The difference in terms of PROS and CONS

[soedview52]

Hello all, please give me views the difference between Sony alpha full frame camera and Sony alpha APS-C/Sony NEX cameras in terms of pros and cons of this cameras.

[Username]

Pros: None, it's all subjective. 

  

Cons: It's too hard to use the forum search

feature before asking a stoopid question. 

[soedview52]

It looks like you are making a hostile environmentt in this forum.

[Username]

If you're not trolling via your ridiculously

broad pointless query designed to waste

everybody's then why is your username  

"So Dense" ? GMAFB. 

   

Anywho, being approximately the most 

helpful person around here ... if I do say 

so myselves ... I did take the time to give 

honest accurate answers to your OP. So 

take it as you will. You got the accurate, 

appropriate, and useful answers. Make

good use of them ... not joking. 

[addicted2light]

Like Username said, this is a subjective choice.

 

But my take on this matter is as follows (assuming same megapixels, same bodies in terms of specs etc., basically all other things being equal):

 

- APS-c is better for: general photography, landscapes (especially if you prefer "deep" focus, i.e. all in focus), sport and animals (especially birds)

 

- full frame is better for: the ability to isolate your subject, no matter what your genre is (yes, even landscapes), portraits and modeling jobs, documentary photography and journalism, low light conditions

 

Lastly, but this might be a tad difficult to understand if you've never shot with different formats, especially on film where the difference was more pronounced: in my opinion full frame might be better for some kind of photos thanks to the ability to use longer lenses to frame the same scene, giving in this way a different kind of rendering due the different (apparent) compression stemming from the longer focal lengths.

 

With this I mean that while it's true that a 50mm on APS-c and an 85mm on full frame will give you the same frame ("crop factor"), the rendering of the scene will not be the same, because the focal length is different (i.e. a 50 renders like a 50mm no matter the format, and the same does an 85mm). This will be even more noticeable, IMO, with the wide angles.

[Dollanganger]

A great question. Instinctively most will say full frame without being honest that photography is usually about differences and not good vs bad. What’s right for some is not right for others.

 

Please be aware all my comments refer specifically to Sony camera and NOT SLRs in general.

 

A good analogy is, a full frame is a freight train and an APSC is a car. The train’s motor is more powerful and carries more weight (information) but a car is faster and more versatile.

 

Sensor size: Full frames have bigger and more powerful sensors. Hence more information and more detail. As you read on you’ll see how this is not always a good thing.

 

Processing speed: Full frame sensors contain a lot more information hence the cannot process as quickly as APSC cameras. This can be a negative it you’re trying to take pictures very quickly as it will take longer to focus and process each shot.

 

Focal length: On a full frame a 24mm lens =24mm. But on an APSC camera things are magnified by 1.5. Hence that same 24mm lens just became a 36mm lens. Hence, it depends on what you’re shooting. If you’re zooming out a 300mm lens becomes 450mm. That’s a major difference. But if your shooting photos indoors a 18mm lens may not be wide enough for family photos as it will be 27mm on an APSC. This has never really caused me problems as I just make sure I have full frame lenses with enough zoom and APSC lenses which are wide enough.

 

Lens compatibility: A full frame lens will work just find on either type of SLR. APSC lenses will work on Sony’s full frame BUT there will be a crop factor and the larger sensor will not be used to its full extent, hence a less detailed photo than with a full frame lens.

 

Full frame vs APSC usually comes into play with Canon and Nikon SLRs. Their APSC cameras are so weak that one really needs full frame just to get a high quality photo. There’s a really stark contrast in the differences. But Sony’s never APSC camera can run circles around many of the high end fully frame Canon and Nikon SLRs. So you should never feel underpowered by using a APSC camera.

 

A true story: A friend was taking casual photos at a wedding with his old NEX 5 set to automatic. The hired wedding photographer was using a Canon 5D full frame and even he liked the NEX 5 photos better! That’s how good the sensor is.

 

In my opinion the newer APSC models like the A77II or A6000 or higher are so amazing you won’t be disappointed in either their performance or the features they offer.