Nikon DSLR "Full Frame"

[cincyimages]

Are there any rumors lately that Nikon will be coming out with a "full frame" DSLR camera?

It is my understanding that if/when Nikon does produce a "full frame" DSLR, that DX lenses will not work, why is that? Are there any other Nikon lenses that wouldn't work with a "full frame" camera?

[tcadwall]

Crop factor. As you are likely now familiar... The Nikon DSLR crop-factor of 1.5x makes a 50mm lens have a 75mm angle of view when mated on a Digital body. A full-frame (rather than APS size) sensor, would effectively make that same lens return to the same angle of view that it would have had on a 35mm film body. The older lenses therefore actually project an image inside your camera that is LARGER than what the sensor is. DX lenses project an image that fills your sensor rather than being larger than your sensor.

Now - take that smaller image and place it on a larger sensor, and now the corners will be seriously 'vignetted'

Does that make sense? It *would* be easier to draw this... maybe someone already knows of a diagram somewhere....

[eduardofrances]

Hardly, since they have made a pretty big investment in the DX lens line, Nikon has stated that it is not interested in going into the full frame train, this said if you see the Nikon D2Xs, it costs around $ 4,700 and Canon full frame camera the EOS 1Ds MK II goes for around $6,900 the price difference could be the DX format, larger sensors are more expensive because producing them is very hard, costly and many many sensors have to be disposed because of imperfections in the manufacturing process, this elevate the cost of the sensors to the roof.

While Canon could have the lead in noise handling due their larger sensors, many people would see the D2Xs as a great camera with nice noise handling and the price makes it a great choice.

[K1W1]

The 35mm film has a measurement of 36 x 24 (mm w x h) and requires a circle of light at least 43.3 mm in diameter to cover right to the corners.
An AP-C sensor (what the D50/70/80/200,etc uses) has a measurement of 23.7 x 15.7 (mm w x h) and requires a circle of light only 28.4 mm in diameter to cover right to the corners. DX lenses are built to produce a light circle just bigger than 28.4mm.
To say that a DX lens "will not work" on a full frame camera is not strictly speaking correct. You can connect the lens to the camera and take photos. It's just that the photo will look like one of those out fashioned portraits with the centre of the image exposed in a circle of blackness.

[cincyimages]

I understand what "full frame" means, I just didn't know why there was a limitation with a DX lens since there is still a 1.5x conversation for DX lenses.

Thanks.

[tcadwall]

yeah, that makes it a little confusing... To some it would make sense to call a DX 50mm a '75mm'... except that it then makes it harder to compare lenses since some 50mm's would be 75mm and some would be 50mm.... But to add even MORE confusion, some DSLRs are actually NOT a 1.5 conversion... Some (certain canons I think) are 1.6 for instance...

So I think the standard of still using 35mm film focal lengths, at least makes it easier to compare apples to apples.... even though you are placing them in different sized / shaped baskets.

Thanks for the actual specifics (size-wise) K1W1... You again explained it better than I could! :p

[eduardofrances]

I understand what "full frame" means, I just didn't know why there was a limitation with a DX lens since there is still a 1.5x conversation for DX lenses.

Thanks.

Since the APS-C sensor used in NIkon Digital SLRs is smaller than the 35mm (and full frame sensor size), the image projected by the DX lenses is smaller (cause it is designed to "fit" the light in an smaller area the APS-C sensors) this will produce vignetting in a full frame camera (you can mount the lens in a film camera but since the image circle projected to the media is smaller -your media here is a 35mm film- you will get dark corners in other words, there is no light or little light reaching the corners of the media)

This said the recent Nikon Digital SLR's are DX sized, this is not a limitation, all the DX lenses can be used in the APS-C sensor they have... with canon if you buy EF-S lenses they can't be used in full frame cameras since the rear part of the lens it is more elongated than the one of normal EF lenses, if you use a n EF-S in a full frame camera, APS-H or older APS-C SLRs (EOS 1D, 1Ds, 1Ds MK II, 1Ds MK II N, 10D, D60, D30 CAN'T use EF-S lenses) you would damage the mirror or the lens.

[K1W1]

You need to understand ONE thing.
A lens is a lens. A 50mm lens is ALWAYS a 50mm lens REGARDLESS of which camera it is attached to.
The "crop factor" is a function of the reduced sensor size used in the body. The crop factor is NOTHING TO DO WITH THE LENS so do not confuse the issue.

[cincyimages]

There are rumors on the internet suggesting that a Full Frame D3 will be released mid 2007.

[Esoterra]

There are rumors on the internet suggesting that a Full Frame D3 will be released mid 2007.

This rumor is correct.