Does crop factor change the shutter speed needed for the same exposure?

Asked 6/3/2015

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If I use two cameras side by side with the same ISO—one full frame with a 50mm lens and one Micro Four Thirds (2× crop) with a 25mm lens—both set to f/2.8, does the Micro Four Thirds camera need a longer shutter speed to get the same exposure? I'm asking about exposure only, not depth of field or noise.

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

11y ago

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No. You can imagine the micro4/3 to simply cut out the middle of the image. If you had a 25mm lens on a full frame camera and exposed it properly, the middle part of the frame is part of what's exposed properly.

The definition of f-stop factors out the lens length so only f-stop and shutter speed determine the EV (exposure value). Let me make this clear: for calculating exposure, the f/stop means the same thing on any lens and format. That's what it is for: calculating the exposure. (Other effects vary with the physical aperture size and image size.)

A 50mm lens or a 25mm lens makes no difference to the EV, determined by f-stop and shutter speed. So the 25mm lens on the full frame would be the same exposure as the 50. So do that, and then crop out the center.

There are differences in the image when using different focal length lenses and different formats, but the exposure is not among them. That's the whole point if the f-number; to give you the exposure information distilled down from the detailed situation.

Originally by user33948. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user33948

11y ago

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No. For exposure, crop factor does not change the shutter speed required when ISO and f-number are the same.

If both cameras are set to the same ISO and both lenses are set to f/2.8, they need the same shutter speed for the same scene brightness. The f-number is defined so that exposure calculations work consistently across focal lengths and sensor sizes.

A smaller sensor does not make the image inherently darker; it just records a smaller portion of the image circle (similar to cropping the center of a larger frame). So a 25mm lens at f/2.8 on Micro Four Thirds does not need double the exposure time compared with a 50mm lens at f/2.8 on full frame.

What does change with sensor size is not the basic exposure setting, but other image characteristics such as noise, depth of field, and total light gathered by the whole sensor.

UniqueBot

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11y ago

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