WHAT EXACTLY IS A CROPPED BODY?

<p>What is a cropped body, and what are the pros and cons of this? I own a rebel XT and am thinking of upgrading to 50D. Are either of these "cropped" and by how much will this effect my lenses?</p>

<p>What lenses do you have? By crop, it means the sensor where the light entering through the lens hits an image plane is "cropped" from the normal size of a classic 35mm full frame SLR, which is 36x24. The area is reduced by 1.6x. Multiply that by the range of your lenses and that will be your effective range on a crop body or APS-C sensor size.</p>

<p>See <a href="../equipment/digital/sensorsize/">http://www.photo.net/equipment/digital/sensorsize/</a><br />The XT and 50D are both crop sensor (APS-C) cameras</p>

<p>This might explain everything in more detail, including the effect of senor size on what the lens "sees" - <a href="http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/tutorials/crop_sensor_cameras_and_lenses.html">http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/tutorials/crop_sensor_cameras_and_lenses.html</a></p>

<p>You will find this <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/APS-C">link</a> useful.</p>

<p>For starters a "Full Frame" camera has a image sensor that is the same size as a 35mm film camera (24mm X36mm). Cropped body cameras are cameras that have a sensor smaller than Full Frame. Your XT has a sensor that is 22.3 × 14.9 mm in size. Sensors this size are referred to as APS-C sensors. Although there is some variation in APS-C sensors. Nikon APS-C sensors are a little larger.</p>

<p>Since the sensor in APS-C cameras is smaller the image produced appears to magnified by a factor of 1.6 when compared to the image created by a Full Frame sensor using the same lens. All Canon Rebel and XXD (such as the 50D and 7D) cameras are APS-C cameras. APS-C sensors cost less to make and therefore APS-C cameras cost less than Full Frame cameras. Currently the only Full Frame cameras made by Canon are the 5D and 1Ds cameras.</p>

<p>Thanks so much!</p>

<p>Angel, I don't mean to start a flame war here because the issue had been discussed to death on various forums on the internet. The "effective" magnification of a crop sensor is not an absolute change over 35mm aka full frame sensors. The apparent magnification has two caveats:<br>

1. It applies only when comparing the APS-C sensor with a full frame sensor of equal megapixels. So a 10MP APS-C sensor will yield an image that apparently is 1.6x times magnified than one obtained through a 10MP full-frame sensor given both the sensors use the same lens.</p>

<p>2. This apparent magnification is only apparent because optically nothing changes. There is no optical magnification happening irrespective of the sensor used in the camera.</p>

<p>I think any person asking about crop vs 35mm sensors should be aware of these two caveats because the magnification gain is too often (read almost always) touted as an advantage of smaller sensors.</p>

<p>For just the reasons that led you to ask the question, many of us would simply prefer to call the "crop" body cameras, APS-C, and the so-called "full frame" cameras as 35-mm-sensor cameras. Even these are not ideal terms, but the other terms make even less sense to people who didn't start out on 35mm film cameras.</p>

<p>To make it even more confusing, the 24x36mm "full-frame" is actually "double frame" since the 35mm motion picture "single" frame was 18x24mm, roughly, or 16 frames per foot.</p>

<p>

 

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Unless, there are additional pieces of glass placed between the lens and the camera's sensor, there is absolutely no image magnification when the size of a sensor is reduced from the 'standard' 24mm x 36mm film frame or sensor size.</p>

<p>The only thing a reduction in sensor size produces is a 'narrowing' of the angle of view the sensor is capable of 'seeing', and therefore some people mistakenly assume that the smaller sensor cameras produce a larger image, somewhat akin to a using a longer focal length lens by the ratio comparing standard sensors sizes to smaller sensor sizes.</p>

<p>Many photography writers still mistakenly refer to smaller sensor size cameras as having a 'magnification factor' which is 'automatically' inherent in cameras with smaller than standard sensor sizes.</p>

<p>Again, the only thing that the smaller sensor sized cameras produce is a narrowing angle of view the sensor is capable of seeing, when compared to a 24mm x 36mm standard camera sensor size or film frame camera, when using the same focal length lens on standard size film frame or sensor framed cameras.</p>

<p>Michelle, you should see no real difference in your lenses on the 50D and your Rebel XT... both of those camera bodies will accept all Canon EF and EFS lenses.</p>

<p>I think it's time to have Canon designate a name for crop and FF bodies ala Nikon's DX and FX. Everytime you see a disclaimer on EF-S lens, they listed the bodies it's compatible with and of course that list kept changing and growing. I'm thinking SS and FS? and maybe SSS for the 1D series?</p>

<p>Let me make this simple:</p>

 

<ol>

<li><em>Both bodies you mention are cropped sensor bodies,</em> so lenses will project <em>essentially the same image</em> on both.</li>

<li>On DSLR cameras the term "cropped sensor" means that the sensor is smaller than the size of a 35mm film frame. A "full frame" DSLR has a sensor that is nominally the same size as a 35mm film frame. Bottom line? <em>A cropped sensor is smaller</em> .</li>

<li>The photographic difference most significant to most people is that with a given focal length lens the cropped sensor body will capture a narrow angle of view. Bottom line? A 50mm lens seems like a "longer telephoto" lens on a cropped sensor body than on a 35mm or full frame body. <em>Some would say it provides "more reach with a given lens."</em> </li>

<li>There are some other differences, but I would argue that they are <em>probably less significant</em> to you at this point than the angle of view differences.</li>

</ol>

<p>If you want more gory details I can provide them... ;-)</p>

<p>Dan</p>

<p>THANKS EVERYONE. I UNDERSTAND NOW:)</p>