Full Frame or Crop Sensor Camera? Ultimate Guide for Nature & Travel Photography
When I set out to buy my first camera, I was overwhelmed by the many choices I had to make. One of the most crucial decisions is probably about the sensor size. Is it really worth spending so much more money on a full-frame camera? And even aside money, is full-frame the holy grail and ALWAYS better than APS-C? (Spoiler alert: It isn’t—especially in travel photography!)
In this article, I’ll share my personal experience with both full frame and crop sensors, breaking down how each one affects image quality, portability, and the overall shooting experience. I’ll help you figure out which camera best suits your travel and outdoor photography needs. By the end, you’ll have a clear understanding of the pros and cons of each option, so you can confidently choose the right camera type for your next adventure.
Let’s dive in!
Understanding Sensors & Sizes
What is a camera sensor?
Simply put, a camera sensor — the partially reddish shining rectangle on the picture above — is the component that captures light and converts it into an image. It’s essentially the digital equivalent of film in older cameras. The sensor’s size, along with its quality, significantly impacts the camera's ability to capture details, handle low light, and control depth of field. In addition, its size also impacts the size and weight of the camera. But more to this later!
Full Frame Sensors
A full-frame sensor is a digital imaging sensor that is equivalent in size to a traditional 35mm film frame, measuring approximately 36mm x 24mm.
The 35mm film format was introduced in 1889 as a standard width for motion picture film.
Between 1913 and 1914, Oskar Barnack, an engineer at the Leitz company, adapted 35mm cinematic film for still-camera use. Barnack, who suffered from asthma, sought to reduce the size and weight of cameras to facilitate his travel photography. His adaptation featured a larger negative than other 35mm cameras of the time. In 1924, this innovative camera was named the Leica.
The 35mm format quickly became the standard for still photography as well. This legacy continues today with digital full-frame sensors, which retain the same dimensions as the original 35mm film.
Crop Sensors
Crop sensors are smaller in size and therefore, effectively "crop" the image, resulting in a narrower field of view compared to full-frame sensors when using the same lens.
There are several types of crop sensors on the market. The most common type is the APS-C sensor. Dimensions for APS-C typically range around 22mm x 15mm, with slight variations depending on the manufacturer (e.g., Canon APS-C sensors are slightly smaller than Nikon's, with Canon measuring at 22.2x14.8mm).
You’ll likely come across the term crop factor, which measures how much smaller a camera's sensor is compared to a full-frame sensor, and how much it crops or "zooms in" on the image. For example, on a camera with a common 1.6 crop factor, a 50mm lens behaves like an 80mm lens, providing a tighter field of view. See the picture below for an example.
Canon also provides a good overview of this topic.
This picture was taken with a 20mm lens on a full-frame camera. A camera with a smaller APS-C sensor using the same lens would have captured only the area within the yellow rectangle, due to its smaller sensor size.
Image Quality
Background
Resolution
Resolution usually refers to the amount of detail that a camera can capture, which is generally measured in megapixels (MP).
Pixels
Pixels are tiny squares of color that make up an image. A megapixel is equal to one million pixels. Therefore, when a camera is described as having, for example, 24 megapixels, it means that the image it captures is made up of approximately 24 million pixels.
Amount vs. Size of Pixels
The number of pixels and the size of pixels are closely intertwined. Since space on the sensor is limited, the more pixels on a sensor, the smaller they are. Conversely, the fewer the pixels, the larger they are. The consequence: More pixels allow for greater detail, while larger pixels are able to capture more light, thereby reducing noise. This means there needs to be a balance between the two: allowing for enough detail without introducing excessive noise from having many, but tiny, pixels.
Dynamic Range
Dynamic range is the difference between the brightest and darkest parts of a scene that a camera can capture.
Resolution & Detail
Resolution is often less important than it seems. Higher resolutions on full-frame sensors only make a noticeable difference when cropping extensively or printing extremely large.
Yes, full-frame sensors, having a larger sensor surface area, can offer higher resolution capabilities without compromising low-light performance compared to APS-C sensors. However, the resolution provided by most crop sensors is typically more than sufficient, even for close-up viewing or large prints. Additionally, crop and full-frame cameras often offer similar resolutions.
Even if a full-frame camera has a higher resolution, you may only notice a significant improvement in detail compared to an APS-C sensor when cropping images heavily or printing them very large. For reference, I’ve printed images from my 18MP APS-C DSLR camera as large as 120x90 cm (about 47x35 inches) with excellent results.
