Insights Digital Camera Buyer's Guide: Real Cameras - Comments

[Andy Resnick]

Andy Resnick submitted a new PF Insights post

Digital Camera Buyer's Guide: Real Cameras

Continue reading the Original PF Insights Post.

 

[phinds]

question:

Crop Factor: The crop factor is the size of the sensor relative to the 35mm format. For example, a crop factor of 1.6x means the camera sensor diagonal length is 26.8 mm.

Reference https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/digital-camera-buyers-guide-real-cameras/

I've never heard of crop factor before but I don't follow that math at all. Can you expand on what this means / how it works?

Thanks

 

[Jonathan Scott]

Diagonal of standard 35mm sensor (36mm x 24mm) is approx 43mm, so crop factor 1.6 means sensor diagonal about 43mm/1.6 which is about 27mm diagonal.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crop_factor

 

[phinds]

Diagonal of standard 35mm sensor (36mm x 24mm) is approx 43mm, so crop factor 1.6 means sensor diagonal about 43mm/1.6 which is about 27mm diagonal.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crop_factor

Ah. Got it. Thank you. I do think that the assumption that this is immediately understandable is a bit of a stretch since the article (which is very good) is for beginners so @Andy Resnick, would a beginner be expected to know that 35mm => 35x24 ?

 

[olivermsun]

Ah. Got it. Thank you. I do think that the assumption that this is immediately understandable is a bit of a stretch since the article (which is very good) is for beginners so @Andy Resnick, would a beginner be expected to know that 35mm => 35x24 ?

36x24, and probably not, but it isn't so important to know these exact dimensions as long as you realize that's what people are using as the reference when they say a certain camera/lens has an equivalent zoom range of 28-200 mm or whatever. They mean the field of view covers the same range as a 28-200 mm lens would on a traditional 35 mm format camera.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Now we need a smartphone camera buy guide. Google just came out with the Pixel. Supposed to be most advanced smartphone camera.