Full frame e mount on crop sensors

[thekillergazebo]

From what I have read there is not to big of a deal with using a full frame e mount lens on an a6000, but wanted to see if others know more on this topic. also what is really the difference with the lenses that state for full frame verses thoughts without it called out?

[ShadowCaptain]

28 minutes ago, thekillergazebo said:

From what I have read there is not to big of a deal with using a full frame e mount lens on an a6000, but wanted to see if others know more on this topic. also what is really the difference with the lenses that state for full frame verses thoughts without it called out?

 

You can use full frame FE lenses on your A6000 (E mount) 
 

You can also use adapter full frame lenses on yout A6000

using a FF lens on E mount will still give you the E mount field of view so you gain nothing, though they are generally better lenses, and can be used on an A7 or above if you upgrade in the future

[ALwin]

Full frame sensors are larger than APS-C or other smaller cropped sensors.  Lenses designed to be used with full 35mm sensors produce a larger image circle, large enough to cover that bigger sensor.  If you mount a full frame lens on a cropped sensor camera, because the sensor is smaller it is seeing only a smaller area of that large image circle.

 

There are special lens adapters, often referred to as speedboosters or telecompressors, that have a special glass element in the adapter that magnify the smaller cropped sensor to see more of the larger image circle of a full frame lens or from another viewpoint it compresses the larger image circle of the full frame lens onto the smaller area of the cropped sensor.  They also have the added benefit of adding about 1-1.5 stops of extra light.  They are generally used for attaching lenses from a different system to a camera body with a shorter flange distance.  For example, Metabones Canon-EF to Sony-E mount Speedbooster.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecompressor

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/2667195592/first-impressions-metabones-speed-booster

 

Lenses specifically designed for cropped sensor cameras produce a smaller image circle.  So mounting them on larger sensor cameras result in heavy vignetting if using the full resolution of the sensor.  Full frame cameras like ones made by Nikon have a cropped mode where mounting a DX lens onto a FX body, you can change a setting in the camera to use a cropped area of the 35mm sensor.

 

There are some benefits to using a FF lens on a cropped sensor camera:

• Mid to high end FF lenses tend to be better than their cropped sensor lens counterpart.  Though there are high end cropped sensor lenses that are superb.
• Because the image circle of a FF lens is larger than the size of a cropped sensor, it may avoid image quality issues like soft corners and vignetting compared to lenses that are designed to produce an image circle just wide enough for the size of the sensor.  Soft corners and vignetting can also be an aesthetic quality that photographers like in their lenses, so not everyone will be mounting a FF lens on a cropped camera.

[thekillergazebo]

So there isn't really a downside to using a full frame lens then? It seems like a better idea to buy full frame lenses now so when I do upgrade to a better camera I can keep my lenses.

[ShadowCaptain]

15 minutes ago, thekillergazebo said:

So there isn't really a downside to using a full frame lens then? It seems like a better idea to buy full frame lenses now so when I do upgrade to a better camera I can keep my lenses.

They cost a lot more, that probably the main one

[ALwin]

They can cost a lot more and can be heavier/larger.  But know this, a cheap full frame lens might not perform much better than a decent cropped lens.  Just because a lens is full frame doesn't always mean it's better.

[ShadowCaptain]

1 hour ago, ALwin said:

They can cost a lot more and can be heavier/larger.  But know this, a cheap full frame lens might not perform much better than a decent cropped lens.  Just because a lens is full frame doesn't always mean it's better.

 

yep plenty of mediocre low cost full frame (or even expensive) lenses

[thekillergazebo]

I'm just looking at the difference between the zeiss 16-70mm and zeiss 24-70mm. The 24 one is a full frame. Only a $200 difference, so trying to figure out if getting crop lenses for that situation is worth it if in maybe 2 years I'll upgrade to a full frame.

[ALwin]

5 minutes ago, thekillergazebo said:

I'm just looking at the difference between the zeiss 16-70mm and zeiss 24-70mm. The 24 one is a full frame. Only a $200 difference, so trying to figure out if getting crop lenses for that situation is worth it if in maybe 2 years I'll upgrade to a full frame.

Two years is a long way off, you may or may not change your mind about moving to FF.  You've seen my guide on lenses, go back and read that sentence I wrote in big bold red.

[thekillergazebo]

That is true. In two years Sony could say fuck it and stop making small cameras or could make one that is aspc that has in body stabilization. But what ever lens I pick it's just to replace the 16-50mm. I really dislike that lens. I find myself always changing lenses because I want extra reach but also will walk a few feet and need to change back. Plus it's bad in low light.

[ALwin]

2 minutes ago, thekillergazebo said:

That is true. In two years Sony could say fuck it and stop making small cameras or could make one that is aspc that has in body stabilization. But what ever lens I pick it's just to replace the 16-50mm. I really dislike that lens. I find myself always changing lenses because I want extra reach but also will walk a few feet and need to change back. Plus it's bad in low light.

