markwilliam1

I don’t own a full frame camera. I don’t understand why lenses are made for a crop sensor camera and different lenses are made for a full frame camera. Why can’t you use a crop sensor lens on a full frame and vice versa?

tradio Loc: Oxford, Ohio

You can but, there are sacrifices

markwilliam1

As an example I use the Minolta 100mm f2.8 AF lens on my Sony a77ii with excellent results. Wouldn’t the Minolta lens be considered full frame?

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

Sensor coverage. Crop sensor lenses can be made smaller and lighter (and less expensive) because they can use smaller elements to give the required sensor coverage. In many cases you can mount crop sensor lenses on full frame cameras but you either have to deal with rather severe vignetting or the camera will reduce the working size of the sensor to match an APS-C sensor. Many Nikons do that and the new Canon R series does also.

markwilliam1

What sacrifices? Please explain?

tradio Loc: Oxford, Ohio

It has to do with the image projected on the sensor.

markwilliam1

Thank You!

Paul J. Svetlik Loc: Colorado

The crop format lenses do NOT have the coverage for the full frame cameras. They are also physically smaller, lighter, in some cases less expensive and more convenient to carry for crop camera owners.

tradio Loc: Oxford, Ohio

A DX lens will struggle to cover a FF sensor without vignetting. Where a FF lens will completely cover a DX sensor with spillage- an image so large that the DX sensor can only use/see the center portion.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

The image circle projected by DX lenses is smaller than that projected by FX lenses. Thus, using a DX lens on an FX camera results in an image circle that isn't large enough to cover the entire FX sensor. The lens can be used, but the image will not be using all of the FX photo detector sites on the sensor.
--Bob

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Because: Lenses are made to project an in-focus cone of light just slightly wider than the sensor.

The only time it works is when both of these conditions are true:

A) The same lens mount is shared between full frame and APS-C cameras from the same manufacturer.

AND

B) The lens is made to cover a full frame sensor.

SOME camera brands allow you to use an APS-C lens on a full frame camera. But if it works, you will probably see vignetting in the corners, unless the camera has a software feature to create an APS-C cropped image.

You will often hear of smaller formats being called "crop" sensor formats. The only time a TRUE crop occurs is when you mount a full frame lens on a camera with a smaller sensor.

THERE IS NO SIGNIFICANT CROP when you use a lens specifically designed for a particular sensor!

What is sometimes called a "crop factor" is really a magnification comparison to full frame 36x24mm sensors, which are the reference point of 1x. APS-C Canons have a magnification factor of 1.62x, Nikon DX and most other APS-C cameras have a magnification factor of 1.5x, and Micro 4/3 cameras have a magnification factor of 2x.

The magnification factor is in reference to focal length. A 50mm lens used on a full frame camera, a 35mm lens used on an APS-C camera, and a 25mm lens used on a Micro 4/3 camera all have about the same field of view — from the same distance to the subject.

markwilliam1

As always Thanks Burk! Is that why my Minolta lens works on the crop sensor Sony because of the A mount?

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

Photographers commonly use a lens made for a full frame camera on a crop sensor camera. I use a Nikon 200-500 lens on my Nikon D500 (crop sensor camera) to photograph animals. I also use my Nikon 80-400 and my Nikon 70-200 on my D500 to photograph flowers up high or other distant scenes as well as some closer animals. I do not use any crop sensor lenses on my full frame camera, it just would not make sense to me as it would narrow my view. For me, a full frame camera is about getting the widest view possible, most often landscapes, and the crop sensor camera is about narrowing down the view and honing in on the scene. For either camera, I use only full frame lenses as that works best for me. I do own a couple of crop frame lenses that I purchased early on in my learning curve but have not used them in a long time.

Silverman Loc: Michigan

From my limited understanding as a advanced beginner, a "Full Frame" Lens can be used on a "Crop-Sensor" Camera with No issues, although a "Crop-Sensor" Lens does not work properly on a "Full-Frame" camera, due to the larger size of the "Full-Frame" Camera Sensor. If I am incorrect in my explanation please correct my understanding on this subject. Thanks.

xt2 Loc: British Columbia, Canada

Mark, there will be a lot of information here, however, pop down to your local camera store and get a feel for the options available along with an "hands-on" evaluation.

Have fun!