Thoughts on shooting full frame in crop mode, do you , would you, pros and cons

[spudhead]

So another question thoughts on shooting full frame body in crop mode, I cant do that right now still being on 24 megapixel, but it is on my list of considerations when and if I switch up. so those who have higher megapixel cameras please post up comments, and experiences, and quality of results that are possible, please add shots if it helps in the reply thanks

 

[Landshark99]

I never use any crop modes in camera except when I used to have to shoot video in Super 35. For stills I only crop in the computer in post.

 

[Ralph]

I have the a7iii and as with you it is only 24 megapixels and I think they say it drops down to about 8 megapixels and to me its just not worth that.
I rather get what I can with the way the camera was set up in the factory and cutting pixels to me with it is just not worth it.
If I had the R mode I might consider doing it but not with this one.

 

[spudhead]

I never use any crop modes in camera except when I used to have to shoot video in Super 35. For stills I only crop in the computer in post.

Me too at the moment I do know some on here shoot crop on the larger megapixel cameras

 

[Landshark99]

Even though I am using an A1 and an A7RV, I do feel the need to use a crop modes, I like keeping as much image information as I can. When I had an A7SII for work I shot supr 35 video with it because of the lens I was using but that is the only time. I thought I was going to continue doing some more video in retirement and foolishly bought an A7SIII along with a video zoom. I used the whole setup once for a few minutes of video at one of my daughter's weddings and then sold it all for a loss, Live and learn

 

[spudhead]

Even though I am using an A1 and an A7RV, I do feel the need to use a crop mode, I like keeping as much image information as I can. When I had an A7SII for work I shot supr 35 video with it because of the lens I was using but that is the only time.

yep for sure, plus you are only using the centre of the sensor

 

[liggy]

I shoot fairly often in crop mode on the A1 when the subject is too far away. Got it programmed as a right click on the rear wheel. Way more convenient than using the tc and generally enough resolution to work. Might need a little more post but good enough for me.

 

[GT12]

On my A7RV I prefer FF then crop later. Occasionally I’ll flip into APC-C mode to get a better idea of framing on a stationary object, but quality wise no difference in cropping the FF compared to shooting same sized final image in APS. I have read some posts in the past where there can be differences in video capability, which I haven’t had the need to understand, so maybe dig into that if you shoot much video.

 

[spudhead]

On my A7RV I prefer FF then crop later. Occasionally I’ll flip into APC-C mode to get a better idea of framing on a stationary object, but quality wise no difference in cropping the FF compared to shooting same sized final image in APS. I have read some posts in the past where there can be differences in video capability, which I haven’t had the need to understand, so maybe dig into that if you shoot much video.

No video here no interest for me in that

 

[iain clyne]

On the A1 I use it on occasion where I need more reach and don’t have my TC to hand. I think sometimes we forget that not long ago we we were shooting on 20mp or less so I see the 21mp of the A1 in crop as fine.

 

[Landshark99]

I do see the advantage when shooting in raw. It may look like you are getting a longer focal length because you are reducing the field of view but in realty all one is doing is cropping the image in camera, no different, than cropping after the fact. except having less options in post.

 

[iain clyne]

The difference is I dont have to sit at the PC doing it, I try to get it right in camera.

 

[Deleted Member 5003]

In the field and shooting from early morning (before sunrise in many cases) and using my A1 with my medium and longer lenses(70-200mm f2.8 and 400mm f2.8) I usually start shooting with my 400mm or 70-200 wide open and as the light increases switch to APS crop mode as needed. After sunrise and into golden hour I will more often than not fit and begin to use my TCx1.4(excepting the 200-600) and after golden hour retain the TC 1.4 and switch to APS when required and/or use my 200-600 mm(without the TCx1.4) if i have it close to hand.

As usual, circumstances dictate whether shooting short or long, but i rarely use my 200-600 in the early morning until after golden hour. After golden hour I will switch into APS crop mode, as necessary, with any of the above lenses and my A1, but do not go to APS crop mode with my A9 II any of the above lenses but find in good light and using my A1, APS cropped mode is perfectly ok with all the above lenses in providing good quality images.

 

[iamdlewis]

I generally only use crop for identifying a subject and very rarely actually photograph anything in crop mode.

 

[Landshark99]

The difference is I dont have to sit at the PC doing it, I try to get it right in camera.

Understood, are you shooting jpegs and uploading them directly to to the cloud or social media

 

[Landshark99]

I APS cropped mode is perfectly ok with all the above lenses in providing good quality images.

Yes but does it not look the same if you cropped the same image from full frame in editing.
I am trying to see what the gain is other than it might make it easier to edit seeing the already cropped image later on.

 

[Nooker99]

on my a7Rv, I never use crop mode. No reason to, unless I have no storage space for the larger FF photo, which honestly, you should never be in that situation. If I want to "zoom in" using crop mode, I feel you're better off cropping later, because you can control (reframe) where you crop in post. Why lose that flexibility by cropping in-camera?

 

[iamdlewis]

There is an argument for using crop mode with the A7R line than any of the other lines. Using the crop mode allows the camera to reduce the sensor scanning it does for AF and tracking thus improving the performance. I know this did improve the hit rate for my A7Riv, it didn't suddenly become like an A9 or anything but it was better.

 

[Deleted Member 5003]

Yes but does it not look the same if you cropped the same image from full frame in editing.
I am trying to see what the gain is other than it might make it easier to edit seeing the already cropped image later on.

As others have commented I seek to reduce time on post production as much as possible as I prefer to get out and shoot.....as commented the basic image quality I see from prime lens APS shots is fine on the A1.

