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Good Crop Bad Crop – How to Crop Portraits

26 Sep

The post Good Crop Bad Crop – How to Crop Portraits appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Gina Milicia.

“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.” Pablo Picasso

When it comes to knowing what is right for me, there are a few things I know for sure:

First, garlic and ice cream are never meant to be mixed together.

Second, even if I color my hair blonde I’m never going to look like Madonna.

Finally, when my mechanic warns me that the timing chain in my car should be fixed as soon as possible, I need to listen up and act.

If you have read my other articles or eBooks, you will know that I’ve also learned many lessons in my photography career from stupid mistakes or lapses in judgment. It’s through learning from failure, and from trial and error, that I’ve managed to discover what works best for me.

When it comes to how I crop my portraits, there are a few cropping styles I try to avoid because, just like eating garlic ice cream, I have learned what works best for me.

How I crop my portraits is just as important for defining my style as the lens I use, the way I light my subjects, and the way I process my files. I believe the way an image is cropped can change the look from “meh” to “amazing.”

I always crop a shot below the knee, mid-thigh, at the waist, across the forearm, or through the top of the head. If I’m going to crop through my model’s waist, I will usually ask my model to bring their arms up so I don’t have to crop through their arms.

I avoid cropping at any of the joints of the body. This includes fingers, toes, elbows, knees, and wrists. I also think cropping through the model’s chin looks odd.

It took me many years of trial and error, and studying the work of my favorite photographers, to learn that there are actually a few golden rules of cropping worth following. Rules that make a huge difference on the visual impact of my portraits, and on how flattering these portraits can be for the subject.

Like all rules, there are always exceptions, and the art world would implode if these rules were not constantly tested and broken. Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh, and Jackson Pollack are examples of artists whose styles broke every rule in the “how to paint book,” and in their time they were mocked and ridiculed by other artists and critics alike, yet today their paintings are priceless. Having said that, they all studied conventional painting rules of their time, then went on to break those rules and create their own signature styles. I wonder if they ever considered changing their hair color to look like Madonna.

My shooting, lighting, posing, and post-production style has developed and evolved over the years, but the way I crop my images has remained the same.

Here are my top five tips for how to crop portraits:

#1 Crop in-camera

Tightcrop A

Cropping in-camera basically means that you compose your image exactly how you want your final crop to look, rather than shooting loosely and cropping the shot in post-production. There are two reasons for this:

First, images cropped in-camera look totally different from images that are cropped in post-production. Filling the frame and cropping tight means that you will create great background blur (bokeh), which removes any background distractions and focuses more attention on your model, which is always a good thing.
The other advantage of cropping in-camera is that your file size is not affected. A cropped image may only leave you with 10-15% of your file size, so a file that was originally 30 MB as a full-size image is reduced to 3 MB with a tight crop. Lower-resolution images have less detail and won’t be as sharp as a full-size image.

#2 If it bends, don’t crop it

Bad crop

Good crop

I think cropping mid-thigh looks visually more pleasing than doing so at the knee. Seeing just part of the knee where the dress ends also looks untidy.

There are also certain ways to pose models that are more flattering to the body. I’m always looking for ways to pose my models that elongate, rather than shorten, their body parts. I try and emphasize their best features, and hide or diminish the features that are not as strong.

As a general rule, I crop in a way that will elongate and flatter the body. Cropping at the knees, waist, elbows, toes, fingers, ankles, or wrists can make your model look stumpy. Cropping off the arms or legs can make your model look square, or larger than they really are.

#3 Avoid cropping into the chin and keep the eyes in the top third of the frame

Bad crop

Good crop

Keeping the eyes in the top third of the frame is visually better than cropping into someone’s chin, which to my eye looks like I wasn’t paying attention when I took the shot, and visually this crop (above left) looks awkward.

I find my portraits look much stronger visually when the eyes are positioned in the top third of the frame. Cropping into the chin is visually jarring in the same way that garlic ice cream was jarring to my tastebuds.

This is the original framing of a shot I took for the cover of my dPS book, Portraits – Striking the Pose. I wasn’t sure how much of the shot we would be using, so I deliberately shot wider, and left space on the left of my frame to allow for text and other images.

Rulethirds 2B

Rulethirds 2

The final shot for the cover was cropped very tightly because I felt including the hands looked a bit messy. I cropped this image with the eyes in the top third of the frame because this was visually the strongest option.

#4 Give yourself options

The explosion of social media has radically changed how I shoot my portraits. When a client booked me for a session a few years ago, I would shoot the majority of their portraits as vertical images. Now I make allowances for websites and social media platforms that run vertical, square, and horizontal images.

I will usually start with portraits framed as vertical images and then rotate my camera to shoot some horizontal frames.

I generally position my model to fill the left or right-hand third of the frame. This adds interest to the portrait and makes it visually more dynamic. Having said that, there are times when I will frame my portrait in the center of the shot because I personally love the way it looks.

I also love cropping into people’s heads, but this is not everyone’s cup of tea, so I always shoot a few frames with space above the head just in case.

You never know where the final image may end up in a few weeks or a few years, so I think it’s a good idea to plan ahead. It only takes a couple of minutes to shoot slightly wider, vertical, and horizontal at the end of each setup.

#5 Crop like you mean it!

Use these suggestions as a starting point and find a style that works for you. Start with a full-length portrait and first try cropping using traditional rules, then try breaking the rules and see which way you prefer.

Each person, location, and pose you shoot will always be different, so don’t be afraid to mix it up a bit and create your own signature style. The one question I always ask myself when I’m cropping my images is, “Does this crop look deliberate, or does it look like a mistake?”

Sometimes following cropping rules to the letter will still leave my portraits looking visually jarring. An example of this is if I photograph a model wearing 3/4 sleeves and crop at a point that is technically correct, leaving a tiny amount of arm showing just below the sleeve. This looks like a mistake and would look better if I cropped a little higher to remove the skin.

