Full-Frame D-SLRs

Nature photographers now have six models from which to choose at widely varying prices. These cameras are about more than just a larger image sensor.

By Staff

Labels: Cameras, D-SLRs

This Article Features Photo Zoom

Full-Frame Lenses

Landscape photographers like wide lenses, while wildlife shooters like super-telephotos. Full-frame D-SLRs provide a wide selection of both, plus everything in between.

Canon offers more than 40 EF lenses for its full-frame D-SLRs, from a 14mm super-wide and 15mm full-frame fish-eye to a 800mm super-telephoto, including zooms from 16-35mm to 100-400mm, three tilt-shift lenses and a 65mm 1-5x macro lens. There also are 1.4x and 2x AF teleconverters.

Nikon offers more than 40 lenses for its full-frame D-SLRs, from a 14mm super-wide and 16mm full-frame fish-eye to a 600mm super-telephoto, including zooms from 14-24mm to 200-400mm, three tilt-shift lenses and three 1:1 macro lenses. There also are 1.4x, 1.7x and 2x AF teleconverters.

Sony offers more than 20 Sony and Zeiss lenses for its full-frame D-SLR, from a 16mm fish-eye and 20mm super-wide to a 300mm super-tele and 500mm mirror lens, including zooms from 24-70mm to 70-400mm, plus 50mm and 100mm 1:1 macro lenses. There also are 1.4x and 2x AF teleconverters. Sony D-SLRs can use Minolta Maxxum lenses, as well.

Independent lens makers Sigma, Tamron and Tokina also make lenses for full-frame D-SLRs, widening the selection even further.

If you’re moving up to a full-frame D-SLR from an APS-C model, you might have some lenses designed specifically for the smaller sensor (Nikon calls them DX lenses, Canon EF-S and Sony DT lenses). Nikon’s full-frame models will accept the DX lenses, automatically switching to a cropped DX format when one is attached. Canon’s full-frame D-SLRs won’t accept Canon EF-S lenses. Sony’s A900 will accept the DT lenses, but using one will result in vignetting because DT lenses were designed to cover a smaller APS-C sensor, not a 35mm sensor. Of course, you can crop the darkened corners out, but you’ll lose the full angle of view of the lens.

Image Quality
It’s not a coincidence that the top six spots in DxO Labs’ DxOMark RAW sensor performance ratings are occupied by the six current full-frame D-SLRs. Big sensors provide room for more and/or bigger pixels, both of which enhance image quality. (You can see the full list and explanations of how the ratings were determined at www.dxomark.com.)

The highest-resolution APS-C camera is 15.1 megapixels, while four of the six full-frame models provide more than 21 megapixels. And the largest pixels on a current D-SLR are found on the two 12-megapixel full-frame models—along with the best high-ISO performance. The full-frame D-SLRs definitely are the image-quality kings.

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5 Comments

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mzaidi.com makes this comment

Saturday, 13 June 2009

MY DREAM MACHINE
Jim makes this comment

Thursday, 26 March 2009

Your comment on the use of Sony DT lenses is not correct. A better example of there use is given on Dpreview.com. They explain it this way "The Alpha 900 is quite happy working with lenses designed for the APS-C (cropped sensor) models. The camera detects when such lenses are attached and automatically crops images taken (the image size menu changes to reflect this; you can select up to 11 MP only). What it doesn't do is crop or mask the viewfinder, nor is there any indication at all that you've got a DT lens attached. The APS-C crop is indicated on the focusing screen (see below), but that's it. With most lenses you'll see some vignetting in the viewfinder especially at wide angle settings (the 18-70mm DT for example, vignettes at anything below about 24mm." Great read though, thanks.
Glenn makes this comment

Thursday, 26 March 2009

I keep reading how the D700 is "slightly less rugged" than the D3. I've owned both and to be honest, I see no difference in the ruggedness between the two. However, I think this site (http://www.jimreedphoto.com/content.html?page=5) probably is even more definitive on that subject. If the D700 is in fact, less rugged than the D3, it's still well beyond extreme. Excellent article by the by!
an Outsider makes this comment

Monday, 23 March 2009

Under Nikon D3 specs it is stated that the sensor size is 21.1 Mpix
Robert makes this comment

Wednesday, 18 March 2009

Great article, thanks for the explanation on f-stop and diffraction. :)

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Full-Frame D-SLRs

Nature photographers now have six models from which to choose at widely varying prices. These cameras are about more than just a larger image sensor.

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