A few people have come to the defence of crop mode, and that’s fair game. I was kind of limiting the discussion mainly around cropping and reach. And some of those comments do play out in real life: - saving memory space, speed of workflow - metering could be more accurate as no extraneous information that’s not in the final image is being used in metering - autofocus could be faster as there are fewer focus points (this one my experience says is only kind of true…in older DSLRs there was indeed an inverse relationship between number of focus points and focus speed, but much less so in modern cameras with newer faster processors wheee my recent experience is that there isn’t much of a link). But there’s one point that’s been made several times that I don’t think is the case. It’s that the AF is more accurate as it can see more detail or that there are more focus points being used in crop mode. Remember, there’s no new information to the camera or the image or the focus sensors in crop mode…all the camera does is discard the edges of the frame. And if anything, with modern cameras often using on-sensor phase detection pixels embedded in the sensor, when part of the sensor is being lost you loose focus detection pixels. Also, good focus these days comes in large part from good predictive analytics that track subjects well, and the wider field of view you have the more tracking and predictability you bring to bear. Some have also suggested that in crop mode, the camera can “see the eyes better for eye focus”. Again, I don’t think this is the case. There’s no magnification taking place here, just cropping. All this being said, I’m always open to learn and want to make the best videos I can. None of us are as smart as all of us. If any of you have technical info that suggests otherwise to what I’ve said, please share!
Totally right! Of course the camera uses always the whole sensor when taking a picture. There is no hardware for cropping! The cropping is done by the in-camera software (raw to raw processing). The same as with medium or small raw - or with different raw picture formats on newer Nikon cameras (like 1:1 etc.). -- This guy really does know what he is talking about, doing his homework and not relying on hearsay. Absolutely trustworthy!
You've referred to "crop mode" but I suspect that is different from the mode some less exotic cameras have. For instance there's the "Ext Tele Conv" function on many Panasonic cameras which claims to not cause quality loss up to a certain point, and some very reputable reviewers have tested it carefully and confirmed that, within limits, it can be used without embarrassment. Exactly how it does that goes right over the top of my head but it's quite different from digital zoom. Then there's the trick that they used on the humble DJI Pocket 2, which has a quad beyer sensor. As I understand it, it normally uses the pixels in groups of four, effectively giving (say) 12MP. But when you use the zoom function (which is not optical) it uses the individual pixels, thus doing something like a crop from 4 x 12 = 48MP, thus giving better results than normal digital zoom (subject to the downside of using very small pixels). The more recent Pocket 3 has a larger sensor with about 12MP only and can't do what the previous version does - its zoom is a straight digital zoom and isn't recommended. Lastly, in all these discussions, the anticipated print or display size is relevant - even a basic crop can look ok when printed postcard size or on a phone. But it might look grim on a poster or 4K monitor.
@@Ozpeter The Panasonic manual (page 150 for the G9) claims indeed "Extra Tele Conversion enables you to take pictures that are further enlarged without deteriorating the picture quality." But at the same time they say :"Set the picture size to [M] [for 1.4 "teleconversion"] or [S] [for 2.0])". M is a 10 MP, and S a 5 MP picture instead of a normal 20 MP picture. So a 1.4 "ext. teleconv." picture is a 10 MP crop from the full size picture. So this is just marketing, not any magical function! Never use it for reasons mentioned in the video.
@@buyaport But that takes us into the whole "how many pixels do you actually need" thing. And that tends to relate to what you are actually going to do with the image having taken it. Loads of pixels can be handy when you want to crop in when editing, I agree. Or if printing to large output sizes. But for many people who take photographs (I am trying to distinguish between them, or us (!) and actual Photographers) they are unlikely to ever view their photos in ways in which larger numbers of pixels will actually make a difference. Few people have screens of any kind with more than 4MP resolution. Few people have printers which print at greater than A4 size. Will lower pixel count captures matter significantly to them? I personally think that there can be too much obsession over the last bit of viewed technical quality vs the actual content. I'd rather see a stunning composition which has adequate quality than a rubbish composition with technical perfection. But we could discuss this for hours... to summarise I would agree that most of the time, plain digital zoom is no different to cropping when editing, at which point you can choose how it will look at your leisure. Using more sophisticated methods of in-camera digital telephoto can produce better results, so long as you don't plan to crop the limited pixels output any further. I have in mind to produce my own video testing this stuff but will I get around to it? Dunno...
The aps-c cropping mode (at least for me) is a useful tool if you want to improve your workflow faster ... say if you don't have the extra time to crop in post. I think that the ones who most benefit in aps-c mode are sony alpha R series cameras as these usually pack in a lot of pixel / information. But I think where aps-c mode / super35 mode actually benefits for is video workflow ... By using sensor cropping you are able to change your effective fov but you are able to keep your video resolution (which is usually 4K) in my Canon and Sony bodies, this means that if i only have one lens like a 24mm, i can film at both 24mm and "equivalent" 36mm (Sony) or ~40mm (Canon) while being able to keep the 4K resolution.
I consider Simon my mentor. His videos have taken my photography to the next level and I shoot on a canon m50. After his last video I went out and I had one of my best capture since starting photography. I wish to one day be able to shoot with you. Thank you for this amazing videos.
When I first watched him I thought “who is this Silly Canadian and why does he pronounce his own name so funny?” 😂😂😂😂 yes I love his uploads now despite this.
Simon D'Entremont a name and a guarantee for anyone who wants to advance their skills and knowledge! I've been following you for almost 3 years now, since you opened your channel and every video brings me something more! Thanks Simon !!
@@simon_dentremont I second that comment from @carlomaule! Wonderful videos and explanations. I'm an old -- very old -- photographer who learned what I know from "analog days" in Navy service in Vietnam (am a long-retired U.S. Navy chief petty officer who used a camera as part of my work there). I have re-learned so very much from your work on TH-cam. I appreciate the flexibility and ease of the new technologies and the freedom from "chemistry." I remember spending long evenings in medical dispensary x-ray labs "in-country," where I could develop my black and white film and make contact sheets. I became an "expert" and loading six rolls of Tri-X onto metal reels in total darkness and mixing up D-76 developer and then working the fluid carefully into the canister and gently twisting and turning the container to get equal coverage (no bubbles!) on all the negatives. Then, I'd have to stop the development using more chemicals, wash the film, hang the film up next to drying x-rays and wait for it to dry before cutting up the film into strips and making contact sheets. And that's all before turning out one print on a Beseler enlarger! Digital photography is a dream, by comparison, from taking a photo to turning out lovely pictures.
I consider myself as an experienced amateur wildlife photographer but always look forward to your videos , your explanations on the subject are just right , you talk to us not at us , thanks for posting
I'm only 2 months into doing Wildlife photography (largely thanks to your videos, and Morten Hilmer's!) and I'm finally getting some images I'm proud of! I had an acquaintance this week tell me that a photo I got of a California Scrub Jay "Looked so professional" and it seriously made my whole month! Your videos have been the absolute best I've found anywhere on TH-cam, thank you!
@@simon_dentremont I'm always surprised by how emotional I get watching his videos, they're really excellent. Yours and Morten's passion for what you do is infectious!
One of the reasons I chose an APS-C camera was that for my purposes I wanted smaller, lighter and less expensive while being able to have the reach I wanted for wildlife and still plenty of wide field choices. A lot of guys keep telling me full frame is so much better but they don't take better pictures in the same situations. In large part because with the APS-C format I can afford better lenses with more reach for wildlife photography while they have to crop or simply not capture the finer details. They are "specs mean more than practice guys." Sort of like the guys I know who think if they had the same spec golf clubs Scottie Scheffler uses they could probably beat him on the course. For a long time I just knew what worked but not why. Now that I've found Simon's channel I understand why things work and have learned so much that I didn't know. I recommend this channel to anyone into photography.
Assuming lighting is adequate, APS-C is very advantageous, especially for smaller birds that are harder to reach. Cropping a FF with the same pixel count will see worse results in that case.