The more you shoot, the more you will start to get a feeling for what looks right to you. If you’re still not sure, do two versions and compare them.

You might like to deliberately create a series of portraits that are visually jarring because they will evoke an emotional reaction.

Like this article? Check out more of Gina’s work

This article was written by Gina Milicia, who has authored many articles here on dPS as well as the following best-selling eBooks:

Making the Shot: Say Goodbye to Dull and Lifeless Pictures of People
Lighting the Shot: Discover the Secrets of Beautiful Portrait Lighting

The post Good Crop Bad Crop – How to Crop Portraits appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Gina Milicia.

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8 Vital Tips To Crop Your Photos For Stronger Compositions

29 Jun

The post 8 Vital Tips To Crop Your Photos For Stronger Compositions appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kav Dadfar.

Even the best photos can be ruined if they are not cropped properly. It’s easy to get carried away with cropping since you can take away more and more of what may seem like a useless portion of the image. This can quickly lead to cropping way too much. Or, the opposite can happen if you are worried that you’re taking away too much. Believe it or not, sometimes even the professionals need tips to crop their photos better. So here are 8 tips to crop your photos better so that you can avoid making mistakes.

Tips-To-Crop-Your-Photos — f/2.8 – ISO 160 – 1/100 sec

1. Tell the complete story

If you’re taking a photo of two people
playing catch, you would never dream of cropping out one of the people or the
ball. The photo would no longer make any sense!

Take the subjects into consideration when
cropping out elements. Are they interacting with anything in the frame that
would change the context of the subject’s actions if removed? This is a
surefire way of knowing whether or not you are cropping too much from the
image.

2. Remove partial elements

There may be something in your frame that isn’t fully in view, like an elbow or a stray tree branch. Without the entire element in the frame, sometimes these partials can be distracting from the subject and should probably be cropped out.

Just like your image is trying to tell a complete story, you don’t want any unnecessary details distracting the viewer from what you are trying to get across in the image. Photobombs are funny, but only in the right context, so consider removing that random person in the background that you didn’t intend to be there in the first place.

3. Keep the subject at eye level

A portrait becomes much more engaging when the subject seems like they are at a more natural eye level. Concerning portraits, this may actually be one of the more important tips to crop your photos.

Cropping too tightly on the subject will
create a close-up shot that seems unnatural and even uncomfortable to look at. Keep
things in proportion by allowing the subject’s eyes to stay at a more natural
level in the frame.

Additionally, your subject will seem to want a little breathing room. When cropping at eye level, make sure that you are giving the frame enough space so that their gaze doesn’t seem interrupted by the edge of the frame.

4. Centering the subject is not a requirement

Just like you’re trying to tell the entire story by keeping important elements within the frame, that might also play into your composition as well. Apply the rule of thirds (or other compositional rules) to help you determine where your subject should rest within the frame. This will help you lay out other elements in frame as well, making sure that you don’t accidentally cut something out or when you don’t realize that you have centered your subject.

In fact, when cropping appropriately, you can even fix any composition problems that you might not have considered when snapping the image in the first place.

5. Try to avoid cropping limbs

While it may be a good idea to crop out part of your subject, try to avoid cutting off the limb of your subject. Cropping limbs creates an eerie effect and shows that you hadn’t considered your framing when taking the shot. Similarly, you wouldn’t want to cut off any piece of your subject that doesn’t make sense, like half of their ear or the tip of their nose.

6. Crop out the errors

You might think that a true photo would include leaving the image as it stands, mistakes and all. However, cropping properly can mean that you cut off portions of an image that distract from the subject or are just simply wrong.

For example, maybe you have accidentally captured your camera strap in your shot. Would you really want to leave that in?

So one of the best tips to crop your photos is to remove anything that wasn’t your intention to include. Of course, ideally, you should spot these errors when taking the photo, but if you didn’t, and you can crop to correct, then you should.

7. Crop consistently

If you’re shooting a series of portraits, landscapes, or anything else of the same subject, then it’s important that you crop all of the photos in the series consistently. The series is supposed to be a coherent, consistent set of photos aesthetically, which means the composition and cropping should all work together as a set.

Without uniformity, when the photos are looked at in a group, if they are not composed and cropped consistently, then it is going to have a jarring effect. For scenario shots, like a landscape, keep the rule of thirds of the Golden Triangle rule in mind as well to help with consistency.

8. Cropping doesn’t always have to be right-angles

The majority of the time, cropping will involve right-angles to give you square and rectangle shapes. However, there is no hard rule that says this is the way it has to be. To wrap up these tips to crop your photos, you can also be creative and crop an image as an oval, hexagon, or any other shape that may lend itself better to the image.

Depending on the subject, the composition, and how you want your final image to look, cropping in various other shapes than right-angles may look intriguing.

Conclusion

Sometimes the difference between a good photo and a great photo comes down to the way you crop it. The great thing about digital photography is you can adjust photos without fear because you can always return to the original by using software like Lightroom. So experiment with your cropping, and you may see a big improvement in your photography. Also, share your before and after results in the comments section!

The post 8 Vital Tips To Crop Your Photos For Stronger Compositions appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kav Dadfar.

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What is the Sony a6400 Crop Factor?

31 Mar

Sony introduced the a6400 model of digital cameras in early 2019. The a6400 rapidly became a best-seller among both professional and amateur photographers. The camera is smaller than standard digital single reflex cameras but still uses Sony’s extensive line of lenses. Sony has achieved all this using an APS-C sensor system in a mirrorless body. What is Sony a6400 crop Continue Reading

The post What is the Sony a6400 Crop Factor? appeared first on Photodoto.

