Full Frame or Crop Sensor Camera For Filmmaking?
As a DIY filmmaker, you probably are already considering shooting your film on a DSLR or mirrorless camera. But when it comes time to picking one, do you choose full frame or a crop sensor? Can you even tell the difference? Well, let's go over some of the pros and cons for each, so you can decide which sensor size fits your filmmaking best.
First we have to go over the actual dimensions of a full frame and crop sensor. A full frame sensor is 36 millimeters by 24 millimeters, which also happens to be the same size as 35 millimeter film. A crop sensor can be anything from 22 millimeters by 14 millimeters all the way down to an iPhone, which is 4.5 millimeters to 3.4 millimeters different cameras have different crop factors, so make sure you do your research before buying. For our purposes, let's use a cannon, APSC crop sensor that's 22 millimeters by 14 millimeters.
In this example, the full frame sensor is 1.6 times wider and taller than the APSC crop sensor. You're probably like, okay, but what does this all really mean? Well, this means that when using a crop sensor, your image will essentially be cropped. So it will show less of the image or field of view that you'd see on a full frame camera. And this can play a big factor in deciding which sensor size to go with, because it can get tricky when trying to figure out what the field of view of a lens on a crop sensor will actually be.
So to figure this out, we have to get a little nerdy and get into dare I say it math. Let's say you have a 50 millimeter lens. On a full frame sensor, this lens behaves normally and will show the normal field of view for a 50 millimeter lens. Now let's say you take that lens and put it on a crop sensor that has a crop factor of 1.6. Well, the image is cropped. So it now no longer shows the same field of view the 50 millimeter lens did on a full frame sensor.
To figure out what the millimeter equivalent the lens is now behaving as, we times the focal length of the lens, 50 millimeters, by the 1.6 crop factor and get 80 millimeters. So on a crop sensor, this is now behaving like an 80 millimeter lens on a full frame sensor. On the plus side, this can be handy if you have a crop sensor camera, as you won't need to pay for expensive telephoto lenses to still have some telephoto abilities.
Another pro for full frame sensor cameras is they tend to perform better in low light, as the pixels on the sensor are well bigger and thus allow for the ability to capture more light and dynamic range. This means you can capture less grainy footage and have more flexibility in post when it comes time for color correction. Another pro for full frame sensors is that you can achieve a more shallow depth of field, which can mean your shots can look more cinematic. But there are also speed boosters you can purchase to help you achieve more depth of field on crop sensor cameras as well. So score one for both full and crop sensor teams.
But don't get too excited as there's a big con to full frame cameras, they're expensive. They can often be thousands of dollars, which is definitely something you consider when purchasing. So unless you've got some extra cash laying around the price difference can be a lot.
Also full frame cameras tend to be bigger and heavier. So if you're looking for a low profile guerrilla style, filmmaking camera, cropped might work well for you. So now that you know the difference between a full and crop sensor camera, you'll be able to figure out which one works best for your DIY filmmaking needs.
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