burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

True cropping in camera would be using an optical zoom lens to make the subject fill the frame.

Digital zoom and electronic, in-camera cropping DO throw away data.

If I’m going to crop other than with an optical zoom, I’ll be doing it in post-production (Lightroom/Photoshop).

CatMarley Loc: North Carolina

Of course one leaves enough room around your central subject to use differing formats, "Cropping in camera as much as possible" means exactly that. You frame your shot, leaving enough extra to allow for different later crops, but keeping close enough to the "meat" of the shot so as not to waste a lot of pixels.

Steamboat

Well said!

bdk Loc: Sanibel Fl.

I would do it in Photoshop and here is why. IN photoshop you have a monitor where you can see the image. Its much larger than the little screen on the camera.
You'll be able to decide much better where you want the crop. Plus im not sure but if you crop it in camera do you still have the original image, or is the original info deleted. Imnot sure about that.

TheShoe Loc: Lacey, WA

It depends on what you mean by, "crop in camera". If you mean, "zoom in on the subject". then it should be obvious that you will get the full resolution of the sensor by doing that. You will not trim pixels by zooming in, but you will by cropping during post processing no matter what the program. LR and other programs may interpolate between data pixels when you resize the picture but that is nothing but guessing the value of those added pixels and can only be "more precise" if the algorithm gets lucky.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

If you do only one kind of photography, there will be a pat answer to this question. If you do the kind of work where you can take the time to control the circumstances, access the subject as you wish as to distance, camera position or angle and have to time to choose the lens or focal length zoom setting that will help you achieve the exact composition and perspective you envision, there is an easy answer. So... for example, if you work in a studio environment or do landscape or architectural photography, it is to your benefit to comes exactly in the camera and maxamize the benefit of your format and minimize any loss of quality from using only a section of the image via extreme cropping in post processing.

There are scenarios where photographer find themselves in in a situation where the want or need to capture some kind of action, story, happening or occurrence, oftentimes a split second decision, where there is no time to or facilities to compose the image under ideal circumstances. The "shot" may entail raising the camera overhead or literally shooting from the hip, without access to the viewfinder or screen, no way to safely or physically get in close enough or no time to change lenses or make any precise adjustments. Serious croppin may be the only way to salvage the image. In may cases the storytelling value of an image outweighs the issues of technical excellence. Even the best photographers can make mistakes or miscalculate so post processing remedial actions are great backups. Traditionally, in the film era, high speed films, push processing, coarse grain, and certain degradation of the image quality due to extreme enlargement of sections of a 35mm negative became commonplace and acceptable photojournalism. Nowadays, in digital photography the ramifications of extreme elangemt may be some pixelation, noise for high ISO usage or amplification of any shortcoming in the lens or photographer's technique.

My own personal philosophy is that sloppy shooting and disproportionate applications of post processing is not the best methodology. Precies shooting, whenever possible, and the judicious enhancement via post processing will yield the best results.

swartfort Loc: Evansville, IN

I too have the d3400 and the two kit lenses. I played with my 70-300 for a few months, and found that my keeper rate (those that I felt were sharp enough to crop) lower than I wanted. I did two things:

1) I got to work using the PSAM settings on the camera. This allowed me, relative to what I was shooting, to use the fastest
appropriate shutter speed combined with the LOWEST ISO setting. This gave me as little 'noise" as possible in the
image, so I had better ability to crop without pixels peeps... Better image allowed for more aggressive cropping.

2) I finally bit the bullet and replaced my 70-300 kit lens with a VR version of the same. (granted, I went with a FF version
because I don't know what my next body will be) The VR helps tremendously to eliminate the camera shake that I was
finding at the 250+ focal ranges.

I have attached a couple of images that have been DRAMATICALLY cropped post processing. Other than cropping and a bit of "staturation" enhancement, really nothing else done. As always, the images are WAY better if you download them. I hope this helps

small bird 60 feet away

(Download)

smallish bird 100 feet away

(Download)

large futball dude 75 meters away

(Download)

ToBoldlyGo Loc: London U.K.

Back to the original question with you😜. He does explain that he's using the maximum reach of his lens, and wants to crop the final image. I believe he's thinking very hard already.

ToBoldlyGo Loc: London U.K.

It's a computer output vs camera output question. He as asking if he should use the crop feature in his camera or computer.

photogeneralist Loc: Lopez Island Washington State

I was disapointed with the lack of clarity in my fully zoomed 70-300 @ 300 mm , but happy with the results when only partially zoomed @ 200mm. I tried the same test several times.

With my camera mounted on a sturdy tripod, I took a photo at 300 mm and another of the identical scene at 200 mm. (Shutterspeed and f-stop and ISO were unchanged) Reframed with another scene and repeated until I had 4 scenes with two zooms each. When I got them downloaded into the computer , I cropped the 200mm images to show, as exactly as I could , the same area as the 300 mm image. In every case , the cropped 200 mm photo was sharper and had more contrast than did the uncropped 300 mm.

So my answer to your question "To crop at the camera or with photoshop" is probably more dependent on the lens more than the number of pixels in the cropped photo. (assumes you crop of less than 40 % of the photo area. about 6.5 % both vertical and horizontal dimensions. As an example of the less than anticipated impact of lowering the pixel count, I offer he following thouht. I'm sure you've seen some amazingly sharp photos taken with low megapixel cameras and some unclear and uncrisp photos taken with pro level DSLR's. The expensive pro level high megapixel camera enable more sharp photos but they don't ensure it, conversely, a low megapixel camera can still take good usably sharp crisp photos but not with the ease of a pro level camera.

TheShoe Loc: Lacey, WA

I have never had a camera that had a "crop feature". All of my in camera cropping has been done either with an optical zoom or by using my feet. I always prefer a method that will give me all of the pixels that my camera will produce while including the picture I want. This leaves PP cropping to a minimum.

mborn Loc: Massachusetts

I crop in PP allows better placement

donald4u Loc: California

I try to fill the frame with my subject. This is so you have a little if anything to crop. When I do crop its in the computer. You should not have any problems with the resolution . You are working with a 24 megapixel camera. Sharp. I use a Tamron 16-300mm on a Nikon D5100. Its 16 megapixel. I never cared for the kit lens. Keep on shooting.

Blenheim Orange Loc: Michigan

Cropping in camera happens through a process known as "forward bipedal pedestrian locomotion" in the direction of the subject, so that the the subject fills more of the frame. It is pretty easy once you get the hang of it.

Mike

13oct1931 Loc: Lebanon, Indiana

Shooting wildlife ? Try adjusting in camera, because you likely wont have time in camera. On the other hand, if you are shooting wild flowers, go inside and try your computer program. I use an OLYMPUS and often let the camera do its thing. (It is way smarter than I.)

Alyn1477@mymetronet.net