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Metabones’ new EF-RF Speed Booster reduces Canon EOS R 4K crop factor

27 Mar

Metabones has released a new Speed Booster that reduces the significant 4K video crop factor found on the Canon EOS R full-frame camera systems. With this adapter, photographers can use Canon EF full-frame lenses with the Canon RF mount, significantly reducing the 4K crop on the EOS R from 1.75x to 1.24x and the crop on the EOS RP from 1.63x to 1.15x.

As with the company’s existing Speed Boosters, it works by condensing the main lens’s field of view down into a smaller region: reducing the net focal length by 1.4x and hence lowering the F-number by one stop, compared with the adapted lens’s setting. A 50mm F2.0 combined with the adapter would become a 35mm F1.4.

The Metabones EF-RF Speed Booster ULTRA 0.71x is constructed of 5 elements in 4 groups and features an ultra-high index tantalum-based optics, magnification of 0.71x and a max output aperture of F0.9. The Speed Booster supports dual-pixel autofocus, video AF, plus it has IS lens support, a built-in Control Wheel for accessing various functions like shutter speed and ISO, an LED indicator and automatic adjustment of the autofocus speed.

As far as construction is concerned, Metabones used a rubber gasket to help protect against moisture and dust, as well as flocking to cut down on internal reflections. The Speed Booster is made from brass and aluminum alloy with chromium plating and a satin finish. The tripod head is detachable and can be used with popular ball heads from Photo Clam, Arca Swiss and Markins.

The new ULTRA model wasn’t designed for still photography, Metabones explains, but it can be used as such if the camera is in APS-C mode. Lens compatibility is fairly extensive and includes:

Canon EF lenses
Canon EF extender
Carl Zeiss EF lenses
Sigma EF lenses
Tamron EF lenses
Tokina EF lenses
Contax N lenses modified to Canon EF by Conurus

The Speed Booster can also be used with the Contax 645 NAM-1 adapter that has been modified for Canon EF, but it can’t be used with Canon EF-S lenses nor with APS-C lenses. Metabones stresses that those latter lenses ‘DO NOT WORK AT ALL.’

The Metabones EF-RF Speed Booster ULTRA 0.71x is available now for $ 479.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Which Crop Sensor Sony a6000 Series Camera Should You Buy?

10 Apr

The post Which Crop Sensor Sony a6000 Series Camera Should You Buy? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Suzi Pratt.

If you’re on the market for a high-quality compact camera, you can’t go wrong with the Sony a6000 series. Ever since the original a6000 debuted, this camera has topped multiple best-seller lists and remains popular among enthusiasts and professionals alike. With the recent release of the Sony a6400, there are now four cameras in this series to choose from. This article will explain some key differences between all camera models with recommendations on which camera is best for you.

Sony a6000-Which Camera-01

History

Sony debuted its first high-end mirrorless camera in 2010. However, 2014 was the year that the Sony a6000 was introduced. This compact crop sensor mirrorless camera has been a hit among consumers and professionals alike. Over the last few years, Sony has released several updated versions of this camera that include features such as 4K video recording, IBIS (5-axis in-camera image stabilization), and better low light performance. Interestingly, Sony has not discontinued any previous models. So right now, as of early 2019, you can still buy any of these cameras brand new, directly from Sony.

2014: the original Sony a6000
Early 2016: the Sony a6300
Late 2016: the Sony a6500
2019: the Sony a6400

What’s the same

Despite some key differences, these four generations of Sony crop-sensor mirrorless cameras have a lot in common. Namely, they have almost the exact same camera bodies. There are a few minor differences in size and weight, with the a6500 weighing the most at 16 ounces. All four cameras also come with a 3-inch LCD screen and a 1-centimeter OLED viewfinder. All cameras capture images of approximately 24-megapixels in size at 11 frames per second. Finally, battery life is also about the same, lasting about 300-350 shots.

Still photography differences

We start to see noticeable differences when looking at key photography specs such as:

ISO performance

With every new release, Sony ups the limit in terms of ISO range. The a6000 has the smallest range of ISO 100-25600, while the a6400’s high range ISO is the most at 102400. Both the a6300 and a6500 have the same ISO range of 100-51200.

Sony a6300 shot at ISO 3200

Autofocus Points

Another key difference is in the number of autofocus points. The a6000 sits at the bottom of the pack with 179 phase-detection AF points and 25 contrast-detection AF points. Both the a6300 and a6500 have 425 phase-detection AF points with 169 contrast-detection AF points. Finally, the a6400 offers the best autofocus with 425 phase-detection points and 425 contrast-detection points.

Silent Shooting

One of the biggest perks of shooting with mirrorless cameras is silent mode shooting that truly is silent. When enabled, silent shooting allows you to shoot stills in stealth mode without the telling snap of the shutter going off. It’s an ideal feature for shooting weddings or events that frown upon extraneous noise. Silent shooting is a feature lacking on the a6000. The a6300 and a6500 can shoot in silent mode at up to 3 frames per second (fps), while the a6400 is at 8 fps.

Video Features

Which camera should you buy?

Best for beginner photographers on a budget

If you’re a beginner photographer on a budget, the Sony a6000 is still a fantastic deal. For about $ 500 for the body-only or $ 600 with the kit lens included, you can get one of the most popular mirrorless cameras on the market. The main features you’ll be lacking are ultra fast and accurate autofocus, the very best low light photo performance, and key video features such as 4K video recording and in-body stabilization. However, you can still shoot up to 1080p video if you choose, and the still images are decently crisp. Bottom line: get this camera if you are a casual still photographer on a shoestring budget.

Sony a6000-Which Camera-02

Best for intermediate photographers or budding videographers

If you happen to have the extra budget, consider the Sony a6300 as the ideal intermediate camera of the bunch. There are many improvements for both photography and videography. This camera got a major sensor upgrade with faster and more accurate autofocus including 425 phase detection points. Low light photos and videos are also vastly improved.

