1. What is Sensor Crop Factor?

The crop factor compares the imaging area of a camera sensor to a full-frame (35mm) sensor. It helps photographers understand the effective focal length and field of view when using 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 a full-frame sensor, affecting the effective focal length of lenses.

3. Importance of Crop Factor

Details: Understanding crop factor is essential for comparing lenses across different camera systems and predicting the field of view you'll get with specific lens-sensor combinations.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter the full frame diagonal (usually 43.27mm) and your sensor's diagonal measurement in millimeters. Both values must be positive numbers.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What's the standard full frame diagonal?
A: For 35mm film format, it's approximately 43.27mm (36mm × 24mm sensor).

Q2: How do I find my sensor's diagonal?
A: Measure the sensor width and height, then calculate diagonal using Pythagorean theorem: √(width² + height²).

Q3: What does a crop factor of 1.5 mean?
A: It means your sensor is 1.5 times smaller than full-frame, and lenses will have 1.5× the effective focal length.

Q4: Does crop factor affect image quality?
A: Not directly, but smaller sensors typically have smaller pixels which may affect noise and dynamic range.

Q5: Is crop factor the same as magnification?
A: No, it's about field of view. The image isn't magnified, but the smaller sensor captures a smaller portion of the image circle.