@@justinhoward6755Often, as well, you can have fewer pixels but higher pixel density with the APS-C. Comparing the Canon R7 to the R5 is an example. If you were to expand the R7 sensor out to full frame with the same pixel density you would have an (around) 80mpx sensor, allowing you to put more pixels "on subject" than with the 5. Plus, you have the additional option to crop again in post to get closer yet.
as a novice hobbiest photographer you often answer questions in situations i may have but didn't know to ask... Simon you sharing your professional experience with us is a true gift to the advancement of photography...thank you.
Superb explanations, as usual. One addition: with a Leica camera, if you use crop mode, the camera will still give the whole picture if you work with RAW files. So the crop mode can be used to focus attention in a smaller field, but the sensor still captures the full data. I’ve learned so much from these videos, thank you.
Some cameras record the full size raw file and cropped jpeg. So it's easier to see what you are shooting in viewfinder, but then you have a full size raw file to crop as you like. I'm using Lightroom and it gives you an option to use a camera crop or any other aspect ratio.
Thanks Simon! I'm pushing 3 years on TH-cam with really basic stuff and recently started going deeper into photography/videography to improve my content and you have been a MASSIVE help as I work through this. I'm working with a canon m50 mk2 so I need every trick I can get to keep noise down! I have a sigma 150-600 c coming today and cant wait to see what I can get out of that over the 75-300 I've been using for bird photography!
Thank you. I have been taking photographs for over 50 years and still find a lot of useful information from you, some concepts are at the subconscious level, but your lessons systematize it.
My husband and I just started doing bird photography, and we are newbies to photography in general. However, we’ve been watching tons of videos and going out to a local wildlife refuge for the past couple weeks. We’ve taken on the challenge of trying to capture birds in flight. Coupled with the fact that walking paths that keep you far away from the birds in question, we’ve had our work cut out for us, and we’ve certainly had plenty of failures and frustrations. But we’ve learned so much so quickly by simply getting out there and doing the best we can with what we know and then coming back and looking at the photos. However, it can be pretty discouraging not quite knowing what we’re doing. These videos give us the confidence to problem solve and to realize that we’re on the right track. I think I’ve watched at least twenty of your videos in just the past couple of weeks. Thank you so very much!
I love Simon's style - very conversational. He has the unique ability to communicate highly technical information into something easy to understand that anyone can apply to their photography. I look forward to his videos. I always have an "A-HA!” moment!
this video should be a must watch for every single person taking photos with pretty much anything, including phones because more often than not they don't have a tinyest clue how this works despite it being one of the most basic things in photography and you explained it in this video brilliantly
I left another comment but yes, I subscribed. You know what you are talking about and everything you say validates my real world experience. I was in a photography class and had to constantly correct the instructor on the BS he came up with. He really hated me because I proved him wrong in every case and finally had a meltdown in front of the whole class. To his credit, he did come and apologize afterwards but once again I showed him that I was right. Lesson is don't teach if you have do idea what you are talking about.
You brought up a good point at the end, by incorporating more of the scene into your composition you can avoid the pitfalls of over cropping. On a related note, I think a very common mistake is to crop too far in, then over rely on noise reduction to “save” the shot and then compensate for the loss in detail by over sharpening. The result is a plastic and synthetic appearance. Sometimes it’s better to just embrace the limitations of reach and shoot for the scene.
Simon, as always, you outdid yourself. Not only I watch your videos, I take notes also. Then I look at my notes and I realize I write down every single word you say:). Nothing to be missed. Pure gold. Thank you.
What impresses me most beside the valuable knowledge you share are the photos you always use to support your arguments. I can only imagine what a tremendous effort is to find the right photos you missed or nailed and use them in the right place in your video. I hope I made myself clear. English is not my native tongue and I had a couple of (whiskey) shots tonight! Thank you for your contribution in cultivating this art in all of us still learning photography!!!
I don't understand why so many people think a crop somehow makes the focal length increased like it's a magic zoom. Thank you for finally telling people it's not.
Crop sensors are not a magic zoom, but they do put lots of pixels where it counts. When I put my 600mm EF lens on a MFT camera I get better images at the long end, than when I put the same 600mm lens on my 61MP Sony A7RIV and crop to the same size. So when I want the maximum reach, I use my MFT camera.
Because it is a "magic zoom". Like 35mm lenses are "magic zoom" to a medium frame. The only meaningful argument is "non-crop" has shallower depth of field, which has its own pros and cons depending on what kind of imagery you want.
Wonderfully complete. Thank you. As a "frequently cropper" I couldn't afford an R5, but could and did get an R50 to use alongside my R6. The R50 plus the superb EF 70-200/2.8 L IS II is quite wonderful - and the tiny R50 on the huge pro tele makes me smile. Of course, high-ISO noise is a concern with the little APS-C R50, but in good light it proves that a good cheap body with a world-class pro lens can make jaw-droppingly beautiful pics. Loving it; will be testing the R50 with relatively slow shutter speeds for people candids at public events - like 1/125 @ 2.8.
Very well-presented and helpful advice! I differ slightly on crop-mode for a few reasons that would nudge it up my personal rankings. The main one for me is that it can be mapped to a custom button on most cameras, making it an instant on-off toggle (unlike a longer lens or most TCs). With a little practice you can retain most of the subject-tracking and re-composability advantage of a wider FoV and punch in when you want to. Another minor advantage is that if you were going to digitally crop anyway, crop-mode can help nail exposure on the subject if you give the camera the tighter framing to meter now, saving you some IQ loss tweaking exposure in post.
Thanks for sharing Simon. I used option 2: switched from 26 megapixel Canon 6D Mk II to 61 megapixel Sony A7R4. One thing to mention is I only have 2 modes: 61 megapixel full resolution of 26 megapixel 1.5x crop (which I don't use). If you plan higher megapixels, you also need more SD cards capacity to store the 120 MB RAW files, extra backup HDDs and a fast PC with loads of RAM too for post processing. This significangtly adds to the total cost of having more megapixels.
...that's actually quite interesting thanks because - don't shoot the messenger - that Sony sensor, used in other kit, offers 61mp, 31mp and 16mp options 😀
One advantage of in camera cropping not mentioned like full frame used in APC mode: It magnifies the image so that you can see it through the viewfinder. This is important to use spot focus right on the eye or right when a bird is doing something interesting. With lower magnification you might miss these things.
Excellent, EXCELLENT discussion of this topic! Everything in photography (ISO, aperture, shutter speed, reach, low light) eventually narrows down to choices in compromise. The more you know, the more you take control over exactly which compromises you can live with. There is no way around making them.
Also, thanks for countering that "why not just zoom with your feet" line that people often repeat. As you illustrated so clearly, that isn't always (or often) possible!
I’m beginning to embrace not having the luxury of getting super smooth backgrounds. I’ve learned to really highlight my subject in their environment and I’ve found these photos to be more exciting than all of the eastern phoebe perched on a branch with blurred background photos you see. I’m going for some big bull moose shots in Massachusetts this fall and I think instead of following them around in the woods, I’ll find the scene I want them in around their habitat and just wait. Thanks again, your videos have transformed my photography.
Hello, Mr. Simon! I am aware of the technical, meteorological and all other limitations of photography, so I would like to remind you of one more factor for a good photograph. It is mathematically indefinable, difficult to grasp with reason. It is the mood of the person taking the picture, his state of mind. I have noticed that when I go to the streets of my city (Czech Prague) to take pictures, there is a dependence between whether I bring home nice pictures or not, and my expectation, my mood. A mind relaxed and full of good expectations is endowed with the ability to see compositionally interesting scenes more easily or not at all. That's why I recommend watching your video before going out into the field, it only puts one in a good mood. :-) Hail and strength, Mr. Simon! Tomáš from Prague
Great video! Awesome to see the Svalbard polar bear in the intro now :) That blurry cedar waxwing zooming in during the teleconverter bit made me crack up!