Video features also got a major boost with the ability to record in 4K, or 120 fps for 4x slow motion at 1080p. The a6300 also allows for shooting in S-Log, a flat video profile that allows for easier color grading in post-production.

Finally, the a6300 also debuted with a more solid, magnesium alloy camera body as opposed to the a6000’s mostly plastic build.

Bottom line: there are big autofocus and low light performance enhancements to make this a much improved still photography camera. But the biggest reason to buy this camera over the a6000 is if you’re in need of modern video features.

Best for intermediate photographers or advanced videographers

A few months after the a6300 came out, Sony pulled a strange move and released yet another camera: the a6500. This camera is essentially the a6300, but with 3 key new features. First, they added 5-axis in-body camera stabilization. Also known as IBIS, this feature stabilizes the a6500 so you can shoot steady handheld video or low-light photos no matter what lens you are using. In contrast, the other a6000 cameras offer only 2-axis stabilization when using a stabilized lens. Unfortunately, battery life shrinks when IBIS is on.

The a6500 also adds a touch screen rear LCD and slightly faster in-camera image processing.

Bottom line: If you absolutely need IBIS for video or ultra-fast image processing for say sports photography, get this camera. But if you don’t need either of those features (and most hobbyists or beginning photographers won’t), save the extra cost and put it towards a lens instead.

Sony a6000-Which Camera-01

Best for Vloggers or pro videographers

This year, Sony pulled another strange move by releasing the a6400. It sits right in between the a6300 and a6500. This camera features a new image sensor and processor that work together to enhance autofocus performance and speed. There are also significant upgrades in video. The a6400 allows for high dynamic range capture, plus interval recording for time-lapse video. Also, Sony finally delivered a rear LCD screen that can flip up 180-degrees. This is ideal for vloggers or those who want to monitor footage while in front of the camera.

However, there are a couple of flaws with the a6400. First, the flip screen stands directly in the way of the hot-shoe mount. If you’re trying to use the flip screen with a light or microphone on the camera, forget it. Second, the a6400 omits 5-axis in-body camera stabilization (IBIS), offering only 2-axis stabilization if you use a stabilized lens.

Bottom line: The a6400 offers a new sensor, processor and other features. But these things are more important to professional photographers and videographers. Unless you need IBIS, a flip screen, or ultra fast camera performance, you’re better off with another camera in the a6000 line.

Sony a6000-Which Camera-04

No matter which camera you choose…

Remember that any of these cameras can be purchased used or sold if you decide to upgrade in the future. If you take care of your camera gear, these cameras retain their value and are fairly easy to sell.

The post Which Crop Sensor Sony a6000 Series Camera Should You Buy? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Suzi Pratt.

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Full Frame VS Crop Sensor VS Micro Four Thirds: Camera Sensors Explained

05 Dec

The post Full Frame VS Crop Sensor VS Micro Four Thirds: Camera Sensors Explained appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kunal Malhotra.

1 - Full Frame VS Crop Sensor VS Micro Four Thirds: Camera Sensors Explained

‘DSLR Camera, Full-Frame, Crop Sensor’- Just 3 terms which are prevalent in virtually every discussion involving photography. The two terms in use to classify sensor sizes of a DSLR camera are ‘Full-Frame’ and ‘Crop-Sensor.’ A Full-Frame camera contains a sensor size equivalent to a 35mm film format whereas a Crop-Sensor camera has a sensor size smaller than a full-frame sensor or a 35mm film format.

Micro-Four-Thirds (4/3) is a relatively new format (and term). First introduced around 2008, this sensor is slightly smaller and compact in nature. However, owing to a variety of factors, this format is now considered almost equal to, if not better than, the Crop Sensor format.

Apart from the physical size difference, there are several other points of difference between a full-frame sensor, a crop-sensor, and a micro-four-thirds sensor. Let’s take a look at a comparison between them under the following characteristics, to get an accurate understanding of their differences.

Crop Factor

As mentioned above, a full-frame camera has a 35mm sensor based on the old film-format concept. Whereas, a crop-sensor (also called APS-C) has a crop factor of 1.5x (Nikon) or 1.6x (Canon). Micro-Four-Thirds are even smaller sensors having a crop factor of 2x.

This crop factor also directly affects our field of view. Simply put, an APS-C sensor would show us a cropped (tighter) view of the same frame as compared to a full-frame sensor, and a Micro-Four-Thirds sensor would show an even tighter (more cropped) output of the same frame.

2 - Full Frame VS Crop Sensor VS Micro Four Thirds: Camera Sensors Explained

LEFT: Photo clicked using a Full-Frame camera. CENTER: Photo clicked using a Crop-Sensor camera. RIGHT: Photo clicked using a Micro-Four-Thirds camera.

Focal Length

The focal length obtained by different sensors is also directly associated with crop-factor. The focal length measurement of any given lens is based on the standard 35mm film format. Whenever we use any crop-sensor camera, its sensor crops out the edges of the frame, which effectively increases the focal length. However, this is not the case with any full-frame sensor, as there is no cropping involved with a full-frame field of view.

For example, in the Nikon eco-system, a crop-sensor camera such as the D5600 has a ‘multiplier factor’ of 1.5x. Thus, if I mount a 35mm f/1.8 lens on my Nikon D5600, it would multiply the focal length by 1.5x, thus effectively giving me a focal length output of around 52.5mm. If you mount the same lens on a full-frame Nikon body such as the D850, it gives an output of 35mm.

Similarly, if you mount a 35mm lens on a Micro-Four-Thirds sensor, which has a crop factor of 2x, it effectively doubles the focal length obtained to around 70mm.

