Why does my Nikon P7700 at 42.8mm look more zoomed than my Canon 77D kit lens at 55mm?
Asked 6/24/2018
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I replaced my Nikon COOLPIX P7700 with a Canon EOS 77D and the 18-55mm kit lens. I expected the Canon at 55mm to look at least slightly more zoomed than the Nikon at 42.8mm, but in practice the Nikon shows a tighter view.
I’ve turned off digital zoom on both cameras and compared them at their maximum optical zoom. Why does the Nikon appear to have more reach even though 42.8mm is a smaller number than 55mm?
I’m confused about focal length, crop factor, and what the lens numbers really mean between these two cameras.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
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The difference is described by the so called crop factor. The Coolpix P7700 has a much smaller sensor compared to the EOS, thus it will photograph only a smaller section at the same lens focal length. In this case the sensor is so much smaller that it actually looks like it has a focal length longer than the longer actual focal length of the EOS. You basically have to apply a sensors size in the form of the crop factor to the focal length of the lens (and consequently also to the aperture) in order to arrive at the actual, effective focal length.
Your Coolpix P7700's smaller sensor has a crop factor of about 4.67X, compared to the canon's 1.6X crop factor.
When both are 'normalized' to their 35mm/FF angle of view:
- The 6-42.8mm lens on the Nikon gives a 28-200mm "equivalent" angle of view
- The 18-55mm lens in the Canon 77D gives a 29-88mm "equivalent" angle of view
To get an equivalent angle of view to 42.5mm with your Coolpix P7700, you need a 125mm lens for your 77D.
You have a couple of relatively low cost options for your 77D:
- An EF 55-250mm f/4-5.6 lens for your 77D would give you a 35mm "equivalent" angle of view of 88-400mm, which would be roughly twice the "zoom"¹ (magnification) of your Coolpix P7700 when both lenses are zoomed all the way in and images from both are viewed at the same size.
- An EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 lens for your 77D would give you a 35mm "equivalent" angle of view of 112-480mm, which is roughly 2.5X the magnification of your Coolpix P7700 when both are viewed at the same size.
There's also the Canon 75-300mm f/4-5.6, but it's not a very good lens.
¹ This is an intentional misuse of the word "zoom" to match the way you use it, which doesn't mean what you seem to think it means.
Originally by user32129. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user32129
8y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Because focal length numbers only make sense along with sensor size. Your Nikon P7700 has a much smaller sensor than the Canon 77D, so its lens gives a narrower angle of view for the same stated focal length.
What matters here is 35mm-equivalent focal length, not just the raw mm printed on the lens.
From the answers:
- Nikon P7700: 6–42.8mm lens, about 4.67× crop factor → roughly 28–200mm equivalent
- Canon 77D: 18–55mm lens, 1.6× crop factor → roughly 29–88mm equivalent
So at full zoom, the Nikon is effectively about 200mm equivalent, while the Canon kit lens is only about 88mm equivalent. That’s why the Nikon looks much more zoomed in.
The Canon setup can still give you better image quality and more flexibility, but the 18-55 kit lens is not a long wildlife lens. If you want more reach on the 77D, you’ll need a telephoto lens.
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