The Difference Between Full-Frame vs APS-C Cameras

The Difference Between Full Frame vs. APS-C Sensors

Full-frame and APS-C formats indicate the sensor's physical dimensions, which differ entirely from the pixel count. A full-frame sensor is 36mm by 24mm in size based on the traditional 35mm film format. An APS-C sensor is 1.5 times smaller, 25.1mm by 16.7mm, and named after the Advanced Photo System type-C film format, hence its abbreviation.

35mm film has historically been the more popular format due to its near-perfect size for capturing almost anything under the radar. In the analog world, it's much easier to carry a 35mm camera than a medium or large format camera, no? While more compact, they're seemingly large enough to produce high-quality photos, making them highly desirable for professional and amateur photographers alike.

This term – full-frame – was defined in contrast to more minor, or APS-C, camera sensors. When you mount a full-frame lens on a camera with an APS-C sensor, you will get a crop factor; your camera's APS-C-size sensor magnifies the scene to produce an image matching the lens's full-frame image circle.

The effect is that a 50mm full-frame lens mounted on an APS-C body with a 1.5x crop factor will capture a field of view that is the same as that of a 75mm on a full-frame body.

The "Crop Factor"

APS-C cameras are often known for the effect created by their smaller sensors. When you shoot with an APS-C camera, the field of view changes, thus making the impression of a cropped image. For example, if you photograph a subject at 100mm on a full-frame vs. crop (APS-C) camera, the image will look tighter due to the smaller sensor capturing a smaller portion of the scene.

However, it's important to note that the focal length of your lens doesn't experience any fundamental shift, nor does the depth of field change. The only actual altar is a field of view, making your lenses appear longer.

Is a Full-Frame Better than APS-C?

Many creatives correlate a full-frame to high quality because of its sensor size, which is due to the amount of data captured with higher resolution. And while this might seem like an obvious benefit, this doesn't automatically mean the APS-C sensor is inferior.

The truth is — you don't need a full-frame sensor to produce beautiful photos or videos. There are several scenarios where an APS-C camera can excel in performance. Whether you'll do better with an APS-C camera or a full-frame camera has nothing to do with your level of creative professionalism; it has everything to do with your specific photography for filmmaking needs.

As technology has become even more impressive throughout the years, so has the quality progression seen in APS-C lenses and cameras. This is most notably seen in situations where having lighter, smaller equipment is favorable, such as events, street, and travel photography.

When To Choose APS-C Over Full-Frame

There are a few disadvantages to paying the higher price for a full frame, as with anything. Along with the shiny price tag, full-frame cameras and lenses are heavier in size and weight, thus much more cumbersome for travel enthusiasts. Additionally, if you're looking to shoot far-away subjects or wildlife, you'll need a ton of extra reach. Because of the crop factor, an APS-C camera will give you a 1.5x or 1.6x extension on your lens focal lengths, which is invaluable for achieving the close-up shots that sports or wildlife photographers adore.

And finally, because of how an APS-C crop factor works, it's easier to gain a deeper, richer depth of field. If you want to capture an entire scene sharply, you won't have to stop down as much — which is fantastic for shooting in low-light situations.