Full Frame or Cropped?

What Camera Do I Buy?

So you have decided to take the plunge into this crazy game of photography, and the first thing on your mind is getting a killer camera. But with so many options, choosing the best one for you can be a daunting task! There are so many different avenues that I could go down with the different specs on cameras and comparing and contrasting particular models, but I will save that for another post. I want to focus this on 1 aspect you need to consider when looking at a camera: cropped or full-frame?

First off, if you are even considering a full frame camera, you must have the dollars to shell out for one. Full frame cameras are not cheap. The vast majority of cameras that you look at in the consumer-prosumer range are all going to be cropped. Full frame cameras tend to put you in a completely different price bracket. But that being said, they certainly produce beautiful images.

I started shooting on a consumer Olympus SLR. This camera cost me just $400 and was a cropped frame camera. It took some beautiful photos and was definitely a great learning tool. When I jumped onto the Canon scene, I initially bought a 40D. This camera was better than the previous, however there was definitely a learning curve for me. I had to get used to learning a new camera, as well as feel out the nooks and crannies of the lenses. I resented the change at first, but once I was used to it, I was glad that I made the switch.

The 40D is a cropped sensor camera and has the ability to produce some beautiful imagery. When it boils down to it, your choice of what type of sensor you choose depends on what you are shooting. Do you enjoy shooting portraits or landscape? Sports photography or weddings? I find that full frames are great when it comes to portraiture, however they fall short for those gigs when you need that extra reach, such as sports or landscape, which have the ability to bring you an extra sum of millimeters closer. Sometimes that can make all the difference!

For video, choosing a full frame camera over a cropped camera runs on the same principle. Not everyone needs a full frame to shoot. A cropped sensor camera ultimately is the same size sensor as a super 35 video camera. Both have advantages and both have disadvantages. One of the main advantages of a cropped camera is the extra distance that you are able to gain. When you lose those extra millimeters, a full frame camera has a tendency to vignette with wider lenses.

On the flipside, the main benefit of the full frame camera is the unique depth of field that it is able to achieve. This is where cropped sensor cameras fall short in my opinion. The bokeh on a full frame is so unique and beautiful; it makes it worth every penny. In all honesty, I can’t really describe why it has the effect on photos that it does. I imagine that it is because the sensor is larger, the focal plane operates differently? This is where I will lose some of you, but that is the best way that I can describe it!

One of the things that I can suggest in this area is that if you are shooting portraiture, and you can spring for it, get a full frame camera. YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED. I promise you! If you can’t afford a full frame, or you are looking at a cropped sensor camera, the best advice I give is to look at the camera’s sensor. From the consumer level to the semiprofessional level, the majority of the cropped sensors are the same sensor in the camera. The difference is in the creative control that you have over that camera as well as the processors in the camera. So if creative control is not that important to you (if you are going to be using automatic settings on your camera, put more of your money into the glass that you are going to have in the front of your camera. 9 times out of 10, the better the lens, the better the picture.

For beginners, I always suggest the Canon T2i (sorry Nikon lovers!) and a canon 50mm f/1.8 lens. This is a very inexpensive setup and you can get some awesome results. J If you have any comments, questions, or things that you would like to see blogged about in the future, leave them below! I look forward to answering them.

Joshua