I'm a British software developer and photographer living in Vancouver, BC. I mainly photograph landscapes, cityscapes, night scenes, and water.
If you're interested in any...
That's beautiful, but oh so many lights! Did you once tell me you were from near Monyash? It just occurred to me when I saw this photo. If so, you may be interested in my latest blog post to see the snow in Monyash at the moment. http://roachling.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/calendar-walk-monyash-part-1.html
Alexis, I am having a forgetful moment and went blank when someone asked me a camera question today and I immediately thought that you would have the answer. They are looking at getting a camera like the Olympus Pen, and as an olympus user I am familiar with the 4/3 lens system. But they then asked how it was different from what a comprable nikon one would have in how much of the image would be captured in the file since they are not full frame cameras. I tried looking it up and cannot easily find it and was hoping you would know the answer.
@phillyphotos A four-thirds camera has a smaller sensor than a Nikon crop-frame DSLR (which is still smaller than a full-frame DSLR).
The sensor on a four-thirