Full frame lens on a crop sensor: I know when you put a crop sensor lens on a full frame camera you get serious vignetting, but is there any negatives to using a full frame lens on a...

Country's Mama Loc: Michigan

I know when you put a crop sensor lens on a full frame camera you get serious vignetting, but is there any negatives to using a full frame lens on a crop sensor camera?

Dngallagher Loc: Wilmington De.

Country's Mama wrote:

I know when you put a crop sensor lens on a full frame camera you get serious vignetting, but is there any negatives to using a full frame lens on a crop sensor camera?

Usually not an issue. I use several FX lenses on my DX Nikon without issue.

Graham Smith Loc: Cambridgeshire UK

Country's Mama wrote:

I know when you put a crop sensor lens on a full frame camera you get serious vignetting, but is there any negatives to using a full frame lens on a crop sensor camera?

None, and with F/F lenses you will be ready for the change to a F/F camera
:-)

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

Graham Smith wrote:

None, and with F/F lenses you will be ready for the change to a F/F camera
:-)

Since the lense was actually designed for full frame and not APS-C, there will be a difference. Having said that, the difference between full frame and APS-C is relatively small and, therefore, differences in imaging is relatively negligible. One will probably see a bigger difference caused by the difference in pixel size between the two sensors that the difference one will see from using the same full frame lense with the difference sensors. The difference is much more pronounced between full frame and 4/3rds. Almost all of the Olympus film lenses can be used on the 4/3rds cameras, but Olympus suggests limiting the aperture to the middle of the range on all but the sharpest lenses. I have no doubt that a full frame lense will work the best at the middle range for any cropped sensor. It just works a lot better for APS-C than for 4/3rds.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

Country's Mama wrote:

I know when you put a crop sensor lens on a full frame camera you get serious vignetting, but is there any negatives to using a full frame lens on a crop sensor camera?

It depends what you are expecting, it's all about field of view. For longer lenses it is less of an issue, but for wide angle the difference is very noticeable. A 20mm on a full frame is pretty wide, it is much more like a medium wide lens on a crop factor body ~ 30mm.

Country's Mama Loc: Michigan

Graham Smith wrote:

None, and with F/F lenses you will be ready for the change to a F/F camera
:-)

I have taken the step. I bought a D600 a month or so ago. :mrgreen: I just haven't updated my profile. I guess I should do that while I am thinking about it.
I needed to know because I am taking the crop frame as a spare camera on an upcoming trip, but could lighten my load if I didn't have to take the lens for the D3000. Not sure how much I will even be using it, but it never hurts to have another body along.

Bob Yankle Loc: Burlington, NC

Actually, you will be using the "sweet spot" of the lens, so your corners should be bright and crisp.

Country's Mama Loc: Michigan

Thank you all. That answers my question. And thank you Peter for the added explanation. I will keep that in mind. I was thinking of putting the long lens on the D3000 if I wanted to have two available. I love carrying two cameras when out hiking or photographing events.

Country's Mama Loc: Michigan

Bob Yankle wrote:

Actually, you will be using the "sweet spot" of the lens, so your corners should be bright and crisp.

Before I had the money saved up for the full frame lens I was using the D3000's lens. Yikes! I had to make sure I was framing it so the vignette was outside of where I wanted to crop.

Dngallagher Loc: Wilmington De.

Peterff wrote:

It depends what you are expecting, it's all about field of view. For longer lenses it is less of an issue, but for wide angle the difference is very noticeable. A 20mm on a full frame is pretty wide, it is much more like a medium wide lens on a crop factor body ~ 30mm.

But the field of view will be a function of the sensor.

An FX lens will project its circle well past what the crop sensor can pick up, basically the crop sensor sees only the center of the FX lens image.

A DX will project a smaller circle, causing a FF camera, with the much larger sensor to vignette.

If someone is only used to a crop sensor, then they will see no real difference looking at images taken with a DX or a FX lens. Correct?

Country's Mama Loc: Michigan

Dngallagher wrote:

But the field of view will be a function of the sensor.

An FX lens will project its circle well past what the crop sensor can pick up, basically the crop sensor sees only the center of the FX lens image.

A DX will project a smaller circle, causing a FF camera, with the much larger sensor to vignette.

If someone is only used to a crop sensor, then they will see no real difference looking at images taken with a DX or a FX lens. Correct?

That is the way I am understanding it.

Dngallagher Loc: Wilmington De.

Country's Mama wrote:

That is the way I am understanding it.

And your comment above shows it perfectly when you use the DX lens on the FX camera and get the vignetting. ;)

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

Dngallagher wrote:

But the field of view will be a function of the sensor.

An FX lens will project its circle well past what the crop sensor can pick up, basically the crop sensor sees only the center of the FX lens image.

A DX will project a smaller circle, causing a FF camera, with the much larger sensor to vignette.

If someone is only used to a crop sensor, then they will see no real difference looking at images taken with a DX or a FX lens. Correct?

And your point is? It doesn't necessarily address the OP's question. So, no, I do not think that you are correct in everyday layman's terms.

If the expectation is a wide angle field of view, then a full frame lens on a crop sensor may be disappointing if you think of the lens focal length in terms of field of view. Many people do so whether or not that is appropriate or technically correct.

The impact of focal length and associated field of view are very noticeable with wide or ultra-wide lenses when comparing FF to crop sensor cameras. Expectation is important, and although your comments are not incorrect, I consider them to be sufficiently incomplete to be potentially misleading.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

Country's Mama wrote:

Thank you all. That answers my question. And thank you Peter for the added explanation. I will keep that in mind. I was thinking of putting the long lens on the D3000 if I wanted to have two available. I love carrying two cameras when out hiking or photographing events.

CM....I have both the D7000 and D800. On vacation I keep the 10-24mm dx wide angle on the D7000. It eliminates having to constantly switch lenses. I had the 28-300mm on the D800. The 28-300mm is probably a good vacation lens, but I'm saving for sharper, more exotic lenses. I won't sell the 28-300.

Dngallagher Loc: Wilmington De.

Peterff wrote:

And your point is? It doesn't necessarily address... (show quote)

My first answer of there will be no real difference if using an FX lens on a DX camera did address the OP.

My response to your note was talking about field of view, which is not really a function of the lens (FX vs DX), but of the crop sensor.

Basically your explanation seemed confusing to me, even though we may have been saying the same thing.