1. What is Camera Crop Factor?

The crop factor is the ratio of the diagonal of a full-frame (35mm) sensor to the diagonal of the camera's actual sensor. It indicates how much smaller the sensor is compared to a full-frame sensor.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the crop factor formula:

Where:

• \( \text{full\_frame\_diag} \) — Diagonal of full-frame sensor (typically 43.3mm)
• \( \text{sensor\_diag} \) — Diagonal of your camera's sensor

Explanation: The equation compares the size of your camera's sensor to a standard full-frame sensor, showing how much the field of view is "cropped" compared to full-frame.

3. Importance of Crop Factor

Details: Crop factor affects field of view and effective focal length. A higher crop factor means a narrower field of view, making lenses appear more "zoomed in" than on full-frame cameras.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter both diagonals in millimeters. Standard full-frame diagonal is 43.3mm. For your sensor's diagonal, check camera specifications or calculate using sensor width and height.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What's the crop factor for APS-C sensors?
A: Typically around 1.5x for Nikon/Sony/Fuji and 1.6x for Canon APS-C cameras.

Q2: How does crop factor affect focal length?
A: Multiply the lens focal length by the crop factor to get the "effective" focal length in terms of field of view.

Q3: Does crop factor affect aperture?
A: No, but it affects depth of field at equivalent fields of view.

Q4: What's the crop factor of Micro Four Thirds?
A: Approximately 2x, as the sensor is about half the size of full-frame.

Q5: Is full-frame better than cropped sensors?
A: Not necessarily - it depends on your needs. Full-frame generally performs better in low light, while crop sensors can be more compact and give more "reach" for telephoto work.