Cropped Sensor Advantage

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to attend the Army-Navy game this weekend at Fedex Field in Washington DC.  The game was sold out and it was confirmed that President Obama was going to attend.  I knew I wanted to have my camera for this event, but also knew that there would be restrictions on bringing bags into the stadium.  I decided on carrying the camera without the bag and bringing an extra battery and memory card in my jacket.  I was glad to have the extra battery because with the cold weather, the battery drained at a much quicker rate than normal.


A fellow photographer talked to me about the gear he was bringing to the event.  Although he owned the Canon 5D Mark II he opted to bring his older Canon 40D.  At first thought, why would a photographer bring older gear?  Security?  Worried about travel?  No.  It's the cropped sensor advantage.   What does this mean?  The full frame sensors are designed to be the equivalent of the 35mm film frame.  Meaning the size of the sensor is about 36 x 24 mm.  When reduced by a factor of 12 this is the equivalent of a 3 x 2 ratio.  A cropped sensor uses the same 3 x 2 ratio and applies some factor.  Depending on manufacturer or body, the cropped frame sensors differ by their crop factors.  


The Canon 40D is a cropped sensor while the 5D Mark II is a full frame sensor.  The Canon 40D has a 1.6 size crop factor from the 5D Mark II.  This means that his 70-200mm lens now becomes a 112-320mm.  This is determined by multiplying the focal length by 1.6.  The picture that you see in the view finder will be the image you get in the camera.  Sports photographers, like wildlife photographers, always wish they had a longer focal length.  Here is a great way to get a longer lens without spending more.  The cost difference between a 200mm and 300 mm lens can be significant.  So instead of buying a new longer focal length lens, he optimized his gear to get the farthest focal length possible.  Very smart.  Looking at the converse, an interiors and architecture photographer would not want to chose a cropped sensor body.  Although the cropped sensor will provide an advantage in focal length, it looses field of view.    


For the game I chose my travel lens, an 18-270mm.  I chose this lens because it was my longest focal length.  With the 1.6 Canon cropped factor the lens actually became a 28.8-432mm.


Here are a couple of my favorite images from the game

Navy takes the field

Army Student Section

Navy Student Section

President Obama conducts the coin toss

Touch down Navy!

Navy Wins!

Today's take-aways:

                                                                                                                                                                                 
1) Extra batteries in extreme weather are a must.  Don't expect the batteries to behave the same in 20 degrees as they did in 72 degrees.  You will most likely see a faster drain rate.


2) If you don't own a 400mm + focal length lens at a sporting event, that is ok.  Chose to take your pictures on a cropped frame sensor and you will add a little length to your lens.


3) If you ever have the opportunity to attend a winter football game chances are it will be freezing...like extra batteries and memory cards...you can never have too many clothing layers.


4) Knowing your gear and how to maximize results is an integral part of being a photographer.
                                                                                                                                                                                

Happy Photographing!