3 - Full Frame VS Crop Sensor VS Micro Four Thirds: Camera Sensors Explained

LEFT: Photo clicked at 35mm on a Full-Frame camera. CENTER: Photo clicked at 35mm on a Crop-Sensor camera. RIGHT: Photo clicked at 35mm on a Micro-Four-Thirds camera.

Depth of Field

Similar to focal length, the aperture or f-stop measurement of a lens is based on the full-frame 35mm format. Similar to focal length, a ‘multiplier effect’ gets applied to the f-stop when using crop-sensors. As we know, the f-stop or aperture is the singular most important factor that affects the Depth of Field.

Thus, a Micro-Four-Thirds camera gives us less (shallow) Depth of Field at similar focal lengths when compared with a full-frame camera. For example, an image shot at f/1.8 on a Micro-Four-Thirds camera would give an output similar to an image shot at f/3.6 on a full-frame camera, and f/2.7 on a crop sensor camera. This is assuming that the effective focal length, and other shooting conditions, are the same.

Low Light Performance

Generally, full-frame cameras provide not only better low light & high ISO performance, but a better dynamic range. These factors combined eventually produces a much better image output than any crop-sensor camera can achieve.

Full-frame cameras are capable of capturing the most light and will almost always out-perform an APS-C or Micro-Four-Thirds camera body under low-light conditions. Micro-Four-Thirds sensors don’t perform well under low-light conditions where the ISO needs to be cranked up to say, above 2000.

For these reasons, despite full-frame camera kits being expensive, bulky and heavy to carry around, they are still industry-standard and the preferred cameras for virtually all professional photography work.

Conclusion

Thus, while full-frame DSLR’s remaining the industry standard even today, we cannot ignore the undeniable advantages of the Micro-Four-Thirds cameras. Micro-Four-Third cameras, such as the Olympus EP-5 & the Panasonic GH5, are affordable and easy to carry around. Thus, enabling a much larger group of people (who are hobbyists and enthusiasts but not professionals) to have access to DSLR-like shooting conditions at a fraction of the price.

Ultimately, factors such as your budget, use and other criteria define whether you choose either Full-Frame, Crop-Sensor, or Micro-Four-Thirds cameras.

DPReview TV: Crop sensor, pro body cameras

04 Nov

Not everybody wants or needs a full frame sensor, but that doesn’t mean you have to give up pro-level performance on your camera. In this episode, Chris and Jordan compare four of the top performing APS-C and Micro Four Thirds models currently on the market: the Fujifilm X-T3, Nikon D500, Panasonic G9, and Olympus E-M1 Mark II.

Whether your priority is landscapes, portraits, sports and wildlife, or street photography, we’ll help you figure out which of these models is right for you. Want more information? Check out our in-depth reviews and sample galleries for each of these cameras.

Also, make sure to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week by subscribing to our YouTube channel!

Fujifilm X-T3 review

Nikon D500 review

Panasonic G9 review

Olympus E-M1 II review

Fujifilm X-T3 sample gallery

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Nikon D500 sample gallery

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Panasonic G9 sample gallery

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Olympus E-M1 II sample gallery

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Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Polarr Deep Crop app crops your images like a pro

20 Sep

Cropping has the potential to turn a good photo into a great one, or even save a shot that would otherwise have ended up in the digital trashcan. Software company Polarr has now launched a new AI-powered app for iOS that should make finding the perfect crop much easier.

Deep Crop’s algorithms have been trained to find the most interesting elements in a photo using

using 200 million cropping data points from real photographers.


Source image	Crop 1

Crop 2	Crop 3

The company also says it has achieved an 20x efficiency boost in RAM and power usage for offline AI- systems, allowing for the app to run locally on your iPhone. This means there’s no need for internet connectivity and your image material won’t be uploaded to any external servers.

When you launch the app, all images in your camera roll will be displayed, and tapping on a photo will show you suggested crop options. By default, you’ll see smart crops of various ratios but it is also possible to specify an aspect ratio.

If you don’t like the apps’ suggestion you can repeat the process as many times as you like to see more crops. Once you like the result it can be exported or shared in the usual ways.


Source image	Crop 1

Crop 2	Crop 3

In its current state Deep Crop is pretty much a one-trick-pony but we’d expect the technology to be integrated into one of Polarr’s more comprehensive applications, such as Photo Editor, at some point in the near future. In the meantime the app can help you achieve better crops or simply discover new perspectives when viewing your own images.

Polarr Deep Crop is available on the Apple App Store now.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Tips on “Shooting for the Crop”

09 Sep

It’s the year 2018 and I’ve just finished a quick search of the top 10 best selling digital cameras over at B&H Photo. Those 10 cameras sport an average megapixel count of 26.1MP. Six of those cameras were full-frame sensor models.

In 2004 I worked in a camera/photo processing lab and I remember the day we all stood in jaw-dropped awe as the Kodak DX4530 arrived at the store. The megapixel count of that glorious DX4530? A whopping 5MP. Bob Dylan was very much correct. The times are in fact a changin.

Tips on "Shooting for the Crop" - camera with dark filter on the lens

What all this means is that today, on average, our digital cameras pack in an enormous amount of resolution. This high resolving power affords us advanced possibilities for post-processing unlike never before and is especially true when it comes to enlarging and cropping our images. More specifically, these increases in resolution allow us to bend the limits of cameras and lenses by “shooting for the crop”.

What is Shooting for the Crop?

There’s no hidden meaning in “shooting for the crop”. It is a simple as it sounds.

When we say that we are shooting for the crop all it implies is that before our finger hits the shutter button we KNOW that we will be adjusting the entire composition of the photo later. This is entirely different from the usual organic cropping that sometimes happens during a spur of the moment flash of post-processing creativity.

Tips on "Shooting for the Crop" - different image crop ratios

Admittedly, shooting for the crop is not one of the most smiled upon photographic practices. Most agree that generally, the best way of making any photo is getting it consolidated, at least compositionally, before post-processing ever occurs.

