Length Multiplier" on
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803:35 mm equivalent focal length
463:and point-and-shoot cameras)
436:35 mm equivalent focal length
338:35 mm equivalent focal length
233:Estimating sensor performance
925:Advanced Digital Photography
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796:
598:(prior to Merrill cameras)
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1038:
1000:Digital Photography Review
901:. Sterling Publishing Co.
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18:
220:long-focal-length lenses
166:focal length multiplier
142:focal length multiplier
49:focal length multiplier
1022:Science of photography
992:The Luminous-Landscape
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32:
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271:signal-to-noise ratio
226:Further information:
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21:Optical magnification
552:Canon Powershot G7 X
348:Magnification factor
307:full-frame cameras.
82:
1006:Digital Crop Factor
895:Dan Heller (2007).
818:Image sensor format
422:Common crop factors
37:digital photography
949:Ophrys Photography
884:Canon SD600 specs.
566:4/3" / Four Thirds
432:
378:
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312:Four Thirds System
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33:
928:. Amphoto Books.
908:978-1-57990-973-4
874:Common confusions
794:
793:
657:Minolta/Sony α DT
544:Sony RX100-series
381:Secondary effects
212:wide-angle lenses
208:full-frame camera
183:photographic lens
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72:35 mm film format
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984:External links
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279:image sensors
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253:capture more
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251:image sensors
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247:exposure time
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857:. Retrieved
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756:Fujifilm GFX
517:Fujifilm X20
513:Fujifilm X10
454:Crop factor
433:
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407:
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384:
367:
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304:image circle
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261:and greater
237:For a given
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201:
194:
187:
179:focal length
165:
161:
159:
148:Introduction
141:
139:
76:image sensor
64:imaging area
48:
44:
40:
34:
752:Pentax 645D
451:Height (mm)
391:perspective
317:crop factor
259:image noise
243:illuminance
162:crop factor
41:crop factor
859:2007-12-06
829:References
774:Hasselblad
740:Hasselblad
710:Pentax K-1
653:Samsung NX
540:Nikon 1/CX
283:megapixels
267:shot noise
160:The terms
964:/ Height
782:Phase One
748:Phase One
645:Ricoh GXR
574:Panasonic
568:(used by
548:Sony RX10
525:Sony F717
521:Sony F828
461:superzoom
249:, larger
202:For most
1016:Category
797:See also
722:Sony RX1
718:FE-Mount
706:Nikon FX
702:Leica M9
698:Canon EF
680:Leica M8
649:Ricoh GR
647:, &
641:Pentax K
637:Nikon DX
623:General
476:Pentax Q
398:f-number
363:f-number
239:exposure
214:become '
674:APS-H (
590:1.84–2
570:Olympus
255:photons
31:image.)
966:sensor
932:
905:
714:Sony α
659:&
609:Canon
511:2/3" (
216:normal
123:sensor
60:camera
51:of an
39:, the
790:0.64
787:40.40
764:0.79
761:33.00
727:24.00
685:18.60
676:Canon
666:15.60
625:APS-C
615:14.80
611:APS-C
601:13.80
190:APS-C
53:image
47:, or
962:24mm
930:ISBN
903:ISBN
778:Leaf
744:Leaf
730:1.0
688:1.3
669:1.5
618:1.6
604:1.7
582:MILC
580:and
578:DSLR
576:for
572:and
560:2.7
557:8.80
538:1" (
533:3.9
530:6.60
506:4.5
503:5.70
495:4.8
492:5.32
484:5.6
481:4.55
469:6.0
466:4.29
448:Type
438:and
415:dark
354:seem
245:and
204:DSLR
174:DSLR
164:and
118:diag
96:diag
170:SLR
62:'s
35:In
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550:/
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478:)
389:,
105:mm
101:35
87:CF
43:,
968:.
938:.
911:.
862:.
772:(
738:(
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627:(
112:/
91:=
23:.
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