Full frame

RECENTLY I USED A SIGMA 14mm FULL FRAME LENS ON A SONY FX30 BODY

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A follower asked me why was I using a full frame Sigma 14mm on a Sony FX30 camera body. She claims that she was advised not to use full frame lenses on a crop sensor body as it presents many quality issues.

Using full-frame lenses on crop sensor bodies is a common practice and it’s not inherently problematic. However, there are a few factors to consider:

Image Quality: Full-frame lenses are designed to cover a larger sensor area, so when used on a crop sensor camera, only the centre portion of the image circle is used. This can actually result in better image quality because any distortion or vignetting that occurs at the edges of the lens will not affect the image.

Field of View: A full-frame lens on a crop sensor camera will have a narrower field of view compared to when it’s used on a full-frame camera. This is due to the crop factor of the sensor. For example, a 14mm lens on a camera with a 1.5x crop factor will have an effective focal length of 21mm.

Cost and Versatility: Full-frame lenses are generally more expensive than their crop sensor counterparts. However, if you plan on upgrading to a full-frame camera in the future, investing in full-frame lenses can be a good idea as you can continue to use them on the new camera.

Weight and Size: Full-frame lenses are typically larger and heavier than lenses designed for crop sensor cameras. This might make the camera-lens combination unbalanced and harder to handle, especially for prolonged periods.

Resolution: Some people argue that full-frame lenses resolve more detail when used on crop sensor cameras. This is because the pixels on the crop sensor are effectively ‘zoomed in’ on the centre portion of the image projected by the lens. However, the difference is often negligible and may not be noticeable in real-world shooting scenarios.

In conclusion, while there are considerations to keep in mind, using full-frame lenses on crop sensor bodies does not inherently lead to quality issues. It can even offer advantages in certain situations. It ultimately depends on your specific needs and shooting style.