Simon you've helped me so much when it comes to wildlife photography. Watched your channel for a full 2 months while debating on upgrading from my 2011 Mega Zoom Camera and enjoyed every video I've watched. I finally got a Canon RF 100-400 on a Canon EOS R50, which makes it about 160-600mm. I'm still finding myself out taking photos and then one of your tips helped me get a better photo. Seriously, thank you so much Simon.
A Simon d'Entrmont photography video and a morning cup of Joe.. no better combination to start my day in a positive and informative way.. thanks Simon!
Man, Simon, you're simply the best. My teaching mentor, and I hope you see the influx of people I tell about you and ability to teach your skills, cause I tell everyone to go to your first!!! Thanks man!!! I'm a better photographer cause of you.
Great video! I'm from the US but watching this video while vacationing in NS. I was surprised to recognize the location of the northern lights shot in your intro as the same beautiful location in which I snapped a few photos earlier this evening after hiking the Skyline Trail today!
I think crop mode can make sense not only to maximize frame rate or buffer usage but also if your subject is really small in the frame and you want to maximize your chances of getting it in focus with a small focus area. The fact that you don’t bloat your file storage with parts of the frame that you’re never going to use anyway can also be an added plus. It still deserves to be at the bottom of this list though.
I want you to know that your channel is greatly appreciated. Keep making these videos. The dilemma of increasing pixel power has a solution for DSLR users who may already have a large number of pixels at their disposal: Up the ante on the lens. I've just discovered Carl Zeiss lenses for the second time in my life, and I have one on a short list right now. I can't hardly wait.
Damn, Simon. The way you explain things. I feel like if you explain to me the secret of the universe, I will still understand it even if I’m dumb. Thank you for all your wonderful videos.
I just found your channel within this last day and I have to say that it's a refreshing change from a lot of photography content. You focus more on getting the best out of what a person has, rather than trying to get them to buy something 'better'. I've been out of photography too long, mostly because my job and life responsibilities have made it hard to get out more often. I'm trying to find tips on how to use what I have to get better. I'm fortunate to have some pretty good stuff to work with, so for example, at long range I use a Sigma 150-600mm lens on a Nikon D750. It makes beautiful images, if I actually take the time to get out and use it.
Another advantage of the cropping mode, for those of us who have a new high-resolution camera but have not yet upgraded our computers, is processing time. You may be able to import and process your photos three times faster than by using the whole sensor. There are contexts in which I think this is a viable option, especially if you are photographing static targets or are already used to a crop sensor prior to moving to full frame.
Thank you for explaining about putting the camera in "crop mode". I have been trying to tell people the exact same thing for years and very few people ever see the light. Even on Nikon's and Canon's websites I've read where they tout the "put it in crop more for more reach" farce. And I've seen many large youtube "influencer" channels claiming that they can put their camera in crop mode and "get that extra reach"...
Thank you so much for once again elaborating on a highly discussed basic topic by addressing whole of all possible related issues in such a balanced, informative way which actually helps the viewers, adding actual knowledge to their skillset. In my perspective, your videos deliver the greatest value on elementary photography compared to anything I have encountered on youtube throughout the last decade.
Thanks for the lesson! Well, I use micro four camera. When I crop an image for ex. 50%. I use lightroom, under the heading photo/enhance. The program adds pixels and reduces noise. The result, if the image is properly exposed, print at 1000 * 700 mm with excellent results.
Bravo! I've been muddling around with this topic and related considerations for many years, and with my incremental better cameras, bigger sensors and better lenses. I really liked your example of the bird shot with the high MPx camera, and the long lens, with the teleconverter, and you still wanted to crop a little. My trying crops of my 24 MPx originals to about 1/8th of each of width and height (1/64th the total amount of pixels!) gives disappointing results with so few pixels. You've explained clearly why that occurs. It makes perfect sense that optical boost from a longer lens is first choice, and second is more MPx camera(sensor). I wish there were cameras that could take high MPx normal mode, and also have a mode to use the full sensor but take fewer MPx with effectively larger pixels so they could have a higher signal to noise ratio. As I understand it, each sensor technology handles only one pixel size and density, and a crop mode is just using a portion of the sensor area.
Thank you Simon for yet again helping me understand technical aspects of digital photography that I always find confusing and overwhelming. You are a gifted teacher and we are lucky to have you 😊🙏
This is the video I’ve been looking for! Thank you for providing instruction and reasoning, as so many other TH-camrs do more to complicate matters than clarify them. I’m so very happy I found your channel!
I love your videos! You've simplified topics in photography that make it engaging and easy to understand. Thank you!! These tips have greatly improved my photography skills and improved my confidence in taking photos.
My recent purchase - Pentax 6x7 400mm F4 for about $200 plus another $40 for adapters. Lens weighs about 5 pounds and dwarfs the MFT Lumix camera it is mounted to the lens. Now I just need to find some wildlife to photograph. So far, I have taken some great bokeh pictures of the flora. Thanks for another informative video.
Agree on all points, but one additional edge case benefit from using crop sensor modes on cameras is if your autofocus isn't performing well on a subject it because it is small in the frame, crop sensor can help improve the autofocus hit rate for these scenarios. Great video!
Why would this be the case? The camera is just throwing out the edges of the image, not projecting a larger image on the sensor. So, I expect that the autofocus system would be unaffected. Not saying, I’m right, just not getting why crop mode would improve auto focusing, though I get that it could help when using manual focus.
@@erikswenson2659 I'm not sure why, I can just tell you that's my anecdotal experience. For me, most of the time it doesn't justify going into a crop mode because if the subject (usually birds for me) is that small in the frame the photo is probably not a keeper anyways. But sometimes when I just want to get the shot no matter what, animal eye tracking on my R5 does a better job at finding the eye when in crop sensor for small subjects.
Just getting into this amazing hobby 😊and is there a lot to learn? Yup sure is. Watching your videos are a little over my head but very informative and interesting. Looking forward to watching and learning a hell of a lot more 😊. Thanks Simon.
Wonderful! Yes, I almost always want the ability to add more reach. Even with a 200-600. I'm bit jealous when I see the gorgeous images you can get with that big prime. I look at mine and am happy, but not blown away. The zoom is just different, especially if I crop.
Solid info here! Yep, buy the best camera and lenses you can afford and remember that every choice involves trade-offs. For BIF I rely on my Fuji XT5 and 150-600 zoom when traveling locally. Otherwise I use a Fuji 70-300mm. And in both cases I may use a 1.4 convertor. Are those perfect solutions? No. But I can handle the weight, and at 77 years, that's important for me.
Good points here, as a hobby wildlife photographer with mid range gear, I'll often reach for the Teleconverter if it is bright weather, as the outcome is usually better than heavily cropping 20MP. That being said, if the cloud is heavy or it is dawn or dusk, the 200-600 is better off without a teleconverter due to the loss of light. One point on the crop mode, I find it a very useful tool for checking focus
Another informative, short and to the point video. Its obvious you have planned the content and presentation with the wisdom of a teacher, not just the eye of a photographer.
Another fantastic informative video Simon. One caveat I would add regarding your cameras crop mode is to save this for when shooting video, you get further reach and maintain the full resolution for video.
I havent seen but a handfull your videos so far but they have been very encouraging for me. Im still trying to decide on a quality camera/lense for shooting action sports and nature... well at least to start out. I want so bad to get away from being a mechanic and make photography my full time job. I know it wont happen overnight but with the help you are posting here it finally seems like there is light at the end of the tunnel lol. Thank you Simon. Your shot of the porcupines is beautiful.
Learned many new things in this video especially the pixel density! Thanks for another educational video, Simon! I hope you can make a dedicated one for the crop sensor vs full frame for wildlife.
Definitely I agree 100%. I am always striving to learn more. This is very thoughtfully presented. Indeed, the "crop" mode works well on some cameras with older slower processors for sports, but I haven't found any other use!
Great video Simon. The subject was explained in a way that it was very easy to understand & take in all the positives & negatives of each section. Many thanks from a "newbie" to your channel. I look forward to catching up on ALL past videos!
