An APS-C lens or a full-frame lens instead?

Monday 16 June 2025, 15:51 by Nando Harmsen | 7,404 views | 19 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

You have a camera with a crop sensor. Is it sensible to buy lenses that are suitable for full-frame anyway? Or can you get by perfectly well with lenses made for your camera's sensor size?

When you use a crop camera, you can use lenses designed for full-frame. At least, that is possible with APS-C cameras in particular. But is it sensible to use full-frame lenses?

There is no problem using full-frame lenses on APS-C cameras. But is it a good idea?
There are both disadvantages and advantages. As with everything in life, it is not that black and white. The choice is very personal, and one you have to make for yourself. If you are facing this choice, consider the following points.

1. Size and weight

Because full-frame lenses have to cover a larger sensor, they need to produce a large image circle. That is why most full-frame lenses are large and heavy.

Nikon full-frame lenses. You can use them on a Z50, of course. But your camera setup will no longer be compact and lightweight.
Did you choose an APS-C camera because it is smaller and lighter than the full-frame versions? Then using full-frame lenses completely cancels out that advantage. You get the biggest gains in weight and size from your choice of lens.

2. Quality

Because full-frame lenses have a large image circle, the APS-C sensor only uses the centre of that circle. That is where image quality is often at its best.

The full-frame image circle is large compared with the APS-C sensor. You use the best part of the image. Whether you will see that in practice is debatable.
However, the quality of modern lenses is so good that the edges of the photo provide more than sufficient quality. And where they fall slightly short, lens correction in the camera will provide... Well, correction.

3. Price

Because the image circle of APS-C-optimised lenses is smaller, the lens design can often be simpler. This has a direct effect on the price of the lens.

Compact lenses for an APS-C camera. They are small, simple and therefore often much cheaper than the full-frame versions.
This means that you have to pay less for APS-C lenses, while you generally still get good image quality.

4. Prepared for the future

Are you buying full-frame lenses because you want to be ready for the future? Then ask yourself why you did not choose full-frame in the first place.

Will you stick with that beautiful APS-C camera or switch to full-frame? Do you have a good reason for doing so? Or have you been told that full-frame is better than a crop camera?
There is a reason you chose APS-C. Either the price or the size of the camera. Contrary to what many people claim, full-frame is not the holy grail of photography. Switching will not make you a better photographer or automatically produce better images.

Compact full-frame lenses

There are also very compact full-frame lenses these days. They are light, small and a perfect alternative between the large full-frame lenses and compact APS-C lenses.

Two compact full-frame lenses next to a compact full-frame camera. Bear in mind that these are only 16-25mm and 24-50mm zoom lenses. The zoom range is very limited, so you may need more lenses.
These are usually lenses that rely heavily on image correction. That does not have to be a problem, but you should be aware of it. In addition, the zoom range is often more limited than that of the larger full-frame models.

Think about now, not about what may never happen

You are taking photos now, and you choose the lenses you want to use now. If you have APS-C, choose APS-C lenses. That only brings advantages.

Maybe you disagree. That is fine. I would like to know your reasons for choosing full-frame lenses on an APS-C camera. Let us know in a comment below this article.

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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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19 comments

Donald Willemsen wrote on Monday 16 June 2025 at 20:19 | reply
Ik blijf bij een apsc sensor. Nando, ik kan mij vinden in jouw advies om dan ook lenzen te kopen die specifiek gemaakt zijn voor dit type sensoren. Je geeft daarvoor verschillende argumenten die logisch zijn. Maar kijken we bijvoorbeeld naar de RF-S lenzen, dan is het aanbod mager en de lichtsterkte is ook niet om over naar huis te schrijven.
Hopelijk zal het aanbod stijgen en het aanbod aan lichtsterke lenzen ook.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

Frank Schabracq wrote on Monday 16 June 2025 at 20:52 | reply
Bij Canon is de keuze in EF-S en RF-S lenzen maar zeer beperkt, dus zul je toch voor een EF of een RF lens moeten kiezen.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

Donald Willemsen wrote on Monday 16 June 2025 at 21:51 | reply
Ben ik met je eens Frank. Dus ben je duirder uit. Voordeel is wel dat je de keus hebt van lichtsterke lenzen.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

Mac wrote on Tuesday 17 June 2025 at 08:24 | reply
Ik heb zelf ook een APS-C camera, en meeste van mijn lenzen zijn ook voor de APS-C camera. Maar heb ook nog genoeg FF lenzen, die ik zeer regelmatig gebruik.
Voor mij maakt het dus niet welke lenzen ik heb, zolang ik er maar mee kan fotograferen.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

Nando wrote on Thursday 19 June 2025 at 00:50 | reply
Een heel goede uitgangspositie.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

