Confusion-Advice Needed
sandychian
Registered Users Posts: 7 Beginner grinner
Hi,
I a newby to the forum. Need some advice on the ongoing discussion about 4/3rd system by Olympus. Zuiko digital lens is said to have equivalence to 2x in 35mm format, i.e. 300mm F2.8 is equivalent to 600mm F2.8 in 35mm format. What does this mean? If I take a picture using Zuiko 300mmF2.8 on Olympus E500 and compare with say Canon 300mm lens on Canon 20D, will both pictures be equivalent size and magnification?
I am an Olympus user thinking of acquiring the Zuiko 300mm F2.8 lens for bird photography.
Appreciate advice,
sandy
I a newby to the forum. Need some advice on the ongoing discussion about 4/3rd system by Olympus. Zuiko digital lens is said to have equivalence to 2x in 35mm format, i.e. 300mm F2.8 is equivalent to 600mm F2.8 in 35mm format. What does this mean? If I take a picture using Zuiko 300mmF2.8 on Olympus E500 and compare with say Canon 300mm lens on Canon 20D, will both pictures be equivalent size and magnification?
I am an Olympus user thinking of acquiring the Zuiko 300mm F2.8 lens for bird photography.
Appreciate advice,
sandy
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Sounds like what they're talking about is something called the Crop Factor. Look for it in the definitions I linked you to.
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You're not the only one confused by the crop factor deal. I know that I don't totally understand the whole thing. If I understand this correctly the basic deal is that the Sensor in digital cameras gives you a smaller end result image than a standard 35 mm camera. The image hasn't truly been magnified it has been cropped to appear that way. This is an oversimplification. The 20D has a 1.6x crop factor. For more detailed info check out this link http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Canon-Lenses/Field-of-View-Crop-Factor.aspx
There are also lots of other discussions that you might try reading by doing a search for Crop Factor
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Light is coming through your lens. Take the end of your lens that goes into your camera. Hold it close to a wall. Your lens is throwing a round circle of light on the wall. The wall is the biggest possible sensor - it captures everything, the entire circle of light coming through your lens.
Now draw a big rectangle inside that round image. That rectangle is your actual sensor. As soon as you draw a rectangle, you're cutting off some of the original image - it's round, and your sensor is a rectangle. You're cropping out part of the circle of light coming through your lens.
Now, draw a smaller rectangle inside the big rectangle. This smaller rectangle captures even less of the original, big round image than the big rectangle.
These rectangles are your different sensor sizes. As you can see, they're simply cropping the round circle of light coming through your lens. That's why a smaller sensor is said to have a "crop factor." It's not zooming in. It's simply capturing less of what your lens is putting out.
Make sense?
Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam
http://www.mcneel.com/users/jb/foghorn/ill_shut_up.au
It's crazy because everything goes back to the standards set for 35mm film cameras (actual the numbers refer to focal length but that's a more involved subject). But here's a fairly simple way to understand what the result of all the milimeter numbers mean.
50mm lens on a conventional 35mm film camera = approx what our eyes see in magnification - things don't look closer or farther away.
300mm lens on a conventional 35mm film camera = things look 6 times closer than what our eyes see - like a pair of 6X binoculars (sporting goods store can help)
300mm lens on a Canon 20D = same as a 480mm lens on a conventional 35mm film camera - things will look 9.6 times closer than the human eye sees.
300mm lens on an Olympus 4/3 camera = same as a 600mm lens on a conventional 35mm film camera - things will look 12 times closer than the human eye sees.
Does that help?
Olympus' 2X crop factor works well for bird photographers (related to magnification, anyway). The birds will look closer in the shots because the smaller sensor crops a little more (as wxwax identified). Some may question if a smaller sensor can deliver the same resolution but that's another subject.
Hopefully this is not too simple - I'm pretty simple minded . . .
I knew, of course, that trees and plants had roots, stems, bark, branches and foliage that reached up toward the light. But I was coming to realize that the real magician was light itself.
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Thank you John and to all that replied to my question. The analogy of how close the image is being dependent on the focal length of the lens is an effective one. I am no longer confused now. Looks like the 4/3 system with a 2x multiplication factor is a good thing for bird photography.
Appreciated,
sandy
Is this correct?
But if it fills up more of the frame (or viewfinder) it appears closer.
here's a quote from kenrockwell.com (yeah, I know that some people dislike him but the quote works)
If the angle of view appears smaller, the object photographed appears bigger or more magnified - right?
I knew, of course, that trees and plants had roots, stems, bark, branches and foliage that reached up toward the light. But I was coming to realize that the real magician was light itself.
Edward Steichen