ChrisKet Loc: Orange, CA

UHH Community - I'm a grandma who has been shooting photos forever, mostly of the kids sporting events and family functions; but, I'll admit I didn't really know what I was doing and got really lucky sometimes. Since retiring a couple of years ago, I've taken some classes at our local community college and now am shooting with my Nikon D7100 and primarily my Tamron 18-400 f3.5-6.3 lens; I'm much more confident shooting in Manual or Aperture priority now.

I've been reading all the comments about crop factor and am wondering if I should be considering crop factor when composing my shots. I tend to get up close and personal and fill my lens viewer with my subject, be it a face or a flower or a building or a bear; but am starting to think that I should not get AS up close and leave some room top/bottom/sides. (I'm pretty good with using Lightroom for PP.)

Am I missing something, misinterpreting what I'm reading, or way off base? Thanks for your help!

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

Simply.....no. What you see is exactly what you will get, either through the viewfinder, or in Live View.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Typically the effect of the crop factor magnification will be displayed in the view finder.
The only thing you might have to worry about is how much of the image the viewfinder displays, like 90%, 95%, etc., in which the actual image usually gives you a bit more image than what you see in the viewfinder.

BebuLamar

Don't pay any attention to the crop factor. As far as leaving room around your subjects you can try it and see if it's better but it has nothing to do with the crop factor.

f8lee Loc: New Mexico

Don't worry about crop factor - this is a term conjured up back when the first DSLRs were produces, and due to manufacturing costs the original imaging chips were smaller than the 35MM film frame (24x36MM) that was so ubiquitous. The camera companies, in an attempt to give photographers a sense of what the view through a given lens would look like on the new DSLRs with smaller sensors, came up with this rule of thumb. So, a crop factor of 1.5 (which is what your camera has) implies that when a 50MM lens is mounted on your camera, it will give about the same angle of view as a 75MM lens would on a 35MM film (or, today, a Full Frame camera). Likewise, a 200MM lens on your camera equates to a 300Mm lens on a FF camera.

Anyway, since you don't associate focal lengths with particular uses, the entire crop factor concept doesn't mean much. That said, if you're reading a book on photography (especially an older one, before the days of digital) and it says to use, say, a 135MM lens for portraiture, then knowing about this crop factor thing you will be able to calculate that an 80-ish MM lens will give the same effect.

Of course, with your zoom lenses that's all moot anyway, since you will set the focal length to whatever pleases your eye in the situation.

So, in short - you have no need to consider crop factor while you shoot.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Camera crop factor, no.
But if you print say an 8x10 the ends will be cropped off due to the image doesn't enlarge directly to an 8x10. Or there will be white borders on the long side.
So leave a bit on each end that you won't mind being cropped off.

cameraf4 Loc: Delaware

Chris, as MT Shooter said, NO! The D7100 shows you in the viewfinder 100% or EXACTLY what will record on your image sensor. Compose how you like it and take your shot.

paulrph1 Loc: Washington, Utah

Yes you should use it. Simply put 35mm does not equal 8x10 or 11x14 or 16x20 as you said you are good in PP.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

You have your answer about the crop factor, and I would recommend leaving a bit of room around the edges from cropping later.

blackest Loc: Ireland

I think we are talking about 2 different crop factors.

1) given by the sensor size and its relation to 35mm, which mostly helps people moving between camera systems

2) The crop of your final image.

8 tall by 10 wide is narrower width wise than the 8 by 12 which you would get using all of your sensor. if you are going to print square 8 x 8 your going to lose a 3rd of your width from the cameras frame. So you will want looser framing if your print isn't going to be the same shape as your 'negative'. It gets worse if you are doing a canvas wrap where some of your photo is going to be on the sides as well as the front.

Even if you are not printing you should consider the shape of the display, many monitors are 16:9 and Ipads are a bit squarer i think 16:10

If you are framing a print often you are going to lose some of the photo under the frame edges or under the mat.

StanMac Loc: Tennessee

Having a history of using 35mm film, my experience was I found that I had to step back several steps to get a similar field of view than I was accustomed to seeing in my Pentax ME Super’s viewfinder.

Stan

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

You are referring to aspect ratio.

A camera may have a 3:2 aspect ratio or 4:3, or have choices.

That potentially confusing topic is best discussed in another thread, though, since "crop factor" is strange enough to most people when first hearing the term. I was happily ignorant of the phrase for the first four years I owned a dslr

paulrph1 Loc: Washington, Utah

That I understand. But what you are dealing with is what you have to work with originally. What happened to me is we took some photo at a family reunion and no cropping was allowed for so we could not do the 16x20 or other but I have pay extra to get a custom frame to actually fit the 35mm frame size. No big deal other than some figuring and extra expense. But then again there was actually another factor and that when it came to getting the prints made. I had to have custom lab make the photo and it was not standard.
If we would have allow for cropping that would not have been an issue either way, printing or framing. So what you just told me is that when you shoot you should allow for cropping and that is what I said.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

Shooting a subject up close is always a good idea and since the digital age has come around and shooting more and more images is virtually free, you can take some up close and take some with breathing room. It's always a good idea if you have any notion of printing your images to leave room for the ability to crop and fit for certain size matts and frames.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

No need to keep the crop factor in mind when you compose your images. The lens is doing that for you.