Tuesday Tip – Full Frame vs. Cropped Sensor Examples
A crop factor will effect the field of view of your lens. In the video below I show an example of the difference in distance from the subject to the camera using the Rokinon 35mm T1.5 Cine Lens for Canon VDLSR on 3 cameras with different sized sensors. For the Full Frame camera I’m using the Canon 5D Mark III, for the APS-C camera I’m using the Canon T4i and for my Micro Four Thirds camera I’m using the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3.
A full frame sensor will give you a full 35mm image, similar to that of film. The Canon 5D Mark III is a full frame camera and with it we see a full frame field of view. The Canon T4i has a smaller sensor, therefore, the same image, using the same focal length on the same lens, is cropped. The T4i has an APS-C sensor with a crop factor of 1.6. The Panasonic GH3 is a Micro Four Thirds system with an even smaller sensor and a crop factor of about 2. This means that with the same lens, at a fixed distance from the subject, the field of view will look different depending on whether your camera is a Full Frame, APS-C or Micro Four Thirds.
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If you’d like to see an overview of the Rokinon 35mm T1.5 Cine Lens for Canon VDLSR you can find an OTech VIDEO on it HERE.
Rokinon 35mm T1.5 Cine Lens for Canon VDLSR
for the BMC you’ll have to step back even further…
If I have a Nikon D3200 (crop sensor) and I get the Rokinon/Bower 85mm Cine T/1.5 for DSLR videography/cinematography, will it be inconvenient/a pain since I must step back further (compared to a full frame)? I will mostly be shooting action videos/people similar to freddiew/Corridor Digital.
Is the 35mm worth the $170 over the 85mm (if I can’t get both)? And are they worth the investment if I probably/eventually will upgrade to a full frame in the future (or wishful thinking; the BMCC)? Thanks! Love your channel/blog BTW!
@Maximilian The crop factor on the Nikon D3200 is 1.5X if you are purchasing full frame format lenses. You might be able to use the 35mm Cine lens more considering the crop if you get an EF mount lens. The Rokinon 85mm and the 35mm both come in Nikon mount options as well. If you’re planning to upgrade to a full frame camera, the BMCC is not a full frame camera. The Nikon D800, for example, is full frame and you could use your Nikon lenses.
Thanks for the help! But, because most video/cinema bodies have either PL/EF mount, should I get a Rokinon Cine 35mm with EF mount and then get an adapter for my current Nikon, so when I probably upgrade my camera to a Canon (or other cinema camera) in the future (2-4 yrs), there are less compatibility issues? Or get an F mount?
@Max I’d go with the EF mount and get an adaptor since you will end up with a Canon anyway.
Hi Olivia,
Just started shooting recently (got a canon 7d with 24-105mm canon, 50mm canon and 10-20mm sigma). Loved the video, how did you do the overlayed copies of yourself in this video? I know how to do this on stills in photoshop, but video is very new to me. I got fcp x, can that do it?
Thanks a mil.
@Mazhit This is a response from my editor who made the video, “Bring the clips into your the timeline in post. Layer them on top of each other. Then just crop them however you want to. Make sure when you shoot it that the camera is stationary and doesnt move.”
Tuesday Tip: How to easily frame shots in the cinema ratio (1:2.35) on a DSLR shooting at 16:9 video mode!