What do DSLR sensor sizes like APS-C, APS-H, DX, FX, and full frame mean, and how do they affect lenses?
Asked 8/25/2010
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I’m trying to understand the different sensor size names used by camera brands. Canon uses terms like APS-C and APS-H, while Nikon uses DX and FX. What sensor sizes do these names refer to, including common equivalents from other brands, and how does sensor size or crop factor change the field of view of a lens?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
16y ago
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These are the different sensor sizes:
- Full frame sensor (Nikon's FX, Canon does not use special term): 36 x 24mm, no crop (actual size might differ slightly between brands and cameras)
- Canon's APS-H: 27.9 x 18.6mm, crop factor 1.3
- Canon's APS-C: 22.3 x 14.9mm, crop factor 1.6
- Nikon's DX: 23.6 x 15.8mm, crop factor 1.5 (23.1 x 15.4mm, crop factor 1.55 for Nikon 3100)
The effects of crop factor to the lenses is that the smaller sizes lessen the angle of view, but as the focal length is universally adapted to represent the field of view, you can multiply the focal lengths by the crop factor to get the indication for angle of view.
In example if you take 18-55mm zoom, it's effective angle of view on APS-C is equivalent to 18x1.6-55x1.6 ~ 28-90mm lens on a fullframe camera.
You might find this discussion about focal lengths and their equivalents useful.
When shopping for lenses, one should keep in mind that when you have camera with cropped sensor, both fullframe (Canon's EF, Nikon's lenses without DX marking) and cropped sensor (Canon's EF-S, Nikon's DX) lenses are usable on your camera, but lenses made for cameras with cropped sensor are not usable on fullframe cameras.
Originally by user75. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user75
16y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
These names mainly describe sensor size.
Common DSLR formats mentioned here are:
- full frame / FX: about 36 × 24 mm, crop factor 1.0
- Canon APS-H: about 27.9 × 18.6 mm, crop factor 1.3
- APS-C: roughly 22–24 × 15–16 mm depending on brand
- Canon APS-C: about 22.3 × 14.9 mm, crop 1.6
- Nikon DX: about 23.6 × 15.8 mm, crop 1.5
Different brands use different names, but the key idea is the same: smaller sensors capture a narrower angle of view from the same lens. The lens focal length does not change, but the field of view does.
To compare with full frame, multiply the focal length by the crop factor. For example, an 18–55mm lens on a Canon APS-C body gives a full-frame-equivalent field of view of about 29–88mm (18×1.6 to 55×1.6). On a Nikon DX body, it’s about 27–83mm.
So crop factor affects framing/angle of view, not the actual focal length of the lens.
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