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APS C Sensor vs Full Frame Camera - What's the Difference?

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Published: 25/02/2022

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Although you can use both the APS-C and full-frame sensors in wildlife, landscape, portrait, or real estate photography, one will outperform the other under certain shooting conditions. Let me explore the APS C sensor vs full-frame sensor similarities and differences that may lead to performance variations.

APS C Sensor vs Full-Frame General Overview

Regardless of your photography skills, the image quality will depend on whether you are using the right camera sensor under the right circumstances. Understanding the APS-C sensor vs full-frame sensor differences and similarities can help you determine which sensor to use under certain lighting or zooming conditions.

Overview of APS C Sensors

The APS-C sensor is one of the most common sensors in compact system cameras, mirrorless cameras, and digital SLR. Typically, APS is an abbreviation for Advanced Photo System. The APS has three formats, which include the Panorama (P), Classic (C), and high definition (H).

APS-C sensors are based on the Advanced Photo System type C(APS-C), a film frame that measures 25.1 x 16.7mm.

Although APS-C sensors have the same size as the APS film, the size is smaller than the 35mm standard photographic film. The sizes of these sensors can also vary with the camera brand and model.

Full frame sensor of a camera

Overview of Full-Frame Sensors

Full-frame sensors are camera sensors that have the same size as the 35mm standard photographic films. Considering that the dimensions of a standard photographic film measure 24 x 36 mm, the sensor of a full-frame camera is 36 mm wide and 24 mm high.

Comparing APS C Sensors and Full-Frame Sensors

The APS-C and full-frame sensors are high-quality sensors you can use in a wide range of real estate and product photography situations. However, an in-depth understanding of their strengths and weaknesses will help you invest in a camera sensor that will suit your photography needs.

Similarities

Considering that both APS-C and full-frame sensors are high-quality camera sensors that you can use in photography and videography, they share similarities in their design, lens compatibility, functionality, and performance.

  • It is possible to share lenses between the APS-C and full-frame sensors, provided the lens mount and brand is compatible. However, a full-frame camera will need to have an internal compensation mechanism for it to use an APS-C lens without dark spots around the corners of the photo
  • Both APS-C and full-frame sensors can shoot high quality and noise-free images when shooting in good lighting conditions, especially under adequate ambient light
  • Both APS-C and full-frame sensors can work in mirrorless cameras using electronic viewfinders

Differences

Although both the APS-C and full-frame are dynamic camera sensors using photoreceptors in their design, the sizes of these photoreceptors are different. These size differences determine the performance of these sensors when shooting under certain circumstances.

Resolution

Some people believe that APS-C cameras can shoot high-resolution pictures simply because they are smaller. Typically, the number of pixels in an APS-C sensor is the same as that of a full-frame sensor if they have the same number of megapixels. 

However, even if they have the same number of pixels, the pixels in a full-frame camera are larger due to their bigger size. The bigger size means a full-frame sensor can capture more and finer details than an APS-C sensor.

As a result, the images shot using the full-frame camera will have a higher resolution than those shot using an APS-C camera, even if the cameras have the same megapixels. Capturing finer details is particularly important to professional photographers who may want to edit the photos after shooting.

File Size

The storage space that an image occupies in the hard disk or SD card is directly proportional to its resolution. Typically, higher resolution means more pixels packed in a linear inch.

Considering that full-frame sensors shoot higher resolution pictures, it means images shot using full-frame sensors occupy a larger storage space than those shot using APS-C sensors. However, this difference is only viable if both sensors have the same number of megapixels.

Black SLR camera

Depth of Field

The depth of field refers to the farthest and nearest points from the camera when it is in focus. The depth of field is mainly affected by the distance from the subject and the focal length.

Considering that an APS-C sensor has a smaller angle of view, you will need to move around 1.6 times farther from the subject to obtain the same angle of view as a full-frame sensor.

It means the depth of field for an APS-C sensor will be deeper than that of a full-frame sensor for the same field of view. Keep in mind that the focal length will not have changed but only the distance from the subject.

Low-Light Performance

The performance of a camera sensor in low light primarily depends on how much light the sensor can gather. However, the amount of light a sensor can gather will be directly proportional to the overall surface area of the photoreceptors.

Assuming the APS-C and full-frame sensors have the same number of photoreceptors, the surface area for collecting light in full-frame sensors will be larger due to their bigger sizes. Typically, this will translate to a stronger image signal with minimal gain.

