1. What is Crop Factor?

Crop factor is a numerical value that compares the imaging area of a camera sensor to a full-frame (35mm film equivalent) sensor. It helps photographers understand the field of view difference between different sensor sizes.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the crop factor formula:

Where:

• Full Frame Diagonal — Typically 43.27mm for 35mm film format
• Sensor Diagonal — The diagonal measurement of your camera's sensor

Explanation: The crop factor shows how much smaller your sensor is compared to full-frame, affecting field of view and effective focal length.

3. Importance of Crop Factor

Details: Understanding crop factor is essential for comparing lenses across different camera systems, calculating equivalent focal lengths, and anticipating field of view changes when switching between sensor sizes.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter both diagonal measurements in millimeters. Full frame diagonal is typically 43.27mm. Sensor diagonal can be calculated from width and height using Pythagorean theorem if not known.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What's the crop factor for common sensor sizes?
A: APS-C typically has 1.5-1.6x, Micro Four Thirds has 2x, and 1-inch sensors have about 2.7x crop factor.

Q2: How does crop factor affect focal length?
A: Multiply the actual focal length by the crop factor to get the "full-frame equivalent" focal length for field of view comparison.

Q3: Does crop factor affect aperture?
A: No, aperture remains the same, but depth of field appears different due to the changed field of view.

Q4: Why use diagonal measurement?
A: Diagonal measurement accounts for both width and height, providing a single value that represents the sensor size.

Q5: Is full-frame always better?
A: Not necessarily. Crop sensors can be advantageous for telephoto work and often offer cost and size benefits.