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Photo / Video

APS-C

A camera sensor smaller than full-frame that crops the view about 1.5x for cheaper, lighter extra reach.

APS-C APS-C is a camera sensor about 23.5 by 15.6mm, smaller than a 36 by 24mm full-frame sensor, applying a roughly 1.5x crop factor. Full-frame sensor 36 x 24 mm APS-C 23.5 x 15.6 mm ~1.5x crop factor 100mm lens frames like ~150mm Lighter and cheaper Less low-light and blur Smaller sensor, extra reach for the price

A sensor format smaller than full-frame, typically around 23.5×15.6mm (Canon's is slightly smaller). Relative to full-frame, the smaller sensor applies roughly a 1.5× crop factor, so a 100mm lens frames like a ~150mm would — handy extra reach for wildlife and sports. APS-C bodies and lenses are usually lighter and cheaper, which makes them a popular starting point and a capable travel system. The trade-off is that the smaller sensor generally gathers less light, so it tends to have less low-light headroom and a little less background blur than full-frame at the same settings.

What it means when you're buying

APS-C is often the better value for reach, portability and price, while full-frame leads when low-light performance is the priority.

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