The reason for this is because when we crop digital image files, no matter what, we are in fact making the individual pixel more apparent. The result is a loss of image sharpness and definition.

Tips on "Shooting for the Crop" - low resolution

Low-resolution image.

Still, there will be times when the focal length of your lens may just not fit the situation. This is the usual scenario. There may be a distracting element within the frame that your lens is simply too wide to exclude or maybe that 50mm just doesn’t have the reach that you would prefer to frame your scene.

Whatever the case may be, effectively shooting for the crop means taking into account quite a few factors and variables to make sure the image you intend to end up with looks as clean as possible. Let’s talk about a few things you should take into account whenever you are intentionally shooting for the crop.

Find the “Sweet Spot”

All camera lenses, whether they cost $ 300 or $ 3,000, have an area in their field of view which carries the highest optical sharpness. Most times photographers refer to this area of maximum lens sharpness as “the optical sweet spot” because, well, it’s the sweet spot for sharpness.

Tips on "Shooting for the Crop" - sweet spot

While some lenses are of higher resolving quality than others, all of them will have some degree of optical distortion and softness as you move towards the edges of the frame. The very center of the frame is essentially always the sharpest area of the lens and sharpness is dampened radiating outward. So when you’re shooting for the crop, always place the main subject or point of interest right smack in the center of the frame.

Tips on "Shooting for the Crop" - center sharpness

It doesn’t matter if centering the subject makes a horrible composition for your photo because you are going to crop and recompose later in post-processing. All you should concern yourself with is obtaining the highest level of sharpness for your main point of interest.

This is because when you crop a digital image you are almost always enlarging it at the same time. The more you magnify it the more pixels you will see. It’s here when true sharpness becomes of paramount importance.

Shutter speed and aperture considerations

Getting the absolutely sharpest image for cropping later extends well beyond the quality of your lens. In order to ensure you have the best croppable photo you must take into account the shutter speed and aperture you’re using when making the exposure.

Use a fast shutter speed

The more motion you can arrest in a photo the more clear and sharp it will be. This is one of the rare facts of photographic technique. When shooting for the crop you should always use the fastest shutter speed obtainable.

Of course, this isn’t true when you’re looking for intentional motion blur. Using a fast shutter speed helps mediate not only subject movement but also unintentional camera shake.

Tips on "Shooting for the Crop" - DSLR camera

A great method to help you figure out the slowest shutter speed you can use is “The Reciprocal Rule.” I am a long-standing evangelist of this rule because it truly is just so incredibly useful for helping you to achieve sharper photographs.

The Reciprocal Rule states that when shooting handheld your maximum shutter time is equal to “1” over the focal length of your lens.

So to help reduce camera shake when using a 50mm lens your slowest shutter speed would be 1/50th of a second. If using an 80mm it would be 1/80th. If you’re using a variable zoom then simply use whatever approximate focal length you happen to have dialed in on the lens.

Caveats on aperture

Just as every lens has an optical sweet spot so too does every lens have an optimal aperture range when it comes to sharpness. Various lenses have wildly variable aperture sweet spots.

Some are tack sharp at wide apertures and soften as you move into smaller apertures. With others, the exact opposite could be true. Even two samples of the same model lens could have different results at the same aperture.

Tips on "Shooting for the Crop" - lens aperture

When shooting for the crop it’s always a good idea to shoot at your ideal aperture whenever possible. Just like using the optical sweet spot, using your lens’s ideal aperture will stack the odds in your favor when it comes time to crop.

To find out what apertures produce the best results for your particular lens will take some testing. Simply shoot an image at each aperture and compare them. Generally speaking, most lenses are sharper at the relative “middle of the road” apertures as sharpness tends to degrade as you approach the very smallest or the very largest apertures of your lens.

A brief word on megapixels

There’s no beating around the bush when it comes to megapixels and shooting for the crop. Without attempting to give too technical of a talk (you’re welcome) on image sensors, it’s best to remember that the more megapixels you have packed into your camera’s sensor the better off you will be when shooting for the crop.

Tips on "Shooting for the Crop" - DSLR versus mirrorless Sony

We talked about how cropping a digital photo is essentially zooming in on the image. Since that image is made of little picture elements (pixels) the more you zoom the better you can see the individual pixels. Pixel depth and size aside, the more pixels you have held within a sensor the more flexibility you will have to crop more liberally.

Final thoughts on shooting for the crop

Let’s face it, shooting for the crop is not high on the list of best photography practices. But, unfortunately, we live in a real world of unexpected circumstances. We either won’t have the ideal lens available or the environment will limit us to resorting to some judicious cropping later in post-production.

Luckily if you already know you’ll be cropping an image later you can work to stack the odds in your favor to have better success. Here are a few key tips to remember whenever you find the cruel reality of a scene requires you to shoot for the crop.

Center the point of interest in the lens. Make use of that optical sweet spot!
Use the fastest shutter speed possible when shooting hand-held. Remember the Reciprocal Rule.
Know which aperture yields the highest degree of sharpness from ALL of your lenses and employ if possible.
Cropping exaggerates the size of the pixels that make up a digital image. An image from a 16MP camera probably won’t crop as cleanly as one from a 34MP camera.

As with most things to do with post-processing, don’t overdo your cropping. If you know you’ll need to crop down extremely tight just to come close to your ideal picture, allow me to ask a small favor; take a breath and put the camera down. Remember that there will be other photographs and more opportunities. A butchered photo of an incredible scene is less desirable than not having the image at all! Most of the time….

Do you have a cool before and after example of shooting for the crop? Share them with us in the comments!

The post Tips on “Shooting for the Crop” appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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Making Sense of Lens Optics for Crop Sensor Cameras

20 May

If you have been considering getting a new camera or have been considering upgrading a camera, you have probably heard all about crop sensor cameras but what does it mean? How does crop factor affect lens selections? When you are considering systems, often it is not just the camera bodies you must consider, but the selection of lenses for that system as well.

