p.1 #1 · APS-C crop mode with high resolution bodies
For Christmas my very thoughtful wife gave me the 200-600 G lens. Although the image quality is excellent, after using it a couple of times, I could not help but think. ‘Damn this thing is heavy.” My mind turned to acquiring a 100-400 as an alternative. I am not a serious birder, but I will be in Costa Rica at the end of this month, and I have a safari in Africa planned. So, a lens longer than 400 would be helpful, but perhaps not mandatory. My question today relates to the use of a high resolution body as a way to extend lenses by 50% by using crop mode. I currently have an a7iii, but am considering a used a7riv. For those of you with an a1 or R body, do you regularly use crop mode? Or do crop in post? Does the high resolution body impact your lens purchases? For example, do you buy a 100-400 rather than a 200-600? Or a 24 but not a 35 because you always have a 36 in your bag?
p.1 #2 · APS-C crop mode with high resolution bodies
If you end up with an A7riv you might want to consider the 70-350G lens. It is for APSC but on the Riv gives you the equivalent of 105-525mm. Around 26mp still in crop mode. It as OSS as well. It's a very underrated lens. When I want a small light set up I use mine alot. Maybe rent one to see if it might work for you.
p.1 #3 · APS-C crop mode with high resolution bodies
The crop mode on the a7R bodies works nicely as you still end up with a relatively detailed image. However, I stopped using the crop mode because on multiple occasions I forgot I had set it that way and later kept shooting cropped images thinking I was in "full res" mode. Yes, user error. Yes, there are viewfinder clues that you are in crop mode. I just decided it wasn't worth the hassle. I just shoot full size and crop in post if needed. You get the same result. Only advantage of in-camera crop is a smaller file and more images per card which might be useful when traveling.
The 100-400 + 1.4x TC is a viable alternative to the 200-600.
p.1 #4 · APS-C crop mode with high resolution bodies
Personally, I don’t use the crop mode on any of my cameras regardless of the resolution. If there is a need to and most of the time, we all do, I would rather crop in PP to get better compositionrather than getting the crop factor baked in while shooting in the field.
p.1 #5 · APS-C crop mode with high resolution bodies
Using the internal aps-c mode does come in handy but remember the resulting image is still a crop. Take that into post processing, crop some more and the quality begins to suffer. You'll have to make the call on whether the end result is acceptable or not.
p.1 #6 · APS-C crop mode with high resolution bodies
AGeoJO wrote:
Personally, I don’t use the crop mode on any of my cameras regardless of the resolution. If there is a need to and most of the time, we all do, I would rather crop in PP to get better compositionrather than getting the crop factor baked in while shooting in the field.
p.1 #7 · APS-C crop mode with high resolution bodies
Started using the 100-400 GM (awesome lens!) in the crop mode with my A7RIV at a Blue Angels air show last March and found it wonderful. Out of 2,050 photos about 1600 were in the crop mode and there really isn’t much difference as the crop file is 26.4MP. Besides airshows I use the crop mode for my wildlife/bird shooting as well. The only thing I have found is you do get a bit more noise in the shadow areas with the crop mode, but I got Topaz Denoise and it does a great job in cleaning up the files.
I mapped the crop mode to the C1 button and it is so easy to switch, the delay is about 1 second and then you are ready to go. I originally bought the 1.4xtc but haven’t used it since starting to use the crop mode, as I like the ease of being able to switch back and forth quickly. I find this much easier and quicker than cropping in post, though with 26MP you can still do that if needed. I was considering the 200-600 at one point but have dropped that idea as I don’t see the need or want the extra weight/bulk of that lens. The 100-400 is compact, fits in my standard bag and weighs 35% less.
p.1 #8 · APS-C crop mode with high resolution bodies
If you set up a button to toggle crop mode, you can turn it on to compose, then turn it off to capture the whole frame to give you scope for fine tuning in post...
p.1 #9 · APS-C crop mode with high resolution bodies
Crop mode is like light beer... if that's all you can get, so be it, but why?
A couple of the above posters also "proved" why I NEVER shoot in compressed mode. I'm usually a landscape and nature photographer, full uncompressed RAW files on my RIV. On a couple of occasions when I was doing an event where the extra megapixels were not needed I changed over to compressed. My next landscape outing was "ruined" (not really but it was not what I wanted to do) by my forgetting to go back to full uncompressed mode.
