Converting focal length to full-frame is pointless
Saturday 14 June 2025, 22:11 by Nando Harmsen | 3,911 views | 3 commentsThis article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.
Do you use a camera with a crop factor? Do you still convert the focal length to what it would be on a full-frame camera? Stop doing that. It is no use at all. It certainly does not help your photography.
I know there are still photographers who convert the focal length to what it would be on a full-frame camera. First of all, focal length does not change. It is the angle of view, but that is beside the point.
The angle of view of a focal length is indeed different on a full-frame camera than on a crop sensor. If you are comparing them, you do indeed need to convert it. But ask yourself, why do you want to compare them?
What added value does converting it give you? Do you use a full-frame camera and a crop camera side by side? If so, do you need an angle of view that is exactly the same on both cameras? Or do you simply use a camera with a smaller sensor?
Forget about converting it. There is no need. It gives you absolutely no useful information. It only causes headaches and confusion. You do not use a full-frame camera, only a crop camera. That is why converting it is pointless.
Just look through your camera or at your screen. Look at what you have in the frame. Is there too little? Zoom out. Is there still too little, choose a lens with a wider angle. The number that goes with that focal length is unimportant. What you have in the frame is what matters.
Do you have too much in the frame and want to see something larger in the frame? Zoom in. If it is still shown too small, choose a lens with more telephoto reach. The number that goes with that focal length is unimportant. Only what you have in the frame counts.
Forget about converting to full-frame. There is no need. The number belonging to the focal length you are using is not even important. Only the angle of view you have matters, and you can see that when you look through the viewfinder or at the screen.
About the author
Nando Harmsen has been photographing for more than 40 years. He specialises in wedding photography and landscape photography. Nando also gives talks, workshops, masterclasses and photo trips, and regularly reviews new and interesting equipment.
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3 comments
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Mac wrote on Monday 16 June 2025 at 07:58 | replyIk heb het in het begin omgerekend, omdat ik dan wist welk beeldhoek ik had op FF. Wat wel handig was na jaren analoogfotografie, waar ik dus wist welk lens ik moest pakken voor welke foto.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.
Maar na jaren met een APS-C camera te fotograferen, weet ik welke lens ik moet pakken als ik een bepaalde beeldhoek wil hebben, en reken ik dus niet meer om -
Hans van Oers wrote on Tuesday 17 June 2025 at 10:53 | replyCanon heeft nu inderdaad een RF 24-105mm 2.8 gemaakt,ok. De reden dat ik voor huiselijke portretjes al jaren een 24-70 mm 2.8 gebruik op een 1.6x crop-camera is het plezier en het gemak te fotograferen met 2.8 lichtsterkte tussen een beeldhoek van 70 en 112mm op nu mijn canon R7, zonder telkens van objectief te hoeven wisselen. De EF-s 17-55mm en de Tamron 35-150mm waren niet zo mijn favorieten.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet. -
Paul van Aken wrote on Tuesday 17 June 2025 at 15:33 | replyOmrekenen is inderdaad nodeloos, maar als je meer dan 40 jaar op slr hebt gewerkt voordat je naar dslr op Dx formaat overstapt, is het wel een houvast.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.
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