Low-Light Performance
Here’s where full-frame cameras truly—quite literally—outshine crop sensors.
As mentioned earlier, if we compare a full-frame sensor with an APS-C sensor that has the same number of pixels, the pixels on the full-frame sensor are larger. In other words, the increased surface area of the full-frame sensor allows for larger individual pixels that can capture more light.
This results in clearer, more detailed, and less noisy images, even at higher ISO settings, compared to crop sensors. This is particularly advantageous for night photography, outdoor photography in shadowy conditions (such as photographing in a forest on an overcast day), and other low-light scenarios.
Conversely, APS-C sensors can struggle in low-light conditions compared to full-frame sensors, as their smaller size means each pixel gathers less light, leading to increased noise and reduced image quality.
(However, advancements in sensor technology and noise reduction algorithms are bridging this gap. Modern APS-C sensors often incorporate advanced features such as improved noise reduction and better ISO performance, making them capable of handling low-light situations better than older models.)
Dynamic Range
Another point, where full frame cameras offer superior performance.
Full-frame sensors offer a wider dynamic range than crop sensor cameras, meaning they can capture a broader spectrum of light and dark areas in a single image. This capability allows photographers to capture more detail in both highlights and shadows, which is especially beneficial in high-contrast scenes.
When shooting in RAW format (which you should, regardless of sensor type), a full-frame camera provides additional flexibility in post-processing, allowing for significant recovery of details, even in very bright or very dark areas.
For example, a full-frame sensor can often handle challenging lighting conditions, such as bright sunlight and deep shadows in the same image, without losing detail. This makes it easier to achieve balanced exposures in a single shot. To manage dynamic range with a crop sensor camera, on the other hand, you might need to use techniques such as HDR imaging, filters, or multiple exposures—scenarios where simple post-processing with a full-frame camera would suffice.
Depth of Field
Depth of field (DoF) refers to area within a photo that appears acceptably sharp. The aesthetic quality of out-of-focus areas, known as bokeh, and the ability to isolate subjects are significantly influenced by the depth of field. One of the main factors affecting depth of field is the size of the camera sensor.
Background Blur (Bokeh)
Full-frame sensors create stronger background blur.
Full-frame sensors, due to their larger size, allow for a shallower DOF at the same aperture setting. This results in more pronounced background blur or bokeh, making them ideal for portrait photography and situations where you want to emphasize the subject while creating a visually appealing, out-of-focus background. The increased sensor area enables greater separation between the in-focus subject and the blurred background, resulting in a more aesthetically pleasing effect.
On the other hand, APS-C sensors have a smaller size and therefore a deeper DOF for the same focal length and aperture. While APS-C sensors can still produce a pleasing bokeh effect, it is generally less pronounced than that of full-frame sensors. To achieve similar levels of background blur with an APS-C camera, you might need to use wider apertures, longer focal lengths, or get closer to the subject. Despite these adjustments, the background blur remains less intense compared to full-frame sensors.
Subject Isolation
Full-frame sensors excel at isolating subjects.
Full-frame sensors excel at isolating subjects due to their ability to create a shallow DOF. This capability is especially useful in portrait photography, where it is beneficial to have a sharply focused subject against a smoothly blurred background. The full-frame sensor’s ability to enhance subject-background separation ensures that the main subject stands out prominently in the composition.
APS-C sensors also support subject isolation but with less dramatic effect due to their deeper DOF. To emphasize the main subject, photographers using APS-C sensors may need to employ techniques such as using longer focal lengths or getting closer to the subject. While these methods can enhance subject isolation, they may not achieve the same level of separation as full-frame sensors.
Field of View & (Effective) Focal Length
Field of view (FOV) is the area a camera lens captures. Wide-angle lenses have a broader FOV, while telephoto lenses focus on smaller areas. Focal length, the distance from the lens’s optical center to the sensor, determines the FOV: shorter focal lengths give wider views, and longer ones create narrower views.
The effective focal length of a lens depends on the camera's sensor size. It's the lens's focal length multiplied by the sensor's crop factor.
On a full-frame camera, a 20mm lens stays 20mm.
On an APS-C camera with a 1.5x crop factor, the same lens acts like a 30mm lens because the smaller sensor narrows the field of view, making the image appear more zoomed in.
