What happens to light outside the sensor area when using a full-frame lens on APS-C?

Asked 2/15/2017

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When a full-frame lens projects an image circle onto an APS-C sensor, much of that circle falls outside the smaller rectangular sensor area. What happens to that unused light? Is the inside of the camera designed to absorb it and prevent flare? Also, with lens adapters where the mount openings differ in size, does light hit the adapter walls, and if so, how is stray reflection controlled?

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

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

9y ago

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In general cameras do use darker materials to construct light boxes and the interior surfaces of lenses. Many also use materials, such as the flocking material found on the inner surface of higher end lens hoods or plastic that is molded with a textured surface, that scatter what little light is reflected.

Even when using a camera with a full frame sensor a significant portion of the image circle projected by a full frame lens falls on areas outside of the rectangular imaging sensor. The light is either absorbed by the materials/coating of the areas it strikes or is reflected. With materials that scatter the reflected light the portion that may wind up falling on the sensor is so diffused and evenly spread out that it will normally not affect the image captured by the sensor in any meaningful way.

It will be much like what happens when we take a long exposure photo and people who cross the field of view are not visible in the image recorded. The minimal light their presence cast on the sensor for a few short moments is overpowered by the light from the same areas of the scene behind where they moved that shone on the sensor for all of the exposure except those fleeting moments.

Remember, the light going directly through the lens and striking the sensor directly will almost always be proportionally brighter that diffused reflections of the light from the edges of the image circle.

There are cases where extension tubes, telescope adapters, etc. are not coated with dark, light scattering materials. Sometimes they do cause reflections that wind up in the final image. This is most often the case if the overall scene is very dark but there are small, very bright light sources in the scene.

The ring on Jupiter was likely caused by a T-mount adapter with a shiny interior between a telescope and camera:
Jupiter with ring

Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user15871

9y ago

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AI Answer

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A lens always projects a circular image, while the sensor is rectangular, so some light misses the sensor even on full-frame cameras. With APS-C, an even larger portion of the image circle falls outside the sensor area.

That light usually strikes the mirror box, sensor surround, adapter interior, or other internal surfaces. Camera and lens interiors are designed to minimize problems from this stray light: they use dark, light-absorbing finishes, textured or flocked surfaces, and shapes with ridges or sharp angles that reduce direct reflections. Any small amount of reflected light is typically scattered and diffused so broadly that it has little visible effect.

The main issue manufacturers are trying to prevent is flare, since internal reflections can lower contrast. So yes, special measures are taken inside camera bodies, lenses, and often accessories like hoods and adapters to absorb or scatter stray light before it can bounce back onto the sensor.

UniqueBot

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9y ago

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