Fred Louwen wrote on Tuesday 17 June 2025 at 11:07 | reply
Hoi Nando, ik heb fulltime frame vintage lenzen. Minolta, toxine. Sommige handmatig, sommige automatisch. Bevallen prima. Inderdaad gebruik je het middelste van de lens, het scherpste deel.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

Nando wrote on Thursday 19 June 2025 at 00:53 | reply
Toxine? Die ken ik niet.
Of bedoel je Tokina?
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

Edw wrote on Tuesday 17 June 2025 at 11:30 | reply
Maar nu andersom, zou je op een fullframe camera aps-c lenzen gebruiken en waarom wel of niet?
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

Nando wrote on Thursday 19 June 2025 at 00:49 | reply
Simpel. De beeldcirkel van objectieven voor APS-C is te klein voor een fullframe sensor. De hoeken worden niet belicht.
Gelukkig schakelen veel fullframe camera's die een APS-C objectief detecteren automatisch een cropfunctie in.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

Gramberg A wrote on Tuesday 17 June 2025 at 12:13 | reply
Als Pentax bezitter gebruik ik een aps-c camera. Daarnaast bezit ik de nodige ff objectieven uit het analoge tijdperk. Werken perfect op de huidige camara's. Ok, wel handbediening, maar dat is geen probleem. Oplossing is goedkoper dan nieuwe objectieven aanschaffen.
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Paul van Aken wrote on Tuesday 17 June 2025 at 15:45 | reply
Interessante vraag. Maar niet helemaal relevant. Als je op een Dx camera een groothoek wil hebben, kun je eigenlijk geen Fx objectief gebruiken, stopt bij 11 mm, en is dan ineens lomp, groot en zwaar. Aan de andere kant, teleobjectieven maakt het geen fluit uit, een f4 600mm is precies even groot voor Dx als vor Dx, je kunt natuurlijk kiezen voor een 2.8 400, maar daar is je rug net zo min blij mee.
Verhaal gaat dus over een kleine groep objectieven rond het standaard brandpunt, voor Dx 16-80 voor Fx 24-80, en dan zie je gelijk waar t schort, die Fx heeft een veel kleiner bereik. Groothoek zooms idem.
Dus technisch gezien is het een non-issue, op Dx een Dx objectief, tot je in de telesector komt, voor Dx is e geen keuze.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

Nando wrote on Thursday 19 June 2025 at 00:57 | reply
Dat is nu net de strekking van het verhaal: gebruik gewoon de APS-C (of DX als je specifiek over Nikon wilt hebben, of EFS als je Canon hebt).
Die zijn kleiner, lichter en afgestemd op jouw camera sensor.
Ook met tele.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

Fred Louwen wrote on Tuesday 17 June 2025 at 16:00 | reply
Ik vergat te vermelden dat ik een Sony a6600 heb, dus een aps c. Met K&F adapters.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

Ron wrote on Tuesday 17 June 2025 at 22:28 | reply
Dan zet ik mijn full frame sensor op crop. Andersom gaat dat niet.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

guest wrote on Wednesday 18 June 2025 at 23:32 | reply
Laat je opzettelijk M43 buiten beschouwing?
Super licht en kwalitatief zeer goed.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

Nando wrote on Thursday 19 June 2025 at 00:53 | reply
Dat geldt natuurlijk ook voor M42, indien daar objectieven voor zijn die voor grotere (of kleinere) sensoren zijn gemaakt.
Dat weet ik niet.
Maar los van dat, als ik zowel APS-C, fullframe, als M42 (en indien ze bestaan de varianten voor afwijkende sensormaten) door elkaar gebruik, snapt niemand er meer wat van.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

René Arnold wrote on Thursday 19 June 2025 at 07:49 | reply
Helaas is het aanbod van objectieven speciaal voor een Crop-sensor bij het Nikon z-systeem beperkt.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

Bjorn Vink wrote on Thursday 19 June 2025 at 21:33 | reply
Dat is bijna meestal het geval maar niet altijd Bijv Tokina 12-24 van 18 mm prima op fullframe en de 11-16 op 16 mm inzetbaar, ook Sigma 10-20 f3.5 en de Nikkor 12-24 vanaf 18mm. Tot zo'n 24 megapixels een redelijk goede tot goede scherpte en ok vignetering in de hoeken. Dit zijn lensen voor DSLR. En zo zijn er meer. Nb veel Sigma Art objectieven hebben bewust een grotere beeldcirkel meegekregen , ook de Tamron 15-30mm en functioneren prima op grootformaat Fuji GFX. Je moet per objectief kijken. Als je je APSC inruilt, test ff in de winkel of je objectief werkt. Ik heb zo mn 12-24 Tokina behouden, van D200 op mn Nikon D800 en nog op fullframe film gebruikt ipv Nikkor 20mm f2.8 .
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

Jan vdm wrote on Friday 20 June 2025 at 09:59 | reply
Ik maak ook gebruik van oudere lenzen ff voor mijn Pentax K3 iii, werkt prima
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

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