 

[iain clyne]

Understood, are you shooting jpegs and uploading them directly to to the cloud or social media

I shot jpeg got into the habit with working sports and press

 

[Deleted Member 5045]

No hesitation if I feel the image won't need to be cropped much from there. I only really use that mode for wildlife anyway, so if I need to go in further then I do. It's not like I want to get more of an out of focus tree or something in my image anyway so I might as well just crop it then and there.

Realised something today too. My lightweight landscape pack will now consist of the 16-35mm PZ, 24-70mm GMII and my new 70-200mm f4 GII with the 2x teleconverter. Meaning that not only do I have a 1:1 macro lens always on hand, but also a 210-600mm f8 at 26mp in crop mode too. Pretty nifty!

 

[Deleted Member 5003]

The difference is I dont have to sit at the PC doing it, I try to get it right in camera.

Agree Iain, the whole point of using crop mode is to "magnify" or fill the frame, and therefore why wouldn't anyone seek to
fix the final composition prior to taking the shot rather than spending additional time at the PC in post.......

 

[spudhead]

ok one thing not mentioned by anyone is if there are any issues regarding image quality, surely all the camera is doing in crop mode is what it would do if you added an aps-c lens to it, narrowing the field of view and adding a reach advantage that is not optical quality, but digitally enhanced. And for sure I would assume there will be negatives such as vignetting loss of image quality at the edges etc? I do not know from experience because I have never used the in camera crop mode, and probably never will on any camera going forward I remain unconvinced without trying it which for me on 24 megapixel is at least for now pointless.

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

I would say that 75% of my shots are taken in crop mode on the A7RIV. Why? My main subject matter is either small or distant, or both! Shooting in crop mode allows me to frame subjects pretty much as I want them, especially butterflies etc.
For the Macro I still shoot crop mode to get in close to the moths, again for framing. I have shot FF for them, but always end up cropping down anyway.
There is no loss of detail in shooting crop, it's just the camera using the middle part of the sensor in effect. When I first got it I tried side by side comparison, taking the same subject in crop and full frame and then processing them the same way. The only difference was a slightly larger file size from the cropped full frame shot.
The only times I shoot FF regularly is in Zoos or when shooting larger birds at close range (rare), and for landscapes.
You may ask why not buy a crop sensor camera, and the answer is that Sony crop cameras are too damned small!

 

[spudhead]

I would say that 75% of my shots are taken in crop mode on the A7RIV. Why? My main subject matter is either small or distant, or both! Shooting in crop mode allows me to frame subjects pretty much as I want them, especially butterflies etc.
For the Macro I still shoot crop mode to get in close to the moths, again for framing. I have shot FF for them, but always end up cropping down anyway.
There is no loss of detail in shooting crop, it's just the camera using the middle part of the sensor in effect. When I first got it I tried side by side comparison, taking the same subject in crop and full frame and then processing them the same way. The only difference was a slightly larger file size from the cropped full frame shot.
The only times I shoot FF regularly is in Zoos or when shooting larger birds at close range (rare), and for landscapes.
You may ask why not buy a crop sensor camera, and the answer is that Sony crop cameras are too damned small!

Hi Kev it took long enough for you to jump mate, I know you shoot crop a lot so was hoping you might add some context to be debate, so thanks for that oh what is the megapixel count on a crop mode a74r just for information purposes Kev?

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

Hi Kev it took long enough for you to jump mate, I know you shoot crop a lot so was hoping you might add some context to be debate, so thanks for that oh what is the megapixel count on a crop mode a74r just for information purposes Kev?

Yeah, sorry, I've ben busy with other crap. 26mp, so still higher than most APSC cameras. If I can find the shots, I'll post the comparison I did, as I kept both.
I didn't think I would shoot crop as much as I do, but it's just better suited to what I do.

 

[alexpler]

I tried but the 24mp resolution of the A7C makes it very limited, imo it's much better to shot FF and then crop afterwards if needed. Maybe with higher mp makes more sense, idk.

It's like shooting black and white filter: you can do that but it's more versatile to shoot on color first and then decide what to do.

 

[AlphaWorld]

I have experimented with using APS-C crop on the A7RV to get the 26Mp image filling the viewfinder - helps when wanting frame up the image - but most of the time I shoot the full frame image and crop in post. One of the reasons is that I don't always get my framing right, and if I shoot it full frame I can crop off-centre

Doing some experimenting with an A6700 - effectively an enforced crop. It's kind of fun, and surprisingly good quality, For someone who cannot, or does not want to, afford an A7RV, the A6700 is a seriously good option (and less than half the price in my country). I admit that I was surprised by the EVF - it's better than I expected. The rear screen on the other hand - spends most of its time turned in towsrd the camera. The AF really does seem to A7RV quality, too.

So I don't really use the crop on the A7RV, but I guess I do on the A6700...

 

[iain clyne]

I have had prints done to poster size from a 8mp Canon 1D mk2 and they were fine so prints from todays cameras 20mp or above are going to be great.

 

[AlphaWorld]

I have had prints done to poster size from a 8mp Canon 1D mk2 and they were fine so prints from todays cameras 20mp or above are going to be great.

One of the classic statements (which I still don't know is true) is the claim that billboards are only 6Mp resolution, but you see them from so far away, they look sharp.

Printed in a reasonable size, and viewed from an appropriate distance, 8Mpixel can be plenty, especially from a high-end camera like a 1D mark II, which was likely teamed with a good lens (a 1D mark II was an expensive camera in its day).