APS-C lens on fullframe camera

[manateeman90]

Hi there,

I am new to this forum and have owned a sony nex-5n for a year with the kit 18-55mm lens and 50mm f1.8 lens. I am a beginner, casual photographer and I enjoy using this camera very much.

I have read a few articles speculating that Sony is in the process of making a FF E-mount NEX camera. Whilst I'm not sure how reliable these rumours are, I was wondering whether current E mount lenses would be compatible with such a camera?

From my limited research I learnt that using lenses made for APS-C sensor format on a FF camera would cause vignetting as well as other problems? I am currently considering to buy the Zeiss 24mm lens and would like to know whether this would be compatible with a FF camera if sony ends up making one

Many thanks

 

[Bimjo]

I believe that what they would do is sense electronically what lens is attached to the camera and then act accordingly. If a FF lens is attached you use the whole sensor, if a APS-C lens is attached you electronically limit the size of the sensor by switching off the outer edges.

It's been before, though I don't remember who it was, Canon or Nikon.

 

[quezra]

Sony's A99 does it

Here's a good example of trying to fit a smaller sensor lens onto a NEX: CV 25/0.95 on NEX. Basically, you don't just get vignetting (though there's lots of that too), you get black corners that aren't recoverable. He concludes you'd at best get a 1.74 crop out of the CV25/0.95 (presumably he corrected some vignetting too), which is just midway between the 2x and 1.5x crop of M4/3 and APS-C respectively. The difference between M4/3 sensor and APS-C NEX is about 1.6 times, while between APS-C and FF, the difference is even more at about 2.3 times. So if the camera didn't switch to APS-C format you'd get even worse black corners.

 

[Bimjo]

Thanks querza, I knew someone had done it.

And to correct my previous missed opportunity- manateeman90, welcome to the board.

 

[manateeman90]

Thank you for your welcome and replies

So an APS-C lens should never be used on a FF camera, unless the camera will automatically scale down the FF sensor to APS-C sized which would be equivalent to using the lens on a APS-C sized sensor such as the 5N anyways?

 

[Bimjo]

Thank you for your welcome and replies

So an APS-C lens should never be used on a FF camera, unless the camera will automatically scale down the FF sensor to APS-C sized which would be equivalent to using the lens on a APS-C sized sensor such as the 5N anyways?

Well, that's basically it. Unless you can live with the vignette as part of an artistic expression. Or you're willing to crop every shot.