These are all kludges, usually not worth the potential for errors (at least for this officially elderly person-tho people tell me I don't look or act my age )
p.1 #10 · APS-C crop mode with high resolution bodies
I used crop a lot on the a7RIV mostly to get the higher frame rate. If you don't benefit directly like that then just shoot full frame and crop later, gives you more to work with (on the a1 for example)
p.1 #11 · APS-C crop mode with high resolution bodies
As a hobbyist, most of my photos are used in the fun, low-key Flickr "contests" where the maximum size of an image side/boundary is presented as 500 pixels; so, yes, the aps-c mode is often used when I am taking photos of distant birds/wildlife with an a1 or even an a7IV. I would never crop down to 500 pixels, but even the aps-c mode plus additional cropping typically give me 1,500 to 4,000 pixels on a side boundary, which are plenty for my purposes. Good luck on your trips!
p.1 #12 · APS-C crop mode with high resolution bodies
There are certainly lots of ways to get from A to B. To better answer the original question: No, I would not buy a camera or lens specifically to crop it. If an APS-C format lens better serves your purposes, perhaps an APS-C body would make more sense? Seems kind of wasteful to have a full frame camera and only use half of a sensor.
If you really want to shrinky-dink your kit, a Fuji or Olympus body with 100-400mm would give you the apparent reach you are looking for straight out of camera.
p.1 #13 · APS-C crop mode with high resolution bodies
Great tip!
DavidBM wrote:
If you set up a button to toggle crop mode, you can turn it on to compose, then turn it off to capture the whole frame to give you scope for fine tuning in post...
p.1 #15 · APS-C crop mode with high resolution bodies
When the size matters, as it does for a hiker like me, the 100-400 GM is a no brainer, vs. the 200-600 G. It is true, as noted above, that one can crop in post. Shooting in the cropped mode gives you no advantage. Cropping a high-megapixel image indeed works, there is no question about this. Even aggressive cropping can give you a good quality image, when the subject in focus is sharp. Topaz Gigapixel can further help when working with cropped images - give it a try if you have not used the program. Definitely consider extending the reach of the 100-400 with a TC. I have often used the lens with the x2TC, a combination which would be shunned by most, I guess. F11 may sound unusable, which in fact it is not, if you (a) shooting on a sunny day, or (b) can de-noise the high ISO pictures with the help of DxO Photolab + Topaz Denoise. If BIF is not your main interest, then you will be better served by the 100-400 GM.
p.1 #16 · APS-C crop mode with high resolution bodies
Since you mentioned an APS-C body, what is the relative image quality, both with the same 100-400 lens, of an a7riv in crop mode as compared to a Sony APS-C body? Are they more similar than different?
p.1 #17 · APS-C crop mode with high resolution bodies
I use crop mode every time versus cropping in post when shooting wildlife because the autofocus works better when the subject is bigger in viewfinder, more shots in buffer, smaller files, etc.
Obviously you'd prefer to have full frame shots, so I wouldn't give up the reach of the 200-600. I like my 200-600 and 70-350 (APSC) combo. 200-600 if I'm not walking far, 70-350 if I am.
Image quality from an R4 in crop mode will be very slightly better than an a6xxx body.
p.1 #18 · APS-C crop mode with high resolution bodies
I've never used crop mode. The only reason I could see using it would for the reduced image sizes (shorter write times to the card and more pictures before filling the card). If you are an expert then chances are you are going to frame your shot very close to perfect. But if not, like me, having the benefit of the full image so I can crop what looks best in PP is too valuable to give up. Sure it adds a little time in PP but cropping is pretty quick.
p.1 #19 · APS-C crop mode with high resolution bodies
I use crop mode all the time. Gets me better buffer, smaller files, more files on the card. Anytime I know I don't have a chance at filling more than the crop frame I toggle into it. I've even toggled in and out during a BIF burst but that is only possible on A1 as the A7RIV locks out that feature if the memory card is being written to.
The 100-400 on A7RIV in crop mode as needed is a very deadly combo. The 200-600 has some issues on the A7RIV so if you go for the RIV I'd go for the 100-400 instead. Use a 1.4TC if needed on the 100-400 but with 61MPs (giving 26MP in crop mode) you may be just fine.
Of course if I think I'm at risk of cutting off the bird in crop mode I switch back to FF. This is why I love the A1 over all the previous Sony cameras as I can switch back and forth at anytime no matter what the camera is up to at the time. This was a huge headache for me with the A7RIV. Still, the A7RIV was great to shoot in and out of crop mode...just had to be a little careful not to get caught stuck in crop mode while the camera was buffering/writing to card.
p.1 #20 · APS-C crop mode with high resolution bodies
Bjlangford wrote:
Since you mentioned an APS-C body, what is the relative image quality, both with the same 100-400 lens, of an a7riv in crop mode as compared to a Sony APS-C body? Are they more similar than different?
The a7r4 will be a slightly better image at 26mp vs 24mp. But more similar than different.
I use the a7r4 and the 70-350G in crop mode. It is a very capable lens and much smaller than the 100-400. I had a sigma 100-400 and sold it because it was too big for me.
The advantage of using a FF in crop mode with an aps-c lens vs a crop body is that when you switch to a more normal focal range you can use the FF glass and sensor. The high resolution sensor also has other advantages. If you downsize the image it will look better than one captured on a low resolution sensor because of the over sampling. The cropping options are good as well. I don’t plan the lens choice with the idea I will crop except for telephoto so I can reduce lens size.