Thank you, Simon, for another excellent educational video. The information and tips shared in the last half of the video when you're comparing pros & cons of the various options for filling the frame are especially good. In the demonstration at about 3:00 of the two photos made with the same exposure, while the uncropped photos were made with the same total light, the photo made at 200mm captured much more light from the cute owl doll. At 200mm f/2.8, the legs was working with a 71mm entrance pupil. The lens worked with a much smaller 18mm entrance pupil when making the photo at 50mm f/2.8. The 71mm entrance pupil is 4x the diameter of an 18mm entrance pupil. That translates to capturing 16x as much light - 4 stops - from the owl toy. The additional light from the owl combined with the owl covering many more pixels is why the photo made at 200mm f/2.8 is so much cleaner and more detailed than the photo made at 50mm f/2.8.
Thanks Simon, very useful review of all the options available for reaching far away subjects. I've chosen APSC sensor with a 150-600mm f5-6.3-zoom lens which was in my budget. I get great results with that combo for bird photography as a amateur enthusiast. I never purchased a teleconverter as it's not designed for zoom lens.
Great! You are the best Canadian photographer TH-camr. One suggestion I might make is that for showing samples of comparisons (like cropped vs uncropped), you can show it 1-2 seconds longer in the video. I just barely read the “cropped” vs “uncropped” words and just began to look for the differences in the hair of the birds, then the video already progressed (had to rewind). Just a small suggestion.😊
Very good explanation of zooming options...the best I have ever heard!!! You are absolutely correct on the use of teleconverters. I have an Olympus 300 f4 prime which is blazingly sharp. I was afraid the a 1.4 teleconverter would be worse then just cropping the non-TC image based on my experience with previous lens/teleconverter combos. After much testing with the Olympus 1.4 TC on the 300 F4, if found that the TC image was about 30 percent better then just cropping the non TC image. This result totally surprised me!!! To your point, a TC can be very useful on an already excellent piece of glass. On the other hand, even though I love the pictures from the Pan/Leica 50-200, adding a Panasonic 2x converter made the images too soft and I was not at all happy with the combination.
Thanks Simon, starting investigating some options to look at Wildlife Photography, you explained everything in a very simple matter and have saved me potential frustration. Thank you again.
Nothing beats expensive glass, been saying it for years. Buy once cry once. Video couldn't have been timed better, I'm in the market to retire the 7D and buy a mirrorless. R5 vs R6 now I need to decide, rely on the quality of the long lenses I have now and save a bit of money with the R6 MarkII or take the hit on the R5. Great Video!
Great points here Simon! I have an R6 Mark I and watching these wildlife photography videos made me think to opt for Option 4 getting more range to avoid cropping. The Canon RF 200-800 looks more attractive now lol
I was curious to see your explanation about these various options and you nailed the explanation so very well. I've played with the "digital teleconverter" (crop mode) in my Olympus E-M1X just out of curiosity but, to be honest, I really don't even know why that feature was included, for it's more a gimmick for most, in my opinion. Just as you mention in your pinned comment, it's nothing more than a crop and one cannot create pixels that simply aren't there. Your explanation (and ranking) are spot on (as is the never-ending learning... Tis so very true...). I am still using an Olympus f5-6.3 100-400mm lens that does well but is still slower than I'd often like. I certainly wouldn't want to try even the 1.4 teleconverter, much less the 2.0. I will, instead, obtain their 300mm f4 prime and simply do it right (and I won't feel bad about adding a tc in this case). At least this has been a good introduction to shooting birds and wildlife, including experimenting with tracking dragonflies in flight (modern processors are amazing), for I've been far more accustomed to landscapes. As much as I'd like to invest in a larger sensor (noise is something I am always aware of, even though it is FAR better than the old days by far), there are still a number of advantages with MFT that appeal to me (it's all subjective appeal in the end anyway) that keep me focused on my system/gear. As always, thanks for sharing excellent information and explanations, for I often glean extra knowledge (one can never have enough!).
I rarely use the crop mode when using my teleconverter on my 70-200, the only time it gets used is when shooting the moon or sun. Thanks for the great video.
On my Fujiflm X-H2, the crop modes (digital teleconverters) are just for cropping the field of view in the VF when using RAW files: the camera shows a 1.4x or 2.0x image through the VF but records the whole sensor (40mp) RAW file which you can digitally crop later. The JPEGs *are* cropped to 20mp and 10mp respectively for direct-from-the-camera use. That's a fine arrangement.
Good video explaining the pros and cons of all the options. I do wish you would have included the option of upsizing a low pixel photo in programs such as photo AI and how they would compare with the photos taken with the big mm lenses. All the options on the same table
Thank-you for another informative video.This is something I have been wondering about. With my Z6II I can crop my sensor giving me more ''telephoto'' which I haven't done and probably won,t now. Cheers
For those who commented that you didn't address "compression" that telephoto lenses [supposedly] provide, the idea of "compression" is a longstanding myth in photography. As Simon clearly demonstrated in this video with the two images of the toy owl at 2:58, as well as his discussion between 4:10 and 4:55, telephoto lenses just provide a thinner depth of field than a wider-angle lens would provide, thus creating an artificial sense of "compression", whereas no practical compression has actually taken place. "Compression" per-se is an illusion caused by the bokeh that is more noticeable when telephoto lenses are used as opposed to wider-angle lenses. Anyone can try this out with their own equipment and some simple experimentation will prove this out. "Compression" is a lingering misconception in photography, and nothing more. That's why Simon did not use that improper term in this video.
You gave me a better understanding of chopping. I knew about losing Pixels But I'm also like, in the idea of maybe getting an extender for my lens, I have canon 2.8 L 70-200. Thanks again, Brenda
Thank you Simon for yet another excellent tutorial! I lost count of many of other photography sites that say setting your camera to crop mode allows you to get more reach when in fact it is nothing more than a digital crop. Perhaps if one doesn't edit their images via software it may have some value but that's about it.
Im going for the longer lens and saving for a used AFS 400mmF2.8 E FL VR for wildlife in forrest, I got 1.4 and 2.0 x TC, and I now have a 45 Mpix camera D850.
A few people have come to the defence of crop mode, and that’s fair game. I was kind of limiting the discussion mainly around cropping and reach. And some of those comments do play out in real life:
- saving memory space, speed of workflow
- metering could be more accurate as no extraneous information that’s not in the final image is being used in metering
- autofocus could be faster as there are fewer focus points (this one my experience says is only kind of true…in older DSLRs there was indeed an inverse relationship between number of focus points and focus speed, but much less so in modern cameras with newer faster processors wheee my recent experience is that there isn’t much of a link).
But there’s one point that’s been made several times that I don’t think is the case. It’s that the AF is more accurate as it can see more detail or that there are more focus points being used in crop mode. Remember, there’s no new information to the camera or the image or the focus sensors in crop mode…all the camera does is discard the edges of the frame. And if anything, with modern cameras often using on-sensor phase detection pixels embedded in the sensor, when part of the sensor is being lost you loose focus detection pixels. Also, good focus these days comes in large part from good predictive analytics that track subjects well, and the wider field of view you have the more tracking and predictability you bring to bear.
Some have also suggested that in crop mode, the camera can “see the eyes better for eye focus”. Again, I don’t think this is the case. There’s no magnification taking place here, just cropping.
All this being said, I’m always open to learn and want to make the best videos I can. None of us are as smart as all of us. If any of you have technical info that suggests otherwise to what I’ve said, please share!
Totally right! Of course the camera uses always the whole sensor when taking a picture. There is no hardware for cropping! The cropping is done by the in-camera software (raw to raw processing). The same as with medium or small raw - or with different raw picture formats on newer Nikon cameras (like 1:1 etc.). -- This guy really does know what he is talking about, doing his homework and not relying on hearsay. Absolutely trustworthy!
