The Compressing Effect Does Not Exist
Nando wrote yesterday at 09:22
That is of course nonsense, Donald. A telephoto lens makes the subject appear larger in the frame. So it is magnified.
It's that simple. You shouldn't try to make it more complicated than it is.
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The Compressing Effect Does Not Exist
Paul wrote on Wednesday 28 October 2026 at 12:20
@Donald: Your first sentence "A telephoto lens..." is a bit confusing. At the same object distance, both the angle of view and the magnification directly follow from the focal length. In the examples in the article, where the object distance is large compared to the focal length, the ratio of the image sizes (telephoto and wide-angle) is the reciprocal of the focal lengths. (M1/M2~F2/F1)
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Camera Rescue Project in Finland: A Vintage Camera Paradise
googletest wrote on Wednesday 28 October 2026 at 04:44
Nice article!
The Compressing Effect Does Not Exist
Donald Willemsen wrote on Tuesday 27 October 2026 at 22:24
A telephoto lens does not render the subject enlarged. Only the angle of view changes, which means that less of the surroundings can be shown. After all, you say yourself that when you crop a photo taken with a 50mm lens to the same angle of view as with a 105mm lens, the subject is rendered at the same size. A telephoto lens has a narrower angle of view than a wide-angle or standard lens.
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The Compressing Effect Does Not Exist
Paul wrote on Tuesday 27 October 2026 at 14:02
Very true .... and unfortunately still needed.... article. The relative size ratios between subject and background are determined by the photographer's position relative to the subject & background. Not by the lens.
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Sigma FP2 camera and new lenses with vintage character announced
Gert wrote on Tuesday 27 October 2026 at 11:52
Really a beautiful camera for a competitive price. The combination with the viewfinder really completes it. I really miss that on other cameras. The 10Gbit USB-C and the full frame HDMI make it extra interesting, and all of that in such a wonderfully compact body. Combined with a cage and a handle on the right, it is completely finished.
I have my doubts about the lens with character. I would want to see that first before investing in it. I prefer to add the character myself in my recordings.
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Macro with a crop sensor means more magnification
Nando wrote on Wednesday 21 October 2026 at 14:19
That's right, I know that. I've used them often enough in the past too. But in this article we're talking about sensor size, right? A bellows is nothing more than a variable extension tube for changing magnification on the film/sensor you're using.
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Macro with a crop sensor means more magnification
Paul wrote on Wednesday 21 October 2026 at 14:02
"that, in turn, has little to do with .....the size of the image on that sensor".... here too I don't entirely agree with you: bellows were used in macro photography to obtain a greater image distance and thus (with the same focal length and object distance) a larger image on the image plane).
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Macro with a crop sensor means more magnification
Nando wrote on Wednesday 21 October 2026 at 12:56
Bellows... you don't see those very often anymore.
In any case, that has little to do with sensor format and the size of the image on that sensor.
In any case... a bellows is still quite an interesting alternative to a set of extension tubes. Also in combination with a macro lens...
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Macro with a crop sensor means more magnification
Paul wrote on Wednesday 21 October 2026 at 12:01
@nando: of course I understand the gist of your story -I've worked with enough bellows- but to clarify how this all works I only wanted to sharpen the wording a little.
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Macro with a crop sensor means more magnification
Nando wrote on Wednesday 21 October 2026 at 11:13
I'm not talking about the physical properties either. That isn't mentioned anywhere.
But perhaps I could have mentioned it for you. I'll take that into account when I write my next article.
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Macro with a crop sensor means more magnification
Nando wrote on Wednesday 21 October 2026 at 11:10
That's completely true, but you do understand what the gist of my story is. Right?
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Macro with a crop sensor means more magnification
Paul wrote on Wednesday 21 October 2026 at 10:23
Totally agree that with a 25 MP APS-C sensor you have a higher resolution than with a 1.5 x crop from a 25 MP FF sensor.
My comment was in response to the sentence "On the other hand, a macro lens that already makes a 2:1 magnification possible magnifies even more with a crop sensor": it is not the lens that magnifies more with a crop sensor, the resulting magnification in that case comes from the crop you make. With the same pixel density of the sensor, it makes no difference whether you make that crop from an image from an FF or an APS-C camera
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Macro with a crop sensor means more magnification
Mac wrote on Wednesday 21 October 2026 at 09:59
Yes, you get more in the photo, yes you get magnification through the sensor. but the lens still only provides 1:1 magnification. That is a physical property of the lens, which you cannot change by using a different sensor.
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Macro with a crop sensor means more magnification
Nando wrote on Wednesday 21 October 2026 at 09:27
Read my response to Paul below again. Assuming that both have a 25-megapixel sensor, a crop from a full-frame, to get the same magnification as with the APS-C, will produce less resolution.

It's that simple.

Less resolution means that with the APS-C I can have a larger enlargement made than with the cropped full-frame photo.

The story you and Paul are telling does apply if I compare a 25-megapixel APS-C sensor with a cropped 45-megapixel full-frame sensor. In both cases you then have a final result with the same magnification and (and this is important) resolution.
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Macro with a crop sensor means more magnification
Nando wrote on Wednesday 21 October 2026 at 09:19
I suggest that you take the photos yourself that I described in my comment. You will see that the image is more magnified.
That is the practice.

And indeed, it is caused by a smaller surface area of the sensor. That is the theory behind it, the reason. But ultimately, it is about what and how you have it in the photo, the practice.

Of course, you achieve the same magnification with a crop from a full-frame. But then I no longer have those 25 megapixels. I only have about 18 left. I have a lower resolution.
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Macro with a crop sensor means more magnification
Mac wrote on Wednesday 21 October 2026 at 07:58
@nando,

Paul is right. the lens determines the magnification, not the sensor. If you were to photograph with FF, and crop it, you would get the same image as with a crop sensor.
Then the display is larger, but not the magnification.
just like when you print a photo, whether you print A4 or A2, the print is larger, but there is no enlargement of the original photo.
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Macro with a crop sensor means more magnification
Paul wrote on Tuesday 20 October 2026 at 16:54
It wasn't about the theoretical approach for me... only about the clarity regarding how it works.
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A Vertical or Horizontal Landscape Photo - Part 2
Nando wrote on Tuesday 20 October 2026 at 16:19
That’s what I also said during the workshop. It’s better to zoom out a bit more and make the crop in post-processing. Especially if you’re in doubt.
This has nothing to do with settings, but with creating a composition. Look at what you want to have in the frame and how. Based on that, make a choice between landscape, portrait, and focal length.
If you see things coming into the frame when zooming out, see what works best. Zoom back in or crop them out later.
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