stanikon Loc: Deep in the Heart of Texas

Being fairly new to the technical side of photography, would someone please explain, in plain language, the difference between FX and DX? Explaining what they are would be a very good start.

Thanks.

BebuLamar

In a nutshell the term FX and DX are Nikon terms to describe the size of the imaging sensor in their cameras. The FX cameras have the sensor approximately 24mm x 36mm and the DX cameras have sensors approximately 15.6mm x 23.5mm.

IDguy Loc: Idaho

The FX sensor is the size of 35mm film. DX sensor is about half that size.

BebuLamar

With what I have said above either system are fine. Of course the DX are less costly. However if you think you would eventually want the FX then I feel it's better just to start with FX.

Jbrustrom

FX is most similar to the 35 mm film format (aka full-frame, RAW). DX, being smaller, is also known as a "crop" sensor, since it "crops" the full frame size by a 1.5 factor. The Nikon DX size crop of 1.5 is actually larger than the APS-C crop factor of 1.6. And both sensors are larger than the other popular Micro Four Thirds (MFT) sensor.

orrie smith Loc: Kansas

When cameras went digital, camera makers had the ability to play with the sensor that takes the photo. In a DX formatted camera, the sensor is a bit smaller, causing the photo to actually be cropped in camera, making the photo slightly larger when viewing it. In Canon, it is a 1.6 crop, and in Nikon, it is a 1.5 crop. FX utilizes the full sensor size of 35mm film cameras. What this means to you, as a photographer, and as a beginner, is little to nothing. Both FX and DX cameras, on a general basis, take great quality photos. When it will make a difference is when you become more skilled and you expand your interests. A DX camera will do well in good light for wildlife, landscapes, and portraits. Actually, a lot of bird and other wildlife photographers prefer DX because of it's cropped sensor allowing them to use a smaller and lighter lens when going out into the wild to get their photos. If you venture into photography that restricts your light, usually a full frame (FX) camera will work better, as they will allow you to use a higher ISO to compensate the lower light situations. Whichever you choose, try to buy FX lenses. You may use an FX lens on a DX camera, but a DX lens on a full frame camera does not work well. Hopefully this information is understandable and helpful. Many people start out with a DX camera because of initial cost, and many stay with this format and are very happy with their choice. Personally, I have both, and for what I use them for, they both compliment each other.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Full frame and crop each have their advantages. Big topic and I won't go into it except to say that there are those here that have both formats to meet the strengths of each.

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

Bill P

There are many opinions on this subject. The loudest and least well reasoned is that FX is just plain intrinsically better because, well, it's just like film. Why that god like status isn't applied to one of the many "medium format" digitals is lost on me. What I think would be good would be a camera with a full 6x6 sensor, like my old film hasselblads.

The only differences that appear to me are the fact that an FX sensor will always be the low light abilities, something that isn't controlled by Moore's law but by laws of physics. There are others. like me that see a subtle difference in files from lower MP count FF cameras. I find my Nikon D3 to be superior to the newer more fashionable FX cameras is in portraits, the files just look smother and more natural, not so clinical. but that may be the result of today's obsession with extremely high sharpness.

But what do I know? My dream is for Fuji to produce a digital xPan.

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

The advantage of crop is that they are smaller, lighter, less expensive, are compatible with a larger number of lenses and their lenses are less expensive than comparable full frame lenses. If you like to photograph subjects that are far away, it is much cheaper to get telephoto lenses that magnify enough. You can get a 150-600mm lens for less than $1,000, for a full frame you need 225-900mm (1.5 X) to get the same magnification, if you can find such a lens. This is encountered when shooting birds or wildlife or any distant subject.

The advantage of full frame is that for the same number of pixels and technology they are more sensitive to light and therefore perform better (less noise) in low light. They also go wider for the same focal length which is good for landscapes, but there are wider lenses made for crop cameras than full frame.

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

And there are some that have all five major formats: medium format (MF), full frame (FX), cropped frame (DX), four thirds (M43), and 1" sensors (usually all-in-one non-interchangeable lens cameras).

BebuLamar

Then there are some like me that has only 1 format for over 40 years. 35mm be it film or digital. Makes life a lot simpler.

IDguy Loc: Idaho

FX cameras and lenses are about twice as expensive and heavy as their DX counterparts.

There is a common misbelief that FX lenses make higher quality images on DX cameras. It isn’t true. They are bigger, heavier, more expensive, and many zoom ranges are not as appropriate for DX cameras.

Strodav Loc: Houston, Tx

Here are some articles from sources I trust.

https://photographylife.com/nikon-dx-vs-fx
https://digital-photography-school.com/full-frame-sensor-vs-crop-sensor-which-is-right-for-you/
https://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/fx-dx-future.htm

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

RAW is neither a size or a format. RAW is simply unprocessed data.
Full Frame is 36mm X 24mm.
True APS (Advanced Photo System) sizes correspond to film, not digital. In the film world there were 3 APS sizes, H,C and P. H stood for High definition and had a crop factor of 1.25 and a size of 30.2mm X 16.7mm. C stood for Classic and had a crop factor of 1.44 and a size of 25.1mm X 16.7mm. P stood for Panoramic and had a 1.36 crop factor and a size of 30.2mm X 9.5mm.

In the digital world, a full frame sensor is the same as a 35mm film frame of 36mm X 24mm.
The two most common APS-C sensor sizes have a crop factor of 1.52 (or 1.54) with a size of 23.60mm (or 23.70mm) X 15.60mm used mainly by Nikon and Sony and some other camera manufacturers, and 1.6 crop factor with a size of 22.20mm X 14.80mm used by Canon. Nikon's APS-C crop size sensor is actually smaller than true APS-C which has a 1.44 crop factor. to the best of my knowledge, no company still makes APS film.
Canon also used an APS-H size sensor with a crop factor of 1.29 and a size of 27.9mm X 18.6mm.