Here is my thoughts about kit lenses:

• Stick to them if all you're going to be doing is taking snapshots.  They're for people who buy a camera just to be able to take photos.
• For people who want to grow as a photographer, most kit lenses should be replaced as soon as possible.  There are some kit lenses which are exceptional, like the Fuji 18-55 I have on my X-E2.  For what Fuji considers a kit lens, it is a far cry from the 18-55 kit lens of a Nikon or Canon.

[thekillergazebo]

I agree which is why I'm trying to change lenses. I will say Sonys kit lens is awesome for how compacts it is. 

[thekillergazebo]

Also idk if you go in Instagram but I've post all my shots there. If you want a good laugh check out re_explore

[ALwin]

13 minutes ago, thekillergazebo said:

I agree which is why I'm trying to change lenses. I will say Sonys kit lens is awesome for how compacts it is. 

If you're saying that the 55mm end of the kit lens seems a bit short for your needs, I'd say maybe you need a longer second lens instead of replacing your kit lens.  Maybe you just need a telephoto zoom.  The two Zeiss lenses you mentioned previously are mid-range zoom lenses.

 

The two basic zoom ranges that are often found in a photographer's bag are a mid-range zoom and a telephoto zoom. For example, a 24-70 and a 70-200.

[thekillergazebo]

I already have a 16-50, 55-210, and 50. The 16-70 is for walking around in the city or park and 210 (which I'm looking to replace as well) is for hiking.

[TheDefinitionOfInsanity]

4 hours ago, ALwin said:

There are some kit lenses which are exceptional, like the Fuji 18-55 I have on my X-E2.  For what Fuji considers a kit lens, it is a far cry from the 18-55 kit lens of a Nikon or Canon.

It is also a far cry from Nikon and Canon kit lenses in terms of price. I think it is more of a mid-range crop lens like Tamron/Sigma 17-50 2.8.

 

@thekillergazebo Take a look at 18-105 F4. It is rather bulky, but the performance is better than both 16-70 and 24-70 Zeiss lenses and it also costs less.

[ALwin]

11 minutes ago, TheDefinitionOfInsanity said:

 

@thekillergazebo Take a look at 18-105 F4. It is rather bulky, but the performance is better than both 16-70 and 24-70 Zeiss lenses and it also costs less.

The Sony 18-105 OSS lens, I have it.  Not a bad lens, just don't rely on it too much for manual zoom.  The servo zoom isn't as precise as mechanical zoom, with a standard mechanical zoom lens your finger movement determine how fast the focal length changes.  On a servo zoom lens, you can't control it fast enough.  The lens also has a bit of curvature distortion around the edges, but that can be corrected in post.  I use it on my FS7.  I consider the 18-105 as a lens that is geared more towards video than photography.

[thekillergazebo]

@ALwin what are your thoughts on the 18-105mm compared to the 16-70mm? 

[ALwin]

 

12 minutes ago, thekillergazebo said:

@ALwin what are your thoughts on the 18-105mm compared to the 16-70mm? 

Looks like a nice lens. It's a Zeiss lens.  It's definitely not a power zoom lens, but that doesn't mean the lens is fully mechanical when it comes to focusing and zooming.

 

I am more familiar with the design and construction of Canon, Nikon lenses.  My knowledge of Sony lenses is not that great.  I only hope that the lens, for purposes of photography, that the controls over the zoom and focusing rings are mechanical instead of electronically controlled.  This of course can be a matter of personal preference, but when I turn the focusing or zoom rings on my lenses I like them to respond to how fast I move my hands.  The problem with electronically controlled fly-by-wire lenses are that they don't always respond the way you think they should.

 

On a lens such as my Nikon 70-200, from muscle memory I know how much to turn the focus or zoom ring to get what I want and there is a bit of a tactile feedback that tells me whether I have reached the minimum focus/focal length or infinity/maximum focal length.  With an electronically controlled mechanism, there is no feedback of such sort and it's hard to rely on muscle memory.

[ALwin]

When it comes to photo lenses, and most likely any cine lens I buy in the future, I require focusing distance scales, focal length scales and any other available scales or markings on the lens.

 

I may be able to live without the manual aperture ring on the modern Nikon G lenses, but I can't have any lens that does not include a distance and focal length indicator.  I don't want to have to turn on the camera to see this info, I need to see it on the lens.

 

These indicators and scales are very useful and I am sad to see a lot of modern lenses not having them.

 

This article below talks about using concepts like zone focusing and hyperfocal distances... without those numbers on the lenses, it's next to impossible to use those systems.

http://petapixel.com/2016/03/15/guide-mastering-manual-focus/