So one of my favorite ebooks, 10 by David DuChemin is now being offered for free. (or at least I just realized it was!) David lays down 10 tips for really developing your craft and making stronger images. All of this without spending a dime or changing the gear you own. Nice. His ideas are on point and presented in a fresh way. I totally dig it, as well as his other titles. You should definitely check it out, and especially because it is free now! How can you possibly pass this up?
Thanks for the link; an interesting read. However, he makes one statement which I believe is incorrect, or perhaps just poorly worded, in section 8:
“It’s important to remember that none of this is
affected by sensor size. As I write this I had an
email from a student on one of my tours asking
if she should get a 50/1.4 lens or a 30/2.8 for
portraits. Only she can answer that but here’s
what I told her; if you’re shooting on a cropped
sensor, which she is, a 30mm will crop more
like a 50mm. Fine. But it will not compress like
a 50mm. It will compress like a 30mm, because
that’s what it is. Sensor size does not change lens
behavior. That’s important because all of this
photography stuff is about the look – the aesthetic
– created in the camera, through the lens. The
last thing anyone needs is to be further confused
by the sensor-size issue.”
It sounds like he is suggesting that a 30mm lens will not compress like a 50mm when used on a crop sensor which provides the same angle of view of a 50mm lens on FF, which I believe is incorrect. Ignoring the fact that a 30mm lens equates to 45 or 48mm on a 1.5/1.6x crop sensor, the compression provided by that 30mm lens on a 1.5x crop will be identical to the compression provided by a 45mm lens on “full frame”.
I agree with you, the compression will be as it should with the equivalent on the larger sensor. In fact I regularly shoot with multiple formats and find the images blend quite easily because of exactly this. However, there is a difference in lens rendering. A large format 8×10 camera shooting a portrait with a 600mm lens is similar to an E-M1 with a 45mm lens. Guaranteed there will be a visual difference between them. Perspective compression will be similar but aesthetically there will be differences. I think a lot of this comes back down to lens design and how we use the equipment as well. Perspective compression should be the same though.
Dear Tony, thanks for the link ! Appreciated.
Thanks for the link Tony! Greatly appreciated :)