As a result, full-frame cameras can shoot more noise-free and cleaner images in poor lighting conditions than APS-C cameras. Also, you can use higher ISO settings without the image getting grainy in a full-frame camera than in an APS-C camera.

Angle of View

Assuming you are shooting pictures using an APS-C camera and a full-frame camera at the same camera-subject distance, the APS-C camera like Sony Alpha 6700 will crop the image. This cropping is because the field of view of an APS-C sensor is smaller than that of the full-frame sensor.

Considering that APS-C sensors have a crop factor of around 1.5x, it means the field of view you will get when using a focal length of 100mm in an APS-C sensor will be equal to the field of view you'll get when using a focal length of 150 mm in the full-frame sensor.

Although this cropping doesn't affect the focal length, it makes it appear like you are shooting using longer focal lengths. That means you will not get the same field of view, distortion, and wide-angle effects when using APS-C sensors as the way you would get when using full-frame sensors with ultra-wide-angle lenses.

Viewfinder Images

Considering that a full-frame camera like Canon EOS 5D Mark III will have a bigger screen than an APS-C camera, the images tend to be brighter when composing them in the viewfinder instead of the live view screen.

When it comes to mirrorless cameras, most APS-C mirrorless cameras come with an electronic viewfinder of the same resolution and size as that of the full-frame mirrorless cameras.

Considering the sensor size of a full-frame camera is larger, the image in the viewfinder of an APS-C camera will appear to be slightly more stretched than the image in the viewfinder of a full-frame camera.

Major Distinguishing Factor

The major distinguishing factor between an APS-C sensor and a full-frame sensor is the size of the sensor. The size of a full-frame sensor is 35 mm, whereas the size of an APS-C sensor varies with manufacturers but is smaller than that of a full-frame sensor.

That means the body of a full-frame camera is larger than the body of an APS-C camera. Also, the cropping means an APS-C sensor will have to magnify a subject for the image to be the same size as a full-frame sensor.

For instance, if you want to print a 4 x 6 photo, the image will need to be magnified with a factor of around 6.77 if shot using an APS-C sensor and a factor of 4.23 if shot using a full-frame sensor.

An image of a full frame sensor of a camera

When to Use an APS C Sensor

Considering that the APS-C sensors are smaller in size and produce a deeper depth of field, they have some advantages over full-frame sensors, making them excel in the following photographic conditions.

  • When zooming distance subjects as the crop factor in APS-C sensors will make the actual focal length to be equivalent to the focal length of a full-frame sensor multiplied by 1.5 or 1.6
  • Thanks to the deep depth of field APS-C sensors produce, they are the best option to use in landscape and interior photography where you want the background and foreground subjects to be in focus
  • The small sensor size translates into a compact and lightweight camera body, making it suitable for carrying around in a camera bag or backpack
  • Considering that the image area is small, APS-C cameras can take smaller lenses, making them ideal for an extended shooting period without the wrists hurting
  • Considering that the images shot by APS-C sensors have a lower resolution than those shot using full-frame sensors, you might opt to use APS-C sensors when you have limited storage space, and you want to avoid the large file size of high-resolution images

When to Use a Full-Frame Sensor

The large size of a full-frame sensor comes with some photographic advantages over the APS-C sensors. Although you can use a full-frame sensor to shoot in almost all conditions, it performs particularly well under the following circumstances.

  • The shallow depth of field that full-frame sensors produce makes them ideal for shooting portraits or showcasing finer details in real estate photography
  • Considering the larger photoreceptors in full-frame sensors, they have a higher dynamic range which helps capture finer details and gives you a larger tonal range. This detail makes full-frame sensors the best option if you're planning to edit your photos later
  • The larger pixels in full-frame sensors help gather more light, making them suitable for shooting in low light conditions
  • Considering there are no focal length conversions that can reduce the field of view of a wide-angle lens, full-frame sensors are the best option when you want to shoot using ultra-wide-angle lenses

Which Type of Sensor Is Better?

Although the best sensor will depend on your photographic needs and shooting conditions, full-frame sensors are more versatile and can shoot high-resolution images even in poor lighting conditions. The full-frame sensor also wins in terms of applying shallow depth of field and shooting with ultra-wide-angle lenses.

Verdict

After comparing APS-C vs full frame, it is clear full-frame sensors are the best sensors for portraits, real estate, architectural, and real estate photography. They also capture finer details and perform well even in low light. On the other hand, APS-C sensors are great for wildlife, sport, and landscape photography.

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