This is often seen as an advantage for telephoto photography. However, full-frame cameras can crop their larger, more detailed images to achieve a similar zoomed-in effect, reducing this benefit to a matter of workflow rather than quality.
Size & Weight
Crop-sensor cameras are typically smaller and lighter than full-frame cameras, making them more portable and easier to carry for extended periods.
Full-frame cameras are generally larger and heavier than their crop-sensor counterparts. However, the larger size of full-frame cameras may provide a more comfortable grip and larger controls, which can be beneficial for photographers with larger hands.
The same applies to the lenses, which are significantly lighter and more compact for crop-sensor cameras.
Cost
Full-frame cameras are generally much more expensive than crop sensor cameras.
This cost difference extends to the lenses as well, which can often be overlooked when starting with a basic kit (camera body plus a standard lens). Therefore, when considering costs, include searching for lenses you might want to purchase in the future.
Summary
++ Full-Frame ++
Better low Light Performance
Full-frame cameras generally offer better image quality with more detail, especially in low-light conditions or high contrast situations (such as bright light with dark shadows) due to larger pixels.
Higher dynamic Range
Additionally, full-frame cameras typically offer better dynamic range, capturing more detail in highlights and shadows, while crop sensor cameras generally have less dynamic range.
Depth of Field
Full-frame cameras provide a shallower depth of field, creating a more pronounced background blur at the same aperture and offering better subject isolation compared to crop sensor cameras.
++ Crop Camera ++
Better Portability
Crop sensor cameras are more compact and lighter, i.e. more portable than full-frame cameras due to the smaller sensor size. This affects not only the camera body, but also the size and weight of lenses!
Lower Cost
Crop camera bodies and lenses are typically less expensive than full frame cameras and dedicated lenses.
Lessons from My Photography Journey: Why I Use Both APS-C and Full-Frame Cameras
I got my first APS-C sensor camera in 2015 for a trip to Sweden, where I wanted to capture the beautiful landscapes and wildlife. I've always believed that the worst picture is the one that isn't taken at all and that even the best camera isn't worth much if it stays at home because it's too cumbersome to carry. That’s why I prioritized size and weight, and still do. I chose the lightest DSLR camera available at the time (Canon EOS 100D), and despite comparing it to heavier models, I was very satisfied with its quality. I'm still using this camera today, nine years later.
Several years later, I bought a full frame mirrorless camera, after complaining about the performance in low light and high dynamic range situations for a while. Again, I opted for the lightest full-frame model available—the Sony Alpha 7C. I use this camera together with a wide-angle prime lens to keep it compact, and after traveling, hiking, and shooting with it for almost three years, I'm still very happy with it. The camera captures so many details that I find it easy to crop images for a narrower field of view when needed.
I still value my APS-C camera for situations requiring a long focal length, such as close-up and wildlife photography, because APS-C zoom lenses are significantly lighter and slimmer than full-frame lenses. I absolutely do not want to carry heavy camera equipment on hikes, and even when not hiking, shooting with a lighter zoom lens is less tiring. Keep in mind that you also need to hold the camera while shooting without a tripod!
On the other hand, my full-frame camera excels in landscape photography, where you often face challenging lighting conditions with bright highlights and deep shadows, or when shooting sunrise, sunset, or night skies. The higher dynamic range of the full-frame sensor allows you to capture more detail in both bright and dark areas, which can be recovered in post-processing (note: shooting in RAW is essential for this). The higher ISO performance also means you can capture night skies with less noise compared to an APS-C sensor, which tends to produce more noise at higher ISO settings.
In summary, I value my different cameras for different use cases, all within the niche of outdoor travel & hiking photography:
Crop Camera: Ideal for telephoto and zoom photography (e.g., wildlife, nature close-ups) due to its lighter weight and smaller size.
Full Frame Camera: Best for wide-angle photography (e.g., landscapes, night photography) due to its superior dynamic range and reduced noise in low-light conditions.
If you are a complete beginner, I would recommend starting with an APS-C camera (or another type of crop sensor camera with interchangeable lenses) due to its lower price point, including the cost of the camera body and lenses, which can often be overlooked when initially buying a kit! Additionally, the better portability of APS-C cameras and their lenses may encourage you to take the camera with you more often (another trivial point that may easily be overlooked) and explore your new hobby. However, this is a general recommendation. Please consider your personal use cases and determine which camera best fits your individual needs and requirements.