You've referred to "crop mode" but I suspect that is different from the mode some less exotic cameras have. For instance there's the "Ext Tele Conv" function on many Panasonic cameras which claims to not cause quality loss up to a certain point, and some very reputable reviewers have tested it carefully and confirmed that, within limits, it can be used without embarrassment. Exactly how it does that goes right over the top of my head but it's quite different from digital zoom. Then there's the trick that they used on the humble DJI Pocket 2, which has a quad beyer sensor. As I understand it, it normally uses the pixels in groups of four, effectively giving (say) 12MP. But when you use the zoom function (which is not optical) it uses the individual pixels, thus doing something like a crop from 4 x 12 = 48MP, thus giving better results than normal digital zoom (subject to the downside of using very small pixels). The more recent Pocket 3 has a larger sensor with about 12MP only and can't do what the previous version does - its zoom is a straight digital zoom and isn't recommended. Lastly, in all these discussions, the anticipated print or display size is relevant - even a basic crop can look ok when printed postcard size or on a phone. But it might look grim on a poster or 4K monitor.
@@Ozpeter The Panasonic manual (page 150 for the G9) claims indeed "Extra Tele Conversion enables you to take pictures that are further enlarged without deteriorating the picture quality." But at the same time they say :"Set the picture size to [M] [for 1.4 "teleconversion"] or [S] [for 2.0])". M is a 10 MP, and S a 5 MP picture instead of a normal 20 MP picture. So a 1.4 "ext. teleconv." picture is a 10 MP crop from the full size picture. So this is just marketing, not any magical function! Never use it for reasons mentioned in the video.
@@buyaport But that takes us into the whole "how many pixels do you actually need" thing. And that tends to relate to what you are actually going to do with the image having taken it. Loads of pixels can be handy when you want to crop in when editing, I agree. Or if printing to large output sizes. But for many people who take photographs (I am trying to distinguish between them, or us (!) and actual Photographers) they are unlikely to ever view their photos in ways in which larger numbers of pixels will actually make a difference. Few people have screens of any kind with more than 4MP resolution. Few people have printers which print at greater than A4 size. Will lower pixel count captures matter significantly to them? I personally think that there can be too much obsession over the last bit of viewed technical quality vs the actual content. I'd rather see a stunning composition which has adequate quality than a rubbish composition with technical perfection. But we could discuss this for hours... to summarise I would agree that most of the time, plain digital zoom is no different to cropping when editing, at which point you can choose how it will look at your leisure. Using more sophisticated methods of in-camera digital telephoto can produce better results, so long as you don't plan to crop the limited pixels output any further. I have in mind to produce my own video testing this stuff but will I get around to it? Dunno...
The aps-c cropping mode (at least for me) is a useful tool if you want to improve your workflow faster ... say if you don't have the extra time to crop in post. I think that the ones who most benefit in aps-c mode are sony alpha R series cameras as these usually pack in a lot of pixel / information.
But I think where aps-c mode / super35 mode actually benefits for is video workflow ...
By using sensor cropping you are able to change your effective fov but you are able to keep your video resolution (which is usually 4K)
in my Canon and Sony bodies, this means that if i only have one lens like a 24mm, i can film at both 24mm and "equivalent" 36mm (Sony) or ~40mm (Canon) while being able to keep the 4K resolution.
I consider Simon my mentor. His videos have taken my photography to the next level and I shoot on a canon m50. After his last video I went out and I had one of my best capture since starting photography. I wish to one day be able to shoot with you. Thank you for this amazing videos.
To me, it looked like he was sick and tired of seeing bad quality advice videos on TH-cam and decided to make his own, lol.
When I first watched him I thought “who is this Silly Canadian and why does he pronounce his own name so funny?” 😂😂😂😂 yes I love his uploads now despite this.
Same
@@JeffBourke one of many!
Too kind!
As someone who studied physics, its great to see a video from a photographer youtuber that doesnt break the known laws of the universe.
Simon D'Entremont a name and a guarantee for anyone who wants to advance their skills and knowledge! I've been following you for almost 3 years now, since you opened your channel and every video brings me something more! Thanks Simon !!
Awesome, thank you!
@@simon_dentremont I second that comment from @carlomaule! Wonderful videos and explanations. I'm an old -- very old -- photographer who learned what I know from "analog days" in Navy service in Vietnam (am a long-retired U.S. Navy chief petty officer who used a camera as part of my work there). I have re-learned so very much from your work on TH-cam. I appreciate the flexibility and ease of the new technologies and the freedom from "chemistry."
I remember spending long evenings in medical dispensary x-ray labs "in-country," where I could develop my black and white film and make contact sheets. I became an "expert" and loading six rolls of Tri-X onto metal reels in total darkness and mixing up D-76 developer and then working the fluid carefully into the canister and gently twisting and turning the container to get equal coverage (no bubbles!) on all the negatives. Then, I'd have to stop the development using more chemicals, wash the film, hang the film up next to drying x-rays and wait for it to dry before cutting up the film into strips and making contact sheets. And that's all before turning out one print on a Beseler enlarger! Digital photography is a dream, by comparison, from taking a photo to turning out lovely pictures.
wait, that's really 3 years ago...
@@namenloserflo only 2 actually
I consider myself as an experienced amateur wildlife photographer but always look forward to your videos , your explanations on the subject are just right , you talk to us not at us , thanks for posting
I'm only 2 months into doing Wildlife photography (largely thanks to your videos, and Morten Hilmer's!) and I'm finally getting some images I'm proud of! I had an acquaintance this week tell me that a photo I got of a California Scrub Jay "Looked so professional" and it seriously made my whole month! Your videos have been the absolute best I've found anywhere on TH-cam, thank you!
I love Morten’s content.
@@simon_dentremont I'm always surprised by how emotional I get watching his videos, they're really excellent. Yours and Morten's passion for what you do is infectious!
One of the reasons I chose an APS-C camera was that for my purposes I wanted smaller, lighter and less expensive while being able to have the reach I wanted for wildlife and still plenty of wide field choices. A lot of guys keep telling me full frame is so much better but they don't take better pictures in the same situations. In large part because with the APS-C format I can afford better lenses with more reach for wildlife photography while they have to crop or simply not capture the finer details. They are "specs mean more than practice guys." Sort of like the guys I know who think if they had the same spec golf clubs Scottie Scheffler uses they could probably beat him on the course. For a long time I just knew what worked but not why. Now that I've found Simon's channel I understand why things work and have learned so much that I didn't know. I recommend this channel to anyone into photography.
Assuming lighting is adequate, APS-C is very advantageous, especially for smaller birds that are harder to reach. Cropping a FF with the same pixel count will see worse results in that case.
@@justinhoward6755Often, as well, you can have fewer pixels but higher pixel density with the APS-C. Comparing the Canon R7 to the R5 is an example. If you were to expand the R7 sensor out to full frame with the same pixel density you would have an (around) 80mpx sensor, allowing you to put more pixels "on subject" than with the 5. Plus, you have the additional option to crop again in post to get closer yet.
as a novice hobbiest photographer you often answer questions in situations i may have but didn't know to ask... Simon you sharing your professional experience with us is a true gift to the advancement of photography...thank you.
Superb explanations, as usual. One addition: with a Leica camera, if you use crop mode, the camera will still give the whole picture if you work with RAW files. So the crop mode can be used to focus attention in a smaller field, but the sensor still captures the full data. I’ve learned so much from these videos, thank you.
Thanks for sharing
Some cameras record the full size raw file and cropped jpeg. So it's easier to see what you are shooting in viewfinder, but then you have a full size raw file to crop as you like. I'm using Lightroom and it gives you an option to use a camera crop or any other aspect ratio.
Thanks Simon! I'm pushing 3 years on TH-cam with really basic stuff and recently started going deeper into photography/videography to improve my content and you have been a MASSIVE help as I work through this. I'm working with a canon m50 mk2 so I need every trick I can get to keep noise down! I have a sigma 150-600 c coming today and cant wait to see what I can get out of that over the 75-300 I've been using for bird photography!
Thank you. I have been taking photographs for over 50 years and still find a lot of useful information from you, some concepts are at the subconscious level, but your lessons systematize it.
