Is Full Frame Still the Best?

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The Nikon D800, a 36.3 megapixel full frame camera.

For many years photographers have accepted that, when it comes to image quality, a full frame camera beats one with a smaller sensor every time. Let’s look at some of the reasons why.

Advantages of full frame cameras

Full frame camera sensors have larger pixels. This means they create images with less noise and all-round better image quality.
Full frame cameras usually have more megapixels. While this doesn’t matter to most photographers, it may be useful if your client demands large images or you want to make large prints.
There are more wide-angle primes available. If you prefer prime lenses to zooms, you have more choice at shorter focal lengths with a full frame camera.
Legacy lenses can be used as intended. If you own a 24mm prime lens that you used with a 35mm film camera, you can use it exactly the same way on a full frame camera. On a camera with a smaller sensor the crop factor means you are effectively using a longer focal length.
There is less depth-of-field at any given aperture, and focal length setting, than there is with the equivalent focal length on an APS-C camera. For example, a photo taken at f/2.8 with an 85mm lens on a full frame camera has less depth-of-field than one taken at f2.8 on with a 50mm lens on an APS-C camera even though the field-of-view of both lenses is approximately the same. This is a benefit if you like to create photos with bokeh.
The top cameras in a manufacturer’s range are usually full frame. Let’s say you want to buy a durable, weatherproofed, Canon EOS camera, designed to handle everything a professional photographer could possibly throw at it – then you need the EOS-1D X. An APS-C (cropped sensor) version of this camera does not exist.

This portrait was taken with an EOS 5D Mark II. Using a full frame camera helped obtain the out of focus background.

Disadvantages of full frame cameras

Full frame cameras have some disadvantages too:

They cost more money than cropped sensor cameras. Larger sensors are more expensive to manufacture, therefore full frame cameras will always cost more than similar models with smaller sensors.
Size and weight. Full frame cameras are larger and heavier – they have to be to fit the larger sensor. However, the new Sony A7 and A7R cameras go against this trend.

The EOS-1D X – Canon’s largest and most expensive full frame camera, designed for professional use. It’s an amazing, high precision camera for the most demanding photographer. But it also shows the main disadvantages of full frame cameras: size, weight and expense.

The rise of the mirrorless camera

If you’re an aspiring pro, you may feel that you need a full frame camera to be taken seriously. In fact, this has never been completely true. There are plenty of professional photographers who use crop sensor cameras. The quality is more than good enough, and if you’re a sports or wildlife photographer you may also appreciate the extra reach that an APS-C camera gives you with telephoto lenses.

So far most of these points apply mainly to digital SLR cameras. But over the last few years we have seen the rise in popularity of mirrorless camera systems (sometimes called compact camera systems). It is easy to see why these are popular. Their small size and unobtrusive design means they are easy to carry while travelling, and less likely to draw attention if you in an area where the locals are sensitive to photographers. Mitchell Kanashkevich has written an excellent article on this topic: Istanbul and My Review of Fuji X100S as has our own Valerie Jardin using the same camera.

Furthermore, the new Fujifilm cameras such as the X-Pro 1 and X100S have garnered a lot of praise for their high image quality, with some reviewers saying it is on a par with that of full frame digital SLR cameras (there is more information on the science behind it here).

The Fujifilm X100S. This camera has had some very positive reviews. Some photographers are moving away from full frame digital SLRs and towards smaller, mirrorless camera systems.

A new question

It seems to me the question has shifted. We used to ask ‘what camera gives you the best image quality?’ and the answer was inevitably – full frame. Now the question has become ‘which camera is best for me?’ Image quality is only part of the equation, and has become less important as the gap between full frame and crop sensor cameras has narrowed. So if you’re in the market for a new camera here are the things you might want to consider before making a purchase:

Budget – this is important for fairly obvious reasons. Don’t be afraid to buy a crop sensor camera if your budget doesn’t stretch to full frame.
Existing lens compatibility – If you’re staying within the same camera system, how do your current lenses work with the new camera? Some lenses are designed for crop sensor cameras and won’t work with full frame. Does upgrading to full frame mean that you will also have to spend money on new lenses?
Total cost with accessories – If you’re moving to a new camera system, how much will you need to spend on lenses and other accessories? For example, there are a lot of photographers praising the merits of Fujifilm cameras and writing about making the switch from their current system. But bear in mind these guys make a living from photography and expect to spend a certain amount on camera gear each year. Cameras are tax deductible expenses and this is effectively a discount on new equipment that hobbyists don’t receive.
Size and weight – These are important factors if you like to travel with your cameras, but maybe not so important if you take most of your photos locally. Despite the advances in mirrorless cameras the digital SLR design is still the best for most types of photography. The trade-off is size and weight, as digital SLRs are bigger and heavier than other types of camera.
Alternative lens options – Do you want to use lenses from other manufacturers or old lenses on your camera? If you’d like to experiment in this area then think about a mirrorless camera system, as most of them have lens adapters that let you use them with a variety of different lenses. This can be a lot of fun and source of experimentation in itself.