Sensor Optics and Equivalences

Crop Sensor Optics

Most new photographers often start out with crop sensor cameras because they are usually less expensive. But as you become more advanced does it make sense to upgrade to a full frame system? If you are thinking about upgrading is there a reasonable upgrade path?

For example, should you buy full frame lenses to use with your crop sensor body? It seems so confusing and to be fair, it is a little complicated and the simple rules of thumb don’t tell the whole story. Rather than look at the differences in camera sensors themselves (they are all pretty good), let’s try to make sense of the lenses themselves.

Making Sense of Lens Optics for Crop Sensor Cameras - different lenses

Similar focal length lenses – the Olympus micro 4/3rds 40-150mm f/2.8 (80-300mm equivalent) and Canon’s 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 (for full frame).

Lens sizes

If you are looking at lenses you will see many different focal lengths and apertures. Even from the same manufacturer for the same camera body, there are often different aperture and focal length combinations. Since an important part of photography is optics, how can you begin to compare lenses for different size sensors? How do the lenses relate to the camera body you are looking at?

Making Sense of Lens Optics for Crop Sensor Cameras - two lenses for comparison

Nifty 50mm (full frame on the left) and micro 4/3rds 25mm (50mm equivalent) on right.

Going further, how do different size crop sensors affect lens optics? Is an f/2.8 lens on a crop sensor camera actually f/2.8 lens or is it something else? What about bigger format cameras? Why do the smaller apertures (f-stops) seem so big but the images so gorgeous with great background separation and bokeh?

This all relates to lens optics and crop sensor equivalences, one of the great mysteries of photography that most photographers don’t really understand.

Lens Optics Basics

To understand lens optics you need to understand what a lens does to the light coming into it. The light coming through a lens actually inverts, flipping the image upside down. The light then projects onto the digital sensor after passing through the lens.

Making Sense of Lens Optics for Crop Sensor Cameras - diagram of lens focal length

Focal length and image flip onto the sensor.

Most lenses are defined by the focal length and maximum aperture. The higher the focal length, the closer distant objects seem. So, for example, sports and bird watchers typically want much larger focal lengths to get in close.

Lower numbers widen the field of view to make more things fit within the image (wide angle lenses) and are often the tools of the trade for landscape photographers. In 35mm equivalents, a 200mm lens is a long lens and a 20mm lens is a very wide lens.

Making Sense of Lens Optics for Crop Sensor Cameras - aperture diagram

Relative aperture size illustration.

The aperture f-stop number represents the size of the iris or hole in the lens. A lens will be rated based upon the largest aperture the iris can open. The more light you let in, the slower the shutter speed you will need. Because of this property, larger maximum aperture lenses are called faster lenses. For example, an f/2.8 lens is considered pretty fast and an f/5.6 lens (think kit lens) would be considered pretty slow.

Optical Math

Let’s keep the geeky math minimal, but it really helps understand lens optics.

Focal length is not a measurement of the actual length of a lens, but a calculation of an optical distance from the point where light converges to form a sharp image on the digital sensor at the focal plane in the camera. Aperture, on the other hand, is the size of the hole created by the iris in the lens. Aperture is geometrically related to the focal length of the lens. For example, an f/2.8 lens on a 100 mm focal length lens is 100 divided by 2.8 = 35.7 mm. As the lens focal length dictates the size of the aperture, it is independent of the size of the sensor but dependent on the focal length.

Making Sense of Lens Optics for Crop Sensor Cameras - similar lenses

Utility lenses covering a similar range – the Canon 24-105mm f/4, and the Olympus 12-40mm Making Sense of Lens Optics for Crop Sensor Cameras f/2.8 (24-80mm equivalent).

Zoom lenses may have more than one aperture because the iris doesn’t get bigger as the lens gets longer. Since it is a math relationship, the longer focal length with the same iris opening makes the aperture smaller. More expensive zoom lenses have the same aperture for the entire range but that is a bit of an engineering feat as the iris must get larger as the lens zooms to a longer focal length.

Camera Sensor Format Refresher

In the golden age of film photography, there were multiple formats dictated by film stock. One of the more common sizes was 35mm film dictated by sprocket film stock that was 34.98 ±0.03mm (1.377 ±0.001 inches) wide. Back in the film days, there were multiple formats too, with larger and smaller film stock available that also affected lens sizes and performance.

When digital sensors were originally developed for still cameras, larger sensors were prohibitively expensive, so smaller sensors were used. There is a wide range of sensor sizes and this variety of sensor sizes affects the mechanics of how lenses on cameras operate.

When a sensor is close to the size of 35mm film stock, it is called full frame. Anything smaller is called a crop sensor. Anything bigger is generally called medium format although there is a lot of variability in sizes larger than full frame. Sensors not only vary in size but also geometry.

Crop sensor relative sizes

Sensor sizes

Generally speaking, a full frame sensor is in the shape of a rectangle that is roughly 36mm x 24mm which is a length to width ratio of 3:2 covering an area of 862mm sq. Conversely, a micro 4/3rds crop sensor is 17.3mm x 13mm (ratio of 4:3) covering an area of 224.9mm sq. A Nikon/Pentax APS-C crop sensor is 23.6mm x 15.7mm (ratio of 3:2) covering an area of 370mm sq, whereas a Canon APS-C sensor is 22.2mm x 14.8mm (ratio of 3:2) but only 328.5mm sq. Larger formats (bigger than full frame) tend to be square.

Many times the crop factors are calculated by the size of the diagonal distance from corner to corner of the sensor. For example, a full frame sensor is twice the diagonal as a micro 4/3rds sensor, therefore the crop ratio is 2x. For a Nikon APS-C crop sensor the ratio is 1.5x and for a Canon APS-C crop sensor, it is 1.6x.