My husband and I just started doing bird photography, and we are newbies to photography in general. However, we’ve been watching tons of videos and going out to a local wildlife refuge for the past couple weeks. We’ve taken on the challenge of trying to capture birds in flight. Coupled with the fact that walking paths that keep you far away from the birds in question, we’ve had our work cut out for us, and we’ve certainly had plenty of failures and frustrations. But we’ve learned so much so quickly by simply getting out there and doing the best we can with what we know and then coming back and looking at the photos. However, it can be pretty discouraging not quite knowing what we’re doing. These videos give us the confidence to problem solve and to realize that we’re on the right track. I think I’ve watched at least twenty of your videos in just the past couple of weeks. Thank you so very much!
This channel is single handedly saving my love for cameras
I love Simon's style - very conversational. He has the unique ability to communicate highly technical information into something easy to understand that anyone can apply to their photography. I look forward to his videos. I always have an "A-HA!” moment!
So very true!
this video should be a must watch for every single person taking photos with pretty much anything, including phones because more often than not they don't have a tinyest clue how this works despite it being one of the most basic things in photography and you explained it in this video brilliantly
I left another comment but yes, I subscribed. You know what you are talking about and everything you say validates my real world experience. I was in a photography class and had to constantly correct the instructor on the BS he came up with. He really hated me because I proved him wrong in every case and finally had a meltdown in front of the whole class. To his credit, he did come and apologize afterwards but once again I showed him that I was right. Lesson is don't teach if you have do idea what you are talking about.
Second!
its great when you get on youtube and relise Simon just uploaded
You brought up a good point at the end, by incorporating more of the scene into your composition you can avoid the pitfalls of over cropping.
On a related note, I think a very common mistake is to crop too far in, then over rely on noise reduction to “save” the shot and then compensate for the loss in detail by over sharpening. The result is a plastic and synthetic appearance.
Sometimes it’s better to just embrace the limitations of reach and shoot for the scene.
i could listen to you speak for hours simon . you make everything make sense . thank you for all you do for our community .
Simon, as always, you outdid yourself. Not only I watch your videos, I take notes also. Then I look at my notes and I realize I write down every single word you say:). Nothing to be missed. Pure gold. Thank you.
Many thanks!
What impresses me most beside the valuable knowledge you share are the photos you always use to support your arguments. I can only imagine what a tremendous effort is to find the right photos you missed or nailed and use them in the right place in your video. I hope I made myself clear. English is not my native tongue and I had a couple of (whiskey) shots tonight! Thank you for your contribution in cultivating this art in all of us still learning photography!!!
I appreciate that!
I've learned more for free from watching this channel than I did from the photography classes I paid good money for. 🤦♀️
me too jaja
ikr this is a great channel (although I don't agree with some points in this video in particular)
That's because he actually understands WHY things work the way they do not just what they do. So he can explain it more simply and effectively.
@@quite1enough please elaborate
I don't understand why so many people think a crop somehow makes the focal length increased like it's a magic zoom. Thank you for finally telling people it's not.
Crop sensors are not a magic zoom, but they do put lots of pixels where it counts. When I put my 600mm EF lens on a MFT camera I get better images at the long end, than when I put the same 600mm lens on my 61MP Sony A7RIV and crop to the same size. So when I want the maximum reach, I use my MFT camera.
Because it is a "magic zoom". Like 35mm lenses are "magic zoom" to a medium frame. The only meaningful argument is "non-crop" has shallower depth of field, which has its own pros and cons depending on what kind of imagery you want.
Wonderfully complete. Thank you. As a "frequently cropper" I couldn't afford an R5, but could and did get an R50 to use alongside my R6. The R50 plus the superb EF 70-200/2.8 L IS II is quite wonderful - and the tiny R50 on the huge pro tele makes me smile. Of course, high-ISO noise is a concern with the little APS-C R50, but in good light it proves that a good cheap body with a world-class pro lens can make jaw-droppingly beautiful pics. Loving it; will be testing the R50 with relatively slow shutter speeds for people candids at public events - like 1/125 @ 2.8.
Very well-presented and helpful advice! I differ slightly on crop-mode for a few reasons that would nudge it up my personal rankings. The main one for me is that it can be mapped to a custom button on most cameras, making it an instant on-off toggle (unlike a longer lens or most TCs). With a little practice you can retain most of the subject-tracking and re-composability advantage of a wider FoV and punch in when you want to. Another minor advantage is that if you were going to digitally crop anyway, crop-mode can help nail exposure on the subject if you give the camera the tighter framing to meter now, saving you some IQ loss tweaking exposure in post.
Thanks for sharing Simon. I used option 2: switched from 26 megapixel Canon 6D Mk II to 61 megapixel Sony A7R4. One thing to mention is I only have 2 modes: 61 megapixel full resolution of 26 megapixel 1.5x crop (which I don't use). If you plan higher megapixels, you also need more SD cards capacity to store the 120 MB RAW files, extra backup HDDs and a fast PC with loads of RAM too for post processing. This significangtly adds to the total cost of having more megapixels.
...that's actually quite interesting thanks because - don't shoot the messenger - that Sony sensor, used in other kit, offers 61mp, 31mp and 16mp options 😀
One advantage of in camera cropping not mentioned like full frame used in APC mode: It magnifies the image so that you can see it through the viewfinder. This is important to use spot focus right on the eye or right when a bird is doing something interesting. With lower magnification you might miss these things.
Excellent, EXCELLENT discussion of this topic!
Everything in photography (ISO, aperture, shutter speed, reach, low light) eventually narrows down to choices in compromise.
The more you know, the more you take control over exactly which compromises you can live with. There is no way around making them.
Well said!
Also, thanks for countering that "why not just zoom with your feet" line that people often repeat. As you illustrated so clearly, that isn't always (or often) possible!
As with so many photography situations, the quality of the available light is a major factor in how well various "zooming" methods work...
I’m beginning to embrace not having the luxury of getting super smooth backgrounds. I’ve learned to really highlight my subject in their environment and I’ve found these photos to be more exciting than all of the eastern phoebe perched on a branch with blurred background photos you see. I’m going for some big bull moose shots in Massachusetts this fall and I think instead of following them around in the woods, I’ll find the scene I want them in around their habitat and just wait. Thanks again, your videos have transformed my photography.
Hello, Mr. Simon!
I am aware of the technical, meteorological and all other limitations of photography, so I would like to remind you of one more factor for a good photograph.
It is mathematically indefinable, difficult to grasp with reason. It is the mood of the person taking the picture, his state of mind.
I have noticed that when I go to the streets of my city (Czech Prague) to take pictures, there is a dependence between whether I bring home nice pictures or not, and my expectation, my mood.
A mind relaxed and full of good expectations is endowed with the ability to see compositionally interesting scenes more easily or not at all.
That's why I recommend watching your video before going out into the field, it only puts one in a good mood. :-)
Hail and strength, Mr. Simon!
Tomáš from Prague
"Tons of variables at play," indeed -but, as ever, clearly, crisply outlined and explained. Un grand remerciement, monsieur ...
Great video! Awesome to see the Svalbard polar bear in the intro now :) That blurry cedar waxwing zooming in during the teleconverter bit made me crack up!
Simon you've helped me so much when it comes to wildlife photography. Watched your channel for a full 2 months while debating on upgrading from my 2011 Mega Zoom Camera and enjoyed every video I've watched. I finally got a Canon RF 100-400 on a Canon EOS R50, which makes it about 160-600mm. I'm still finding myself out taking photos and then one of your tips helped me get a better photo. Seriously, thank you so much Simon.
Wonderful
A Simon d'Entrmont photography video and a morning cup of Joe.. no better combination to start my day in a positive and informative way.. thanks Simon!
For now I'm happy with my EF 70-200 with 1.4+1.6 on R7 as ''daily driver''.
Great points you mentioned Simon! As always amazing content!
Man, Simon, you're simply the best. My teaching mentor, and I hope you see the influx of people I tell about you and ability to teach your skills, cause I tell everyone to go to your first!!! Thanks man!!! I'm a better photographer cause of you.
