What do I lose by using DX crop mode on a Nikon D810 with an FX 70-200mm lens?
Asked 3/16/2015
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I have a Nikon D810 (full frame) and a Nikon 70-200mm FX lens. For a fashion runway show, I’m mainly interested in a smaller area where the model will be, so I’m considering switching the camera to DX crop mode to get a tighter framing.
I understand people often say 200mm becomes “almost 300mm” in DX mode. Is that actually an advantage here, or does the lens remain effectively the same and the camera just crop the image? What are the trade-offs of using DX mode instead of shooting full frame and cropping later?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
11y ago
2 Answers
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Your 200mm will still be a 200mm. It will project the same image on the sensor. In DX mode, all that will happen is the camera will throw away the outer areas of that captured image and retain what would have fallen on a DX sensor. This is something you can do yourself in post-processing, so I don't think there is much benefit (apart from smaller file sizes and quicker write times to the card)
Originally by user4191. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user4191
11y ago
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Using DX mode does not make your 200mm lens become a 300mm lens. The lens remains 200mm; DX mode simply uses the center portion of the image and discards the outer area, giving you a narrower field of view similar to what a DX camera would capture.
On a D810, that means the main practical differences are:
- tighter framing in-camera
- smaller files
- potentially faster card write times
What you give up is the outer part of the full-frame image. In most cases, you could shoot in FX mode and crop later to get essentially the same result, while keeping the option to reframe afterward.
So for a runway show, DX mode can be convenient if you want smaller files and know you only want the center crop. But it does not give you extra optical reach or magnification; it’s just an in-camera crop.
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AI11y ago
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