A Sense of Confusion
Derek Smith • 7 August 2021
Can I just start this blog with a very bold statement? A full frame sensor equipped camera is not necessarily “better” than a crop sensor equipped camera, yes, it will have improved dynamic range, and light gathering capability than a smaller “crop” sensor equipped camera, that is a simple fact of physics. In regards to photographic quality however, I do not believe that there is a competition judge in the world that will be able to tell the difference between a photo of the same subject, cropped to the same size, and taken on an smart phone, compact camera, a crop sensor camera, or a full frame camera, especially if the image is processed from RAW, thus negating any signature JPEG colour processing from the camera. A crop sensor camera, and a full frame camera will easily produce quality prints up to A3 print size.
Less weight, and smaller size are often given as advantages of using a crop sensor camera, but this is not universally true, a Panasonic G9 camera with a small crop sensor of micro four thirds is actually physically larger than a full frame Sony A7 iii. The Panasonic G9 measures 136.9 x 97.3 x 91.6mm weighing 658g, and the Sony A7 iii measures 126.9 x 95.6 x 73.7 weighing 650g, however my micro four thirds sensor equipped Olympus E-M5 iii does have a considerable size / weight advantage at 125.3 x 85.2 x 49.7 and weighs just 414g. It is the full frame lenses that weigh proportionally more, are usually physically larger, and can be more expensive because of the extra glass required to illuminate the larger sensor.
The effective focal length of a lens will vary according to the camera sensor size, a typical zoom lens range on a full frame camera would be 24 – 70mm, the 24mm wide angle giving a field of view of 73.43 degrees. An APS-C sensor is smaller than the full frame camera sensor, and a typical zoom lens would be 16 – 50mm, the 16mm wide angle giving a field of view of 72.59 degrees, this apparent reduction of focal length is known as the “crop factor”, therefore an APS-C sensor has a crop factor of 1.5. (or 1.6 for a Cannon APS-C sensor camera) A micro four thirds camera sensor is half the size of a full frame sensor, therefore the crop factor is 2, this gives a typical zoom lens of 12 – 40mm, the wide angle 12mm producing a field of view of 71.88 degrees.
So far, so not too confused, whatever camera sensor your camera is equipped with you will become accustomed to the most appropriate focal length to use in various scenarios.
Most photographers agree that a trio of prime lenses, a 35mm full frame, (equivalent 24mm APS-C, 17mm micro four thirds) 50mm full frame, (equivalent 35mm APS-C, 25mm micro four thirds) 85mm full frame, (equivalent 56mm APS-C, 42.5 micro four thirds) is ideal for most photographic situations.
Third party lens manufacturers, companies such as Tamron, Sigma, and Samyang have produced some stunning optics for various camera mounts. I used the Sigma 19mm f/2.8 lens on my Sony A6300 for a number of years with excellent results. The Sigma trio of excellent primes the 16mm f/1.4, the 30mm f/1.4, and the 56mm f/1.4, have been acclaimed by many photographic journalists, and are available in several lens mounts.
The real confusion sets in when a camera manufacturer uses the same bayonet mount fitting across the camera range of APS-C, and full frame cameras, this is the scenario with Sony cameras, and the “e-mount lenses”, and seemingly with Nikon and the “z-mount lenses”, a 35mm prime (fixed focal length) lens on the full frame sensor acts as a 50mm prime lens on the APS-C equipped camera. I used the Sigma 16mm f/1.4, e-mount lens, on my Sony A6300, and reviewed the lens on Amazon, and I have lost count of how many times I’ve been asked if the lens will fit on the full frame e-mount Sony A7, the answer of course is yes, BUT, the lens will act as a 24mm lens because the camera will default to “crop sensor mode” only using an APS-C portion of the full frame sensor.
It is no wonder then that many photographers are confused by the range of lenses available for the various lens mounts, and sensor sizes.
Louth Photographic Society
We held a PDI Competition last night with the categories of “Local Events”, (the “Local” designation applies to any photograph taken within a 25-mile radius of St. James Church, Louth) and “Open”. Our own Graham Harrison was the judge for the evening, and he did a sterling job of selecting the top three highest placed images in each category. All the results of the competition can be viewed on our Competition webpage. I want to take a moment to praise the work of our Competition Secretaries, Dave Turner is the Print Secretary, he collects, collates the submitted competition prints, and produces the score sheets, he also submits club entries into the LPA Fosters competition, and the LPA Battles for members. Harry Kerman is our PDI Secretary, he receives submitted digital images usually via WeTransfer, collates the entries, produces the score sheets, and presents the images on the competition evening, as he did last night. Our Society would be much poorer without the hard work and dedication of these two individuals. It would be a real help to both Competition Secretaries if you could pay attention to the titles of your submitted entries, in the topic categories a judge must be guided by the title, as well as the image to evaluate whether the image meets the topic criteria. Our next PDI competition has the topic of “Seasons”, carefully choose both the image and the appropriate title to help the judge. It seems a shame to put a lot of hard work into taking a photograph, editing the image, and submitting the entry, only to lose points because your image did not meet the criteria. I would also encourage you to join our outings in June, it’s where we can socialise, and learn from other members how to use our cameras and gain some composition tips. This photo of an Orb Weaver spider taken at Chambers Farm Wood, from last year, is an example of what can be achieved on our outings.