The Sony A7 (pictured) and A7R are the world’s smallest full frame digital cameras with interchangeable lenses.

What do you think?

What are your thoughts on the full frame versus crop sensor debate? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.

More reading on this topic here:

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Chris

I agree that the mirrorless camera systems are going to keep growing and keep challenging the world of the SLR, but they’re not there yet. I see amazing results from them, but the viewfinder lag that I read about is a deal break for me as of right now. Maybe in a few years though!

triptikkah

My favorite thing about the crop sensors/mirrorless cameras is the amount of reach you can get with relatively small lenses. With a 2x crop factor, a 300mm telephoto lens is equivalent to a 600mm lens on a full frame camera, but I can drop it in the pocket of my cargo pants without needing a belt

http://500px.com/tankhimo Vladimir Tankhimovich

I’m not sure about the “extra reach” of crop sensor. Won’t you get the same exact thing if you crop a full frame photo?

FeralWhippet

To the extant that megapixels matter, cropping a full frame to the equivalent of APS-C will lose you a lot of resolution. With the d800, the cropped image area would be ~15-16 mp, so the argument makes sense there. With other cameras, you might not get the image size / resolution that you want. (Of course with the d800 you don’t really get larger pixels over an APS-C either).

Morgan Glassco

I could create an import that crops to DX on every photo. Plus I would have the added space for recomposing.

Lyn Rees

I bought a Nikon D700 many moons ago to give me better low light performance over the D300s I had. I also mainly had full frame lenses, so the fit was good.

For me, at the time, full frame delivered what I wanted in low light. However, sensor tech has come on enough for me to get good enough results from APS-C or M4/3.

Today, I use an Olympus E-P5 (sometimes with the viewfinder), and some of those lovely Olympus primes. The systems better fits my needs today. APS-C, and more so, M4/3 allows for small light lenses (and Olympus and Fuji make them good as well).

http://contextphoto.com/ Martin Kull

Weather sealing is another parameter to consider. I am on Pentax and love my new K-3 with a 24 MP APS-C sensor. Together with some of Pentax weather-sealed lenses the combination is light weight (as compared to Full frame), gives high quality pictures and can be used on the toughest hikes.
As for the bokeh there is a fair line-up of Sigma lenses for Pentax with apertures of 1,8 or even 1,4 that gives beautiful ouput.
Side-by-side to some of my friends with Full-frames I sometimes envy their slightly better low-light capabilities

DarCam7

It still comes down to perception, the stigma of what an APS-C can do versus a full frame sensor. However, price and the growing popularity of smaller 4/3 & compact systems is slowly eroding that view as these cameras get into more hands.
As for me, I was looking into a full frame camera as my next upgrade, but for what I use it for and the demands of the work that I do an APS-C does just fine.
I’m probably going to go with a Pentax K-5 II s and use the money that I would have spent on a full frame for a nice wide angle lens.

david

I Like to shoot small concerts so I need all de ISO I can get and for that I think I need a full frame camera but I love the mirrorless cameras for street… I want both… but still on a aps-c….

Ido Scharf

I think that the full-frame format definitely has its place even in the future, but it’s not as obviously needed as it was before. My little Olympus OM-D E-M5, which is equipped with a sensor that’s 4 times smaller than full-frame in area, takes wonderful, clean images up to ISO 2500, and I can use some noise reduction in Lightroom to make ISO 6400 shots look great. The dynamic range is awesome, and if I had a full-frame camera, I don’t think I would’ve done less brackets for HDR than I do with my OM-D – it’s just as good, no more than ? EV difference in dynamic range between the latest 4/3 sensors and the latest Sony full-frame sensors (which are supposedly the best in the industry).

Plaken

Good post but spoiled by complete boycott of pioneers of mirrorless systems, Olympus. Frankly dPS almost never covers 4/3rd cameras while most photography online media is raving about them! No it sure what the reason is for such bias.

alioly

Talking about crop factor and mirroless cameras but ignoring the makers of this tech (Olympus &Panasonic)?? They are the reason why people ignore compact and SLR in Asia specially Japan market. What kind of articles is this?

don’t write about tech if your information is outdated.