How does my Nikon 55-300mm on DX compare to a superzoom camera’s “1000mm equivalent”?
Asked 3/28/2016
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I use a Nikon D5200 with the 55-300mm lens and I’m trying to compare it with bridge/superzoom cameras that advertise very long “35mm equivalent” focal lengths like 1000mm or more.
Am I converting this correctly that 300mm on Nikon DX gives about a 450mm equivalent field of view? If a superzoom camera says 1000mm equivalent, how should I compare that to my current setup? I’m mainly trying to understand whether a superzoom would really give me more reach than my 55-300mm, and what trade-offs there are versus just cropping images from my D5200.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
1
The math is simple. Nikon cropped-sensor cameras have a 1.5X focal-length-multiplier, so 300mm is equivalent to 450mm in 35mm-terms. Ultra-zooms lens are labelled with their actual focal-length but the specifications also have the 35-mm-equivalent for easier comparison.
Take the Nikon P900 for example which I reviewed here. If you look at the top of image of the camera, the lens is labelled 4.3-357mm which is equivalent to 24-2000mm lens. There is just no easy way to get this reach on a DSLR, you would need a 2X converter and around 600mm lens (600 x 1.5 x 2 = 1800mm). Such lenses weigh several kg (2-5 about) and are costly (2-14K USD).
Originally by user1620. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1620
10y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes. Nikon DX has a 1.5× crop factor, so 300mm on your D5200 gives about the same field of view as a 450mm lens on full frame.
So if a superzoom camera is advertised as “1000mm equivalent,” that is more reach than your current 300mm on DX. These cameras often list both the real focal length and the 35mm-equivalent figure. For example, a lens with a much shorter actual focal length can still equal a very long full-frame field of view because the sensor is much smaller.
The trade-off is image quality. Your D5200’s larger sensor will generally produce better images and lets you crop more effectively than a typical superzoom camera. A superzoom may be much smaller and lighter, but its small sensor usually means more noise and less overall image quality.
So the comparison is:
- your 300mm on DX ≈ 450mm equivalent
- a “1000mm equivalent” superzoom really does reach farther in field of view
- but your DSLR setup may still give better final results depending on how much you crop
If you need occasional extra reach, renting a longer lens is also worth considering.
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