Making Sense of Lens Optics for Crop Sensor Cameras - sensor footprints and sizes

Comparison of the sensor footprints

Square versus Round

Lenses are round whereas sensors are rectangular or square. So, all cameras cut off part of the image because the round lenses project a circular image on the sensor which is a rectangle. This means that the edges of the image circle are cut off.

Camera manufacturers design their lens/camera combinations so that the entire sensor gets great coverage from the image circle (this is called covering power). This can create problems when you have a mismatch between the sensor size and the size of the sensor for which the lens was made.

Making Sense of Lens Optics for Crop Sensor Cameras -

Image circle with full frame and micro 4/3 frame overlaid

So, How Does Crop Factor Affect Images?

There are lots of factors that affect your images. The sensor size does affect images, but so does focal length and aperture size but those are physical properties of the lens and are not affected by the crop factor. At least not directly.

To illustrate the effect of crop sensors on light gathering and focal length, a series of test images were set up (these are not overly scientific but more illustrative). Using an Olympus EM1 Mark II (Micro 4/3rds sensor – 2 times crop factor) and a Canon 5D Mark IV (full frame).

Making Sense of Lens Optics for Crop Sensor Cameras - Olympus camera

Olympus EM1 Mark II, micro 4/3rds camera

Making Sense of Lens Optics for Crop Sensor Cameras - Canon camera

Canon 5D Mark IV full frame camera.

To illustrate the focal difference conversion and the light gathering conversion, the cameras were set up side by side using only the focal length conversion. The geometry of the sensors is not exactly the same so they have been cropped to match each other (8×10 ratio).

Making Sense of Lens Optics for Crop Sensor Cameras - two cameras shooting the same scene

Camera size comparison (full frame on the left, micro 4/3 on the right)

Both cameras were targeted at the same vista.

Making Sense of Lens Optics for Crop Sensor Cameras - side by side cameras

Test setup side by side cameras.

Rules of Thumb Versus Reality

Focal lengths are commonly converted into equivalents for full frame sensors to give the same the field of view by multiplying the focal length by the sensor’s diagonal ratio. For example, a 25mm lens on a micro 4/3rd sensor is the equivalent of a 50mm lens on a full frame camera (crop factor is 2:1).

A Canon EFS (crop sensor) lens to match a 50mm lens is 31mm. This works in reverse too. If you put a full frame lens on a crop sensor camera body, the focal length is multiplied (the same 50mm lens becomes like a 75mm lens on a crop sensor). This rule of thumb works.

Editor’s note: The optics are not the same, but this is a generally accepted method of understanding crop sensors.

Making Sense of Lens Optics for Crop Sensor Cameras - two photos of a bridge

At 24mm equivalents – same shutter speed and ISO, full frame on left and Micro 4/3 on the right (both at f/4, ISO200, 1/160th).

Aperture and Depth of Field

Another rule of thumb that doesn’t work so great is to add a stop or two for the aperture (depending upon the crop). Why doesn’t it work? Well, there is more at play here.

The aperture affects the light gathering ability of a lens but with a crop sensor camera, the smaller sensor causes the depth of field (area in focus) to be larger. What that means is that an f/2.8 lens at 200 ISO sensitivity should have very close to the same shutter speed on any camera body (there are variations in light meters from one camera body to another). So an f/2.8 lens is always an f/2.8 for light gathering.

Making Sense of Lens Optics for Crop Sensor Cameras - two bridge photos side by side

At 70mm equivalents – same shutter speed and ISO, full frame on the left and Micro 4/3 on the right (both at f/4, ISO200, 1/80th).

To make things more complex is the look of an image. The bokeh on a crop sensor will never be quite as good as a full-frame sensor because the extra area of a full frame sensor changes the depth of field (the amount of the image in focus) relative to a crop sensor. This is not a function of the lens as much as the sensor size. This can be pretty subtle but it is a factor, particularly for portraits.

At 200mm equivalents – same shutter speed and ISO, full frame on the left and Micro 4/3 on right (f/4, ISO 200, 1/30th).

At 200mm equivalents – same shutter speed and ISO, full frame on the left and Micro 4/3 on right (f/4, ISO 200, 1/40th).

Full Frame Lenses on Crop Sensor Cameras

Lenses tend to last much longer than cameras with good lenses lasting as long as two or three camera body iterations. So many people go by the adage of investing in glass. So if you are using a crop sensor body that will accept full frame lenses, why not buy full frame lenses until you are ready to buy the full frame body? The answer is not necessarily because it may not be as sharp as your crop lenses even if the lens seems nominally the same size.

Full frame lenses are more expensive than crop lenses but you are often paying for other features including weather sealing and better more durable construction. Because of large differences in sensor sizes, getting full frame lenses on a crop sensor means you are only using the very center portion of the lens but the detail is more concentrated on that area. This can challenge the optical quality of the full frame lenses.

They are often better quality but not enough better to account for the size differences between the sensors. So unless you know you are upgrading your camera imminently, you may not want to use the full frame lenses on crop bodies.

Another consideration is that you have to use the crop factor in reverse. On a Canon crop body (1.6 crop factor) a 24mm lens becomes a 38.4mm lens. This means that you can’t get as wide of an angle of view on a crop body with wide lenses.

A full frame lens on a crop body will increase the focal length by the crop factor

Conclusion

There are lots of misconceptions regarding lenses when comparing them across sensor sizes. Understanding the basic function, light gathering capabilities, and geometric relationships can help you compare lenses within camera systems and across sensor sizes.

There are great lenses available for all camera systems that can produce fantastic results. Lenses are as important at the camera body. So when choosing a system, make sure you have the lens selection you need for your particular style of photography.

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