photoman022 Loc: Manchester CT USA

I use Tamron full frame lenses (two) on my Nikon CS (DX) cameras and they photos are sharp.

RickL Loc: Vail, Az

When I began digital, I was heavily invested in Nikon film lenses and wanted a camera that I could use with them. These were all incredible FX lenses. I was given a D7000 and it was a good beginning. Because of the requirements that I had for prints I began to search for a camera that would fit my needs. It came down to the D750 or the D810. I finally ended up with the D810 and am extremely pleased. As far as lenses go, all my purchases are FX and most of them are vintage. The glass is hard to beat. The D810 can also operate in DX mode so if you have some of those lenses you may still use them.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Actually, just the opposite is often the case.

Many or even most lenses are not as sharp in the corners of the image area. They might have more chromatic aberrations and distortions toward the edges of the image area, too. If you look at an MTF chart of a lens, it shows lab results of resolution tests of the lens at the center, part way to toward the edge and at the edge. In nearly all cases, resolution drops off a bit toward the edges and corners.

As a result, when an FX lens is used on a DX camera only the center, "sweet spot" of the image area... the best portion of the lens is used... and the weaker portions are cropped away.

That being the case, would it make sense to only buy and use FX lenses on DX cameras? No... doing that will typically be more expensive and FX lenses also tend to be larger and heavier. Plus some DX lenses are excellent, so there's little to be gained.

I can't suggest what might be the "best" entry-level full frame/FX camera.... there are many different criteria what's "best", depending on the user and their purposes.

IMO, the vast majority of users actually don't need full frame/FX. Unless they are printing really large or working in very low light and using ultra high ISOs a lot, there's not a lot to be gained. By the time an image is resized to an 8x10 or 11x14 or even a bit larger, there is virtually no visible difference between the quality of a finished image produced by a modern DX camera versus an FX. The only person who ever sees any difference is the photographer themselves, when they are viewing their unprocessed image ridiculously magnified "at 100%" or higher on their computer monitor. By the time they have finished with the image for most purposes, be it a print or online display, there's little or no difference.

In fact, some users can find DX advantageous... for example a sports or wildlife shooter who uses a lot of telephotos will find that a DX camera allows them to use much smaller, lighter and less expensive lenses than would be necessary if they were using an FX camera. Many photographers would benefit a lot more from buying better lenses for their DX camera, than from buying an FX camera, which limits them to using only FX lenses. (Yes, I know many Nikon FX cameras can use DX lenses.... but the FX camera will crop the image, often to a considerably lower resolution than would be possible if they instead used the DX lens on a DX cameras.)

CatMarley Loc: North Carolina

Fine idea. In fact the sweet spot (central area), which is usually the sharpest, is what the crop sensor will capture.

SusanFromVermont Loc: Southwest corner of Vermont

The way I see it, the crop-sensor camera has its level of possible image resolution. A better lens will enhance that capability, but cannot take the camera past its own top performance. So there is an "apparent" improvement based on the added quality of the lens, not degredation.

The FX camera will have better image resolution. The same lens that was used on the DX camera will appear to perform better on the FX camera, but that is because of the increased capability of the FX camera. It is NOT that the sharpness was degraded on the DX, but rather that the DX itself could not utilize the full capabilities of the FX lens!

Of course, all of this is variable depending on which lenses are used. There are excellent DX lenses and some only fair FX lenses! Comparing performance is only relevant for how a single lens performs on each type of camera.

I do not think that "entry-level" applies very well to any FX camera! All digital SLR cameras have a lot of features in common. The differences are what determine which one is optimal for your usage. Even the "top" DX cameras are often referred to as "pro-sumer", because the line between DX and FX is gradually decreasing. No matter what camera is suggested, it really is up to you to do the research, read reviews, and ask questions in order to understand the differences between models. Some like a camera that is fast, making it feel better for action photography. Others prefer a camera with lots of pixels because they are aiming for images with more resolution. Actually, any good camera with the right lens ought to be fast enough, even if it is "burdened" by all those pesky extra pixels...

My advice is to decide how much you can spend [are willing to spend!] and buy the best camera you can afford. If you do not already have FX lenses, and money is limited, it would be a good idea to get the lenses first and the camera later.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

I use FF lenses on my APSC camera all the time. They work great.

Fotomacher Loc: Toronto

I was shooting as you said, with a D300s and a D700 but tired of carrying 2 bodies. I sold both to acquire a D810 which can shoot in 1:1, 1:1.2 and 1:1.5 modes so I can crop the sensor as needed. I never shoot video so I programmed the record button to allow me to change sensor modes by using the rear command wheel.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Please explain. . .

Ed Commons

I use my 55mm Macro frequently, albeit in manual mode, but I know how to focus, set aperature etc. . My images have been just fine. Smae with my PC lens

jm76237

Did it for years with great results. Bought a D5200 and all FX lenses - 24-85 & 70-300 to start with, added a couple primes. Finally bought a d750. If you think you will go FX some day, it's the way to go. The FX lenses work great on the dx frame.

acellis Loc: Charleston, SC

Thank you ALL so much for your thoughtful replies!! I really appreciate the effort and time you took to post.