If like me you are the proud owner of a crop sensor DSLR then the chances are you are thinking about how to take your photography to the next level.
There is a bit of a snooty culture around whether you should go for a full frame camera over a crop sensor (I’m ashamed to say I fell victim to this) but a shot is what you make of it. I’ve seen some truly stunning shots taken on a Nexus tablet and they sure as anything don’t have a 35mm sensor with a £1500 slapped on the front.
So here are some tips about how you can get more out of your crop sensor than you might think. Before I go on, I’d like to take a moment to say that these opinions are my own.
1. External flash
I don’t shoot anything indoors without one – period. The built in flash of your crop sensor is good for one thing, making your photos look washed out. You can control how much light it throws out, but not the angle. It’s head on and nothing you can do about it.
Take a look at these two shots. Same focal length, f stop and ISO but the one on the left is with the built in flash and the one on the right is with an external gun.
Some of the shadows have been filled in and the red collar stands out more.
With an external flash you can control the angle and the power of the flash. I recommend going for an ETTL flash gun over a manual one, because with ETTL (which takes its power readout directly from the camera) you’re prepared for any situation and when caught in the moment of an event, you’re not wildly over exposing you’re image.
2. Bokeh gets tricky
Ok so here is one area where full frame wins, getting those pretty blurry backgrounds. No mater what you do it’s not going to be the same when shooting on a crop sensor. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get good bokeh shots.
With the 1.6 crop factor it means your 50mm lens is turned into a 66mm lens which isn’t ideal. I prefer using a 35mm prime lens on both my full frame and crop sensor. I have to work harder on my crop sensor but I’m still getting shots I like.
This shot for example was shot at f2.2 on a 50mm f1.8.
So don’t be afraid to buy a prime lens, experiment and see what’s to your taste. Just make sure it’s got IS or you have a tripod – it’ll help in the long run.
3. Range extension granted
This is where a crop sensor shines. Event photography when you’re on a long lens ‘sniping’ shots. You’re 70-200mm lens is turned into a 112- lens – that’s a heck of a lot more range.
You’ve got more to aim at over the full frame and it takes very little. Often you’ll see pro’s with a full frame and a crop sensor and you’ve guessed it, the long lens is on the crop sensor for sniping purposes.
4. Move beyond your kit lens
It’s easy to stay rooted to your kit lens for a while after purchasing your first DSLR (because that wallet pinch hurt) and you feel ready to move on. But where to start?
Fast standard zooms are usually the first place to go. With a crop sensor camera going for the big 24-70 might seem like the only way to go, but they’re full frame lenses and as such only work to that focal length on a full frame. Again the crop factor takes its chop.
That’s why crop sensor cameras have their own lenses. You can still use full frame lenses on a crop sensor (I do all the time) but it doesn’t take full advantage of the sensor. The first lens I got after getting my Canon 600D 5 years ago was a Sigma 17-50 f2.8.
It didn’t have the price tag of the Canon equivalent but the image quality was much greater than the Tamron 17-50. It’s still a strong contender in the crop sensor world. With it I got a whole stop more light over the kit lens which I could use lower ISO’s with lens noise. Bonus!
This image was taken on my 7D Mark II with the Sigma 17-50. Very happy with it.
5. Don’t be afraid to play against the big boys
First time DSLR users can often be intimidated and shrugged off by pro photographers because of the camera they have. It’s not all about the kit. “It’s not the size, it’s how you use it”.
For me photography is about capturing a real moment in time, something that won’t be seen again. A child laughing for the first time, your catching a ball or an orange sunset. A photo is what you make of it so go out there and shoot away. Shoot as much as you can, wherever you can .
You’ll know when you’ve got the shot you wanted because you’ll take it, review it and move on to the next one.