Good Morning All Last week at the club Derek Smith kindly organised a studio night for us all, it was a very successful evening with Derek providing all the lighting, backdrops, and booking the model. Thank you, Derek, for all your hard work organising the evening. This week, Wednesday 30th April, we are holding a local PDI competition, with the categories of "Local Events" and "Open", you have until midnight tonight to get your entries to Harry. The local is always judged by members and this week you have yours truly judging. The following week it is that time of year already when we hold our AGM and presentation night. If any members have trophies to hand in, this week please. The week after the AGM it is the first monthly PDI competition of our new competition year, Seasons and Open, you can begin sorting out your entries for that one as well now and send them to Harry after this Monday to avoid confusion. Regards Graham
Our “Studio Night” was held last night, this is an annual event, with a model being on hand for members to practice portrait, and fashion photography. This year, I wanted to try something a little different, with two sets positioning a model at one end of the room for the fashion shoot, and another set for portraits at the opposite end of the room. I tried booking a male model, and a female model for the shoot with a casting call on my usual modelling site, initially gaining interest from one male model, but unfortunately, he had to drop out. Re-advertising the shoot, yielded a female model from Rugby, and a male model from London. Where were all the Lincolnshire models? I pulled up a list of Lincolnshire models, and directly messaged several, without any response, until just 3 days before the event a female model under the name of Dahlia_Void (Megan) from Grimsby, responded and the “Studio Night” was on. Our very own talented Paul Rudd agreed to model for us, and both models did a superb job. I believe that the “Studio Night” was a success, with members seemingly able to take some excellent images of both models. Importantly, there didn’t seem to be a lot of waiting around for members to take their shots, and the models appeared relaxed. Megan was a little star, being very patient while we pointed cameras at her.
As a photographer, do you have a “style”? That’s a question that I’ve struggled with over many years. However, now that I think over what it is that makes me a photographer, I realise that being out with my camera brings me a lot of satisfaction, and none more so than working with models. My “style” if you can call it that, is encapsulated in what I call my “walkie / talkie” location shoot, which I’ve embraced for the last six years. I arrange to meet up with a model, male or female in a location, it may be a town, city, nature reserve, or a park. We walk around the location, chatting away until we find a suitable spot for a photo, I take a couple of photos then move on to the next location. The idea of this type of shoot is not to create the “picture perfect” portrait, but rather to capture a moment, some part of the model’s character. Travelling light, one camera, one lens, no reflectors, no lighting, just natural light, and a natural background. This “style” is perhaps more akin to street photography, but with a dedicated model. Here’s a sample of some of my favourite images from my “style” of photography.
Good Morning All We have just come back from a week in Northumberland, staying at Newbiggin by the sea. I took plenty of coastal photographs including many of the area's wildlife. Last week while I was away it was the monthly print competition. There is a blog on the website as well as all the results on the competition page. I really just need to congratulate Dave Turner who won both the subject and Open competition. I am not sure if Wednesday night's studio evening is going ahead yet but will let you know. Entries for the local competition, Local Events and Open need to be sent to Harry by midnight next Sunday. We judge this competition in house; I am happy to judge one subject if anyone else would like to judge the other subject? Regards Graham
We held a print competition at our meeting last night with the categories of "Curves" and "Open". Our judge for the evening was the very competent, and accomplished Diane Seddon. Diane gave excellent critique of the prints, and one of the main themes that Diane highlighted was the presentation of the prints, siting print sizes, mount sizes, mount colours, and more thoughtful cropping of images selected for printing. Definitely food for thought, and addressing those issues will improve members points scoring in future competitions. All the prints submitted into this competition were of a very high standard, however, it was Dave Turner who swept the board with 1st, and 2nd placing in the "Open" category, and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd placing in the "Curves" category, it was a well deserved placing with some stunning prints. The Competition page of our website has been updated with the full results. Thanks to Diane Seddon for judging the competition, and Dave Mann for the refreshments.
Dave Turner, and I attended the LPA Fosters Challenge at Nettleham. The judge for the competition was Sue Wilson from Clay Cross. Axholme took first place with 19 points, Grimsby 2nd, and Cleethorpes 3rd. Louth was awarded 13 points, consisting of: Damselflies Mating – Graham Harrison 4pt Saltwick Bay – Tony Gaskins 4pt The Thinker – Keith Rossington 3pt Muted Swan – Harry Kerman 1pt Pier Number 9 – Dave Turner 1pt It was an interesting competition with some amazing images, a big thank you to Dave Turner for selecting the prints and submitting our entry into the competition.
Good Morning All Last week at the club member Chris Birchmore took us back in time with old photographs and a very interesting talk on one of Louth's old shops Platts stores. Platts stayed traditional for many years but as like most of the old shops eventually disappeared along with it's upside down sign. There is a blog on our website as well to look at. This week, Wednesday 16th April, we will hold our Print competition with the categories of "Curves" and "Open" to be judged by Diane Seddon of Cleethorpes. Harry is also now taking entries for the local PDI competition, with the categories of "Local Events" and "Open". Regards Graham
Our member Chris Birchmore gave an illustrated talk last night titled "The Shopkeeper and his Assistant". Chris related details of his family origins, and family history in Louth, in particular his connection with Platts Provision Store in Eastgate. It was a very interesting talk which evoked many memories with those members who had themselves been raised in Louth. Many thanks Chris, the preparation, and talk was excellent.
Good Morning All With all this warm weather some insects are out and about to photograph, I took this photograph in our garden with a Sigma 105mm lens to get close in on the bee. It is another month now, so you need to think about your "Prime Time" project, if you are taking part. Last week at the club Brian McCarthy FRPS showed us his personal journey in photography, Brian takes most of his photographs in his shed building models with lighting and creating photographs that most of us would never think of. This week, Wednesday 9th April, our member Chris Birchmore who will be presenting a historical talk entitled "The Shopkeeper and His Assistant" specifically talking about a relatives memories of working for Mr. Platt the Shopkeeper. For those who have prints for the next competition, with the categories of "Curves and Open", you need to send Dave Turner a list of your entries and bring the prints in this week. Regards Graham
