My personal view on the pro and cons of the size of camera sensor in Nikon DSLR camera bodies.
1st comes the PRICE, which after all helps most of make our choice. The FX or full frame camera bodies are a lot more money from the start. I do understand that a lot of Pros will only shoot with a full frame camera body. Why? Because of build quality, and back up from Nikon Pro services.
However I think that somehow you “SAY” pro by having a large camera body, but at a large cost from the bank. Do you really think that Joe public knows a “pro camera body” when they see one?
So DX bodies do come in at a lower price band, and often the cheaper bodies do not have the same build. However, if you take the time to look after them they will also last you well. Not all the camera bodies can take an extra battery grip. You can learn and enjoy your photography with a DX camera body, no problem. I DO.
2nd SIZE. FX camera bodies are larger to hold and often weigh more than the smaller DX bodies. Some are built with motor grips built in as standard, but this is only on the top of the range FX camera bodies.
Having said that I have a DX camera body, and C has an FX body and there’s not a lot in it, either in size or weight. The entry point DX camera bodies are smaller and lighter, maybe to help bring more people into the DSLR range.
3rd LENS. Here comes the Big one – FX or DX lens, and just what should you use and own? What should you spend the money on?
FX lenses on FX camera bodies are the way to go. Choose and look after them well. They often have a large cost in money and weight, however they should just keep on going.
DX lenses – we run into the cost of the lens, often being cheaper to buy and often not to the same build quality, without a lot of prime lenses being available either.
So is spending money on a DX lens a bad deal? NOT at all. There are many great DX lenses to be had which will match their equivalent in FX lenses in quality of image. They are smaller and lighter to carry around which is good for your back.
If you move from a DX to an FX camera body, then the lens will not have the same coverage that you are used to, nor will it cover the whole camera sensor size, so they crop the corners. Not good news.
If like me you use FX lens on a DX body there is no problem at all. In fact you gain by using the middle part of the lens which is where the lens is sharpest. With telephoto lenses I really gain. Should I ever move to FX then I am OK.
4th What’s in focus and what’s not in focus? I am talking Depth of Field here, or DoF, so if you need a very small amount of your image in focus then you should be looking at an FX camera body, as you get a smaller DoF with them.
My style of photography does not call for a small DoF. Landscapes tend to need a larger DoF. There’s not much to choose however between DX and FX. I know “a pro” that uses a DX body for all his close up and macro work, but an FX for all his other work.
5th If you need fast maximum ISO, then for the best and cleanest results the FX camera bodies have this one won! Low light levels is not a style I often shoot in.
6th RESOLUTION. Just now much do you really need? When was the last time you made a print? How much resolution do you need if your images sit in a hard drive or on the internet? Here at GCM we have made display prints 40cm x 30cm from a 10.2 pixel sensor. So a larger pixel count on an FX body will give you more resolution and larger image files. However, it will cost more in time to work from. It will also cost more money with the need for larger camera cards and computer long term storage.
Would you be able to tell an image taken by C with his FX camera and lens over one that I’ve taken with my DX body and lens? Come along to an exhibition of ours and see if you can! You will be the 1st if you can do that! You may even win a print if you can!
Image quality is what drives us at GCM, not pixels count. Personally I like to have a sensor that gives me a good dynamic range at a low ISO. Not speed of autofocus, nor drive rates. Not the latest image processor either. Just what my Nikon D7000 DX camera does, and it does it very well thank you!
When DX works well, area inside black line shows image area with DX sensor.
When FX sensor is better, whole frame indicates area seen with FX sensor compared with black line showing what a DX sensor captures.