Crop Factor Calculator

What is Crop Factor?

Crop factor is a term used in digital photography to describe the ratio of the dimensions of a camera's image sensor to a reference format, typically 35mm film. It affects the field of view and apparent magnification of lenses used on cameras with different sensor sizes. For a detailed comparison between full-frame and crop sensors, check out my comprehensive guide on full-frame vs crop sensor cameras.

How Crop Factor Affects Your Photography

• Increases the effective focal length of lenses
• Alters the depth of field
• Impacts low-light performance

Magnification and Image Quality

A crop sensor effectively increases the magnification of a lens by a factor equal to the crop factor. For instance, a 50mm lens on an APS-C sensor (1.5x crop) behaves like a 75mm lens on a full-frame camera. However, this "magnification" comes at the cost of a narrower field of view and potential compromises in image quality, especially in challenging lighting conditions.

Depth of Field Considerations

Crop sensors also affect depth of field. The same aperture on a crop sensor camera will result in a deeper depth of field compared to a full-frame camera. This means you'll need to use wider apertures on a crop sensor to achieve a similar shallow depth of field effect. For example, f/2.8 on a crop sensor might produce a depth of field similar to f/4 on a full-frame camera.

Common Crop Factors

Crop factors vary depending on the camera manufacturer and model. Here are some common crop factors:

• Full Frame (35mm): 1x
• APS-C (Canon): 1.6x
• APS-C (Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm): 1.5x
• Micro Four Thirds: 2x
• 1" (e.g., Nikon 1, Sony RX100): 2.7x