Crop in Nikon D5 or Nikon D500
Apr 27, 2016 16:27:05 #
Richard HZ
Loc: Indiana, US
Nikon D5 is FX camera but has DX mode to use. With this option, is it not necessary to have another separate DX body such as Nikon D500 for wildlife purpose? I have Nikon D4S now. I am considering to purchase Nikon D500 for longer distance shoot. I just wonder whether it is necessary because the Camera I have now or I am going to update (possibly D5) has the option of DX mode. Any opinion or suggestions? Thanks!
Apr 27, 2016 17:26:43 #
Richard...You need to understand crop and full frame. A crop camera will not give you extra reach. It gives you the field of view of a lens 1.5x that of the focal length that you are using. However, a 300mm lens is always a 300mm lens. If you were to shoot a bear with a crop camera and then with a full frame camera, both at 300mm, the size of the bear on both sensors will be the same. However, the bear will take up a larger portion of the crop sensor than it will of the full frame sensor. If you're following me, the photo of the bear was "cropped" in camera by the crop camera, but you can achieve the same photo by cropping the photo taken with the full frame camera in p/p.
If you really want longer reach, get a longer lens.
If you really want longer reach, get a longer lens.
Apr 27, 2016 17:34:19 #
The way I think of it is that a crop sensor camera takes am already cropped picture compared to full frame.
The difference is that most crop sensor cameras will squeeze in more megapixels than you would get from cropping the full frame yourself.
For instance, a D800 gives you about 15-16 megapixels with a DX lens. A D500 gives you 20 megapixels.
The difference is that most crop sensor cameras will squeeze in more megapixels than you would get from cropping the full frame yourself.
For instance, a D800 gives you about 15-16 megapixels with a DX lens. A D500 gives you 20 megapixels.
Apr 27, 2016 17:44:47 #
SteveR wrote:
Richard... However, the bear will take up a larger portion of the crop sensor than it will of the full frame sensor. If you're following me, the photo of the bear was "cropped" in camera by the crop camera....
Hence the appearance of "greater reach" from the crop camera.
Apr 27, 2016 18:02:40 #
ptcanon3ti wrote:
Hence the appearance of "greater reach" from the crop camera.
Not at all. The bear is the same size. It just takes up a larger percentage of a smaller sensor. Reach is a misnomer. What you get is the field of view of a lens 1.5x that of the lens in use. It may give the appearance of reach, but it's actually not.
Apr 27, 2016 18:11:18 #
This will go on for years to come! Maybe I should make him happy and swap him my D500 for the D4s. :lol:
Apr 27, 2016 18:24:50 #
Sounds like a "deal" to me. Do you think I can find anyone to swap my extended reach D3100 for a meager bloated D4s?
"Couldn't Resist."
"Couldn't Resist."
Apr 27, 2016 18:30:06 #
Nikon_DonB wrote:
Sounds like a "deal" to me. Do you think I can find anyone to swap my extended reach D3100 for a meager bloated D4s?
"Couldn't Resist."
"Couldn't Resist."
I went through the same thing. One day the light went on. It was when I saw that picture showing the circle of the lens and inside it the full frame sensor and the crop sensor.
Apr 27, 2016 18:42:22 #
SteveR wrote:
I went through the same thing. One day the light went on. It was when I saw that picture showing the circle of the lens and inside it the full frame sensor and the crop sensor.
Yeah,pretty graphic!
Apr 27, 2016 19:36:04 #
Richard HZ wrote:
Nikon D5 is FX camera but has DX mode to use. With this option, is it not necessary to have another separate DX body such as Nikon D500 for wildlife purpose? I have Nikon D4S now. I am considering to purchase Nikon D500 for longer distance shoot. I just wonder whether it is necessary because the Camera I have now or I am going to update (possibly D5) has the option of DX mode. Any opinion or suggestions? Thanks!
??? Are you pulling our legs?
Apr 27, 2016 21:06:37 #
Richard HZ
Loc: Indiana, US
Thank you all for your input, your humor, etc. I have been using D4S for wildlife and it is a very good camera, fast and accurate focus, low light advantage, etc. I will keep it for normal and wide lens use and will buy D500 for middle-long lens. Thanks again!
Apr 27, 2016 21:27:21 #
Richard HZ wrote:
Nikon D5 is FX camera but has DX mode to use. With this option, is it not necessary to have another separate DX body such as Nikon D500 for wildlife purpose? I have Nikon D4S now. I am considering to purchase Nikon D500 for longer distance shoot. I just wonder whether it is necessary because the Camera I have now or I am going to update (possibly D5) has the option of DX mode. Any opinion or suggestions? Thanks!
Unless the FX pixel count substantially exceeds the DX pixel count you will loose resolving power.
Although that may not always matter because of the performance advantage of the FX sensor.
Apr 28, 2016 06:33:12 #
SteveR wrote:
Not at all. The bear is the same size. It just takes up a larger percentage of a smaller sensor. Reach is a misnomer. What you get is the field of view of a lens 1.5x that of the lens in use. It may give the appearance of reach, but it's actually not.
That's correct. It's not really a misnomer in the case of the D5 and D500. The D5 and the D500 have almost exactly the same number of pixels but the D500 has those in a smaller space. You would loose over one-half of the pixels if you crop the D5 image down to the D500 size crop. You would probably end up with an image under 10 megapixels.
Apr 28, 2016 07:40:23 #
Richard HZ wrote:
Nikon D5 is FX camera but has DX mode to use. With this option, is it not necessary to have another separate DX body such as Nikon D500 for wildlife purpose? I have Nikon D4S now. I am considering to purchase Nikon D500 for longer distance shoot. I just wonder whether it is necessary because the Camera I have now or I am going to update (possibly D5) has the option of DX mode. Any opinion or suggestions? Thanks!
Richard, I have a full frame D610 and a DX D7100. I carry both even though I could just as easily carry one camera and multiple lenses. I generally keep a normal to wide angle lens on my full frame body (D610) and my 70-300mm zoom on the D7100 (soon to be a 200-500mm lens). This gives me the ability to instantly go from full frame to DX (crop) and back without having to press buttons or accidently forgetting that the Full frame is in crop mode. Since both cameras will easily use all of my lenses, having 2 bodies greatly increases my ability to have the right lens and right shot by picking up the correct camera.. I have a Black Rapid dual camera setup which allows me to quickly grab the right camera.
Apr 28, 2016 07:49:58 #
SteveR wrote:
Not at all. The bear is the same size. It just takes up a larger percentage of a smaller sensor. Reach is a misnomer. What you get is the field of view of a lens 1.5x that of the lens in use. It may give the appearance of reach, but it's actually not.
You have the right idea. The subject size on the sensor is the same. The field of view is 2/3 that of a FF sensor.
The enlargement comes in when the total image is viewed or printed at the same size of the FF image. In other words... its a crop.
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