1. What is Crop Factor?

Crop factor is a numerical value that compares the imaging area of a camera sensor to that of 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 following formula:

Where:

• 43.27 — Diagonal of a full-frame sensor (36mm × 24mm)
• sensor_width — Width of your camera's sensor in millimeters
• sensor_height — Height of your camera's sensor in millimeters

Explanation: The formula calculates the ratio between the diagonal of a full-frame sensor and the diagonal of your camera's sensor.

3. Importance of Crop Factor

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

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter your camera sensor's width and height in millimeters. Common values include 23.6mm × 15.6mm for APS-C or 17.3mm × 13mm for Micro Four Thirds.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What's the crop factor of a full-frame camera?
A: Full-frame cameras have a crop factor of 1x by definition.

Q2: How does crop factor affect lens focal length?
A: Multiply the lens focal length by the crop factor to get the "equivalent" focal length in full-frame terms.

Q3: Where can I find my sensor dimensions?
A: Check your camera's specifications or search online for your camera model's sensor size.

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

Q5: What's the difference between crop factor and magnification?
A: Crop factor only affects field of view, not actual magnification or depth of field.