amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

All good...

...except that when you increase effective focal length and keep the aperture the same size you will most assuredly find that depth of field DECREASES significantly. The plane of apparent, sharp focus will be a lot shallower. It certainly won't increase.

On another forum we did a careful test a couple years ago, comparing a cropped down image from a 21MP full frame camera, trimmed to match the framing of a shot of the same subject with an 18MP APS-C sensor size camera. The image quality from the smaller sensor was significantly better, in spite of the fact that the small sensor camera model is known to have a strong anti-alias filter and the full frame model has a good reputation for capturing gobs of fine detail.

In other words, for telephoto work, the smaller sensor camera was the clear winner.

This was because, while at first glance that amount of cropping doesn't appear to be a lot, the 21MP full frame image was actually being reduced to an effective 8MP... far from a modest amount of loss!

You'd have to calculate the areas and pixel site densities of the specific sensors you're comparing. But aside from the most extreme examples, it was obvious to me that for telephoto work a smaller sensor camera can be preferable, giving some "free additional magnification". The fact that those pixel sites are smaller and more crowded partially offsets the advantage, but it's still a positive.

jackpi Loc: Southwest Ohio

I've been thinking about getting a Nikon 1. Check out what Thomas Stirr does with his: [urrl]http://tomstirrphotography.com[/url].
Absolutely amazing!

wthomson Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Plus, you get 20 frames per second. Just started experimenting with a similar rig.

wthomson Loc: Tempe, Arizona

The FT1 works well with the lightweight 55-300 kit lens often included in DX packages (and therefore often available on eBay). It gives an FX equivalence of 148.5-810mm. The Nikon website gives a list of FT1 compatible lenses for which autofocus, etc. will work, but virtually any Nikon lens can be used with the FT1 using manual focus.

You might also consider a viewfinder hood (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008MIKXZO?ref_=cm_rdp_product#customerReviews) for use in bright sun. I gave this particular item a negative review on Amazon because they sent me an obviously used and damaged copy, but the design is quite good.

llamb Loc: Northeast Ohio

Lens Zoom 83 x Optical

Digital Zoom Up to 4x (angle of view equivalent to that of approx.
8,000mm lens in 35mm [135] format)

This camera is not best camera, doesn't take the best pictures, and is not intended for everyone, especially purists. It is a pretty amazing piece of hardware/software that is an absolute ball with which to spend time zooming and clicking away. For wildlife and fowl it is truly a wonderful tool. I like mine because it fulfills my wants and needs.

~Lee

wthomson Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Duplicate Post....

wthomson Loc: Tempe, Arizona

But you can handhold much easier than a comparable FX system, which means you can use slower speeds (thus more light). See Thomas Stirr website for more details.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

This is very questionable ........much easier? - in the REAL world, maybe slightly easier- with PERFECT technique on a STATIC subject ....

1Mo-Kan Loc: Phoenix, originally Kansas City

I have a V2 and really like it. Thomas Stirr's images are amazing.

wthomson Loc: Tempe, Arizona

It depends on how you hold it, of course. I either brace against something or use the sunshield (above) as a viewfinder that I can hold against my face for further stability (easier to do than describe!).

See Stirr's website for further experimental data--pretty convincing.