Wow, thank you!
The engineer of photography! So much knowledge here, clearly articulated.
Great video! I'm from the US but watching this video while vacationing in NS. I was surprised to recognize the location of the northern lights shot in your intro as the same beautiful location in which I snapped a few photos earlier this evening after hiking the Skyline Trail today!
Righto!
I think crop mode can make sense not only to maximize frame rate or buffer usage but also if your subject is really small in the frame and you want to maximize your chances of getting it in focus with a small focus area. The fact that you don’t bloat your file storage with parts of the frame that you’re never going to use anyway can also be an added plus. It still deserves to be at the bottom of this list though.
I want you to know that your channel is greatly appreciated. Keep making these videos.
The dilemma of increasing pixel power has a solution for DSLR users who may already have a large number of pixels at their disposal: Up the ante on the lens. I've just discovered Carl Zeiss lenses for the second time in my life, and I have one on a short list right now. I can't hardly wait.
Simone, you are a master of photography and a master teacher. Thank you so much for sharing your creativity and knowledge. You are our Master Yoda 🙌🤍
Wow, thank you!
Damn, Simon. The way you explain things. I feel like if you explain to me the secret of the universe, I will still understand it even if I’m dumb.
Thank you for all your wonderful videos.
I just found your channel within this last day and I have to say that it's a refreshing change from a lot of photography content. You focus more on getting the best out of what a person has, rather than trying to get them to buy something 'better'.
I've been out of photography too long, mostly because my job and life responsibilities have made it hard to get out more often. I'm trying to find tips on how to use what I have to get better. I'm fortunate to have some pretty good stuff to work with, so for example, at long range I use a Sigma 150-600mm lens on a Nikon D750. It makes beautiful images, if I actually take the time to get out and use it.
Another advantage of the cropping mode, for those of us who have a new high-resolution camera but have not yet upgraded our computers, is processing time. You may be able to import and process your photos three times faster than by using the whole sensor. There are contexts in which I think this is a viable option, especially if you are photographing static targets or are already used to a crop sensor prior to moving to full frame.
Thank you for explaining about putting the camera in "crop mode". I have been trying to tell people the exact same thing for years and very few people ever see the light. Even on Nikon's and Canon's websites I've read where they tout the "put it in crop more for more reach" farce. And I've seen many large youtube "influencer" channels claiming that they can put their camera in crop mode and "get that extra reach"...
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you so much for once again elaborating on a highly discussed basic topic by addressing whole of all possible related issues in such a balanced, informative way which actually helps the viewers, adding actual knowledge to their skillset. In my perspective, your videos deliver the greatest value on elementary photography compared to anything I have encountered on youtube throughout the last decade.
I'm binging on your videos. Very informative and i like how you dispel so many myths. Thanks for the videos!
What a brilliant video, Simon. Everything is explained simply and backed up by examples and knowledge of the subject.
Thanks for the lesson! Well, I use micro four camera. When I crop an image for ex. 50%. I use lightroom, under the heading photo/enhance. The program adds pixels and reduces noise. The result, if the image is properly exposed, print at 1000 * 700 mm with excellent results.
I agree with all the points you made. This was very accurate and valuable information.
I love these video's, i have bought an camera 2 weeks ago, and I already know a lot because of you.Thank you.
Bravo! I've been muddling around with this topic and related considerations for many years, and with my incremental better cameras, bigger sensors and better lenses. I really liked your example of the bird shot with the high MPx camera, and the long lens, with the teleconverter, and you still wanted to crop a little. My trying crops of my 24 MPx originals to about 1/8th of each of width and height (1/64th the total amount of pixels!) gives disappointing results with so few pixels. You've explained clearly why that occurs. It makes perfect sense that optical boost from a longer lens is first choice, and second is more MPx camera(sensor). I wish there were cameras that could take high MPx normal mode, and also have a mode to use the full sensor but take fewer MPx with effectively larger pixels so they could have a higher signal to noise ratio. As I understand it, each sensor technology handles only one pixel size and density, and a crop mode is just using a portion of the sensor area.
Thank you Simon for yet again helping me understand technical aspects of digital photography that I always find confusing and overwhelming. You are a gifted teacher and we are lucky to have you 😊🙏
This is the video I’ve been looking for! Thank you for providing instruction and reasoning, as so many other TH-camrs do more to complicate matters than clarify them. I’m so very happy I found your channel!
Glad it was helpful!
I love your videos! You've simplified topics in photography that make it engaging and easy to understand. Thank you!! These tips have greatly improved my photography skills and improved my confidence in taking photos.
Glad you like them!
My recent purchase - Pentax 6x7 400mm F4 for about $200 plus another $40 for adapters. Lens weighs about 5 pounds and dwarfs the MFT Lumix camera it is mounted to the lens. Now I just need to find some wildlife to photograph. So far, I have taken some great bokeh pictures of the flora. Thanks for another informative video.
Agree on all points, but one additional edge case benefit from using crop sensor modes on cameras is if your autofocus isn't performing well on a subject it because it is small in the frame, crop sensor can help improve the autofocus hit rate for these scenarios. Great video!
Why would this be the case? The camera is just throwing out the edges of the image, not projecting a larger image on the sensor. So, I expect that the autofocus system would be unaffected. Not saying, I’m right, just not getting why crop mode would improve auto focusing, though I get that it could help when using manual focus.
@@erikswenson2659 I'm not sure why, I can just tell you that's my anecdotal experience. For me, most of the time it doesn't justify going into a crop mode because if the subject (usually birds for me) is that small in the frame the photo is probably not a keeper anyways. But sometimes when I just want to get the shot no matter what, animal eye tracking on my R5 does a better job at finding the eye when in crop sensor for small subjects.
Thanks. I have an R5 as well. I'll give it a try
Just getting into this amazing hobby 😊and is there a lot to learn? Yup sure is. Watching your videos are a little over my head but very informative and interesting. Looking forward to watching and learning a hell of a lot more 😊. Thanks Simon.
Wonderful! Yes, I almost always want the ability to add more reach. Even with a 200-600. I'm bit jealous when I see the gorgeous images you can get with that big prime. I look at mine and am happy, but not blown away. The zoom is just different, especially if I crop.
Solid info here! Yep, buy the best camera and lenses you can afford and remember that every choice involves trade-offs. For BIF I rely on my Fuji XT5 and 150-600 zoom when traveling locally. Otherwise I use a Fuji 70-300mm. And in both cases I may use a 1.4 convertor. Are those perfect solutions? No. But I can handle the weight, and at 77 years, that's important for me.
Good points here, as a hobby wildlife photographer with mid range gear, I'll often reach for the Teleconverter if it is bright weather, as the outcome is usually better than heavily cropping 20MP. That being said, if the cloud is heavy or it is dawn or dusk, the 200-600 is better off without a teleconverter due to the loss of light.
One point on the crop mode, I find it a very useful tool for checking focus
Another informative, short and to the point video. Its obvious you have planned the content and presentation with the wisdom of a teacher, not just the eye of a photographer.
Another fantastic informative video Simon. One caveat I would add regarding your cameras crop mode is to save this for when shooting video, you get further reach and maintain the full resolution for video.
Once again, incredibly informative tutorial….best explanation of this particular subject I have seen so far…..
Great talk. I think I have said before, you do a great job of describing topics and I think it's because you more into the practical detail.
I appreciate that!
Your channel is legitimately the best information packaged in the most digestible manner. Thank you!
Wow, thank you!
I havent seen but a handfull your videos so far but they have been very encouraging for me. Im still trying to decide on a quality camera/lense for shooting action sports and nature... well at least to start out. I want so bad to get away from being a mechanic and make photography my full time job. I know it wont happen overnight but with the help you are posting here it finally seems like there is light at the end of the tunnel lol. Thank you Simon. Your shot of the porcupines is beautiful.
Very helpful, thanks. Not that this changes much about my shooting city photography, but it improves on my planning and post processing.
Learned many new things in this video especially the pixel density! Thanks for another educational video, Simon! I hope you can make a dedicated one for the crop sensor vs full frame for wildlife.
Absolutely loved this video. I have been so split between getting a releconverter or using the DX mode on my Z8. Now I know what not to do. Thank you!
Definitely I agree 100%. I am always striving to learn more. This is very thoughtfully presented. Indeed, the "crop" mode works well on some cameras with older slower processors for sports, but I haven't found any other use!
Thank you Simon for re-editing that music intro....The old version was driving me nuts! LOL! And, as always, great tips on your channel!
Great video Simon. The subject was explained in a way that it was very easy to understand & take in all the positives & negatives of each section. Many thanks from a "newbie" to your channel. I look forward to catching up on ALL past videos!
Thank you, Simon, for another excellent educational video. The information and tips shared in the last half of the video when you're comparing pros & cons of the various options for filling the frame are especially good.
In the demonstration at about 3:00 of the two photos made with the same exposure, while the uncropped photos were made with the same total light, the photo made at 200mm captured much more light from the cute owl doll.
At 200mm f/2.8, the legs was working with a 71mm entrance pupil. The lens worked with a much smaller 18mm entrance pupil when making the photo at 50mm f/2.8.
The 71mm entrance pupil is 4x the diameter of an 18mm entrance pupil. That translates to capturing 16x as much light - 4 stops - from the owl toy.
The additional light from the owl combined with the owl covering many more pixels is why the photo made at 200mm f/2.8 is so much cleaner and more detailed than the photo made at 50mm f/2.8.
Thanks Simon, very useful review of all the options available for reaching far away subjects. I've chosen APSC sensor with a 150-600mm f5-6.3-zoom lens which was in my budget. I get great results with that combo for bird photography as a amateur enthusiast. I never purchased a teleconverter as it's not designed for zoom lens.
Great! You are the best Canadian photographer TH-camr. One suggestion I might make is that for showing samples of comparisons (like cropped vs uncropped), you can show it 1-2 seconds longer in the video. I just barely read the “cropped” vs “uncropped” words and just began to look for the differences in the hair of the birds, then the video already progressed (had to rewind). Just a small suggestion.😊
Noted!
This is a subject I have been pondering over for a few weeks now. Brilliant explanation of all the options. Thank you Simon.
Very good explanation of zooming options...the best I have ever heard!!! You are absolutely correct on the use of teleconverters. I have an Olympus 300 f4 prime which is blazingly sharp. I was afraid the a 1.4 teleconverter would be worse then just cropping the non-TC image based on my experience with previous lens/teleconverter combos. After much testing with the Olympus 1.4 TC on the 300 F4, if found that the TC image was about 30 percent better then just cropping the non TC image. This result totally surprised me!!! To your point, a TC can be very useful on an already excellent piece of glass. On the other hand, even though I love the pictures from the Pan/Leica 50-200, adding a Panasonic 2x converter made the images too soft and I was not at all happy with the combination.
Thanks Simon, starting investigating some options to look at Wildlife Photography, you explained everything in a very simple matter and have saved me potential frustration. Thank you again.
Glad it was helpful!
Nothing beats expensive glass, been saying it for years. Buy once cry once. Video couldn't have been timed better, I'm in the market to retire the 7D and buy a mirrorless. R5 vs R6 now I need to decide, rely on the quality of the long lenses I have now and save a bit of money with the R6 MarkII or take the hit on the R5. Great Video!
Great points here Simon! I have an R6 Mark I and watching these wildlife photography videos made me think to opt for Option 4 getting more range to avoid cropping. The Canon RF 200-800 looks more attractive now lol
Thank you for putting into understandable English what I have always suspected but have never been able to adequately verbalize.
I was curious to see your explanation about these various options and you nailed the explanation so very well. I've played with the "digital teleconverter" (crop mode) in my Olympus E-M1X just out of curiosity but, to be honest, I really don't even know why that feature was included, for it's more a gimmick for most, in my opinion. Just as you mention in your pinned comment, it's nothing more than a crop and one cannot create pixels that simply aren't there. Your explanation (and ranking) are spot on (as is the never-ending learning... Tis so very true...).
I am still using an Olympus f5-6.3 100-400mm lens that does well but is still slower than I'd often like. I certainly wouldn't want to try even the 1.4 teleconverter, much less the 2.0. I will, instead, obtain their 300mm f4 prime and simply do it right (and I won't feel bad about adding a tc in this case). At least this has been a good introduction to shooting birds and wildlife, including experimenting with tracking dragonflies in flight (modern processors are amazing), for I've been far more accustomed to landscapes. As much as I'd like to invest in a larger sensor (noise is something I am always aware of, even though it is FAR better than the old days by far), there are still a number of advantages with MFT that appeal to me (it's all subjective appeal in the end anyway) that keep me focused on my system/gear.
As always, thanks for sharing excellent information and explanations, for I often glean extra knowledge (one can never have enough!).
Simon, as a beginner, your information is invalueable. You explain photography in such an easy way to understand. I really appreciate your channel
I rarely use the crop mode when using my teleconverter on my 70-200, the only time it gets used is when shooting the moon or sun. Thanks for the great video.
I took your course, it was outstanding! I found it very informative and enjoyable to watch. Thanks Simon!
Awesome, thank you!
Thorough review of a complex subject. Thanks for this (I have used in camera crop mode, but am rethinking that now).
On my Fujiflm X-H2, the crop modes (digital teleconverters) are just for cropping the field of view in the VF when using RAW files: the camera shows a 1.4x or 2.0x image through the VF but records the whole sensor (40mp) RAW file which you can digitally crop later. The JPEGs *are* cropped to 20mp and 10mp respectively for direct-from-the-camera use. That's a fine arrangement.
Good video explaining the pros and cons of all the options. I do wish you would have included the option of upsizing a low pixel photo in programs such as photo AI and how they would compare with the photos taken with the big mm lenses. All the options on the same table
Simon - thanks for producing this video on comparing cropping to longer lens for the best image quality!
My pleasure!
Thank-you for another informative video.This is something I have been wondering about. With my Z6II I can crop my sensor giving me more ''telephoto'' which I haven't done and probably won,t now. Cheers
Simon is a brilliant photographer. He uses lenses I could never afford, but his advice is legend.
Lenses and cameras. lol. I'm just about to upgrade from a Nikon D5000 to a Nikon D7500. I've had the D5000 for 15 years. lol
@@melly8769ok boomer
For those who commented that you didn't address "compression" that telephoto lenses [supposedly] provide, the idea of "compression" is a longstanding myth in photography. As Simon clearly demonstrated in this video with the two images of the toy owl at 2:58, as well as his discussion between 4:10 and 4:55, telephoto lenses just provide a thinner depth of field than a wider-angle lens would provide, thus creating an artificial sense of "compression", whereas no practical compression has actually taken place. "Compression" per-se is an illusion caused by the bokeh that is more noticeable when telephoto lenses are used as opposed to wider-angle lenses. Anyone can try this out with their own equipment and some simple experimentation will prove this out. "Compression" is a lingering misconception in photography, and nothing more. That's why Simon did not use that improper term in this video.
You gave me a better understanding of chopping. I knew about losing Pixels
But I'm also like, in the idea of maybe getting an extender for my lens, I have canon 2.8 L 70-200. Thanks again, Brenda
Thank you Simon for yet another excellent tutorial! I lost count of many of other photography sites that say setting your camera to crop mode allows you to get more reach when in fact it is nothing more than a digital crop. Perhaps if one doesn't edit their images via software it may have some value but that's about it.
Im going for the longer lens and saving for a used AFS 400mmF2.8 E FL VR for wildlife in forrest, I got 1.4 and 2.0 x TC, and I now have a 45 Mpix camera D850.
Thank you Simon your content has helped me take better quality shots significantly
Magnifisand video Simon!! Thank you!
But i would like to know about the other side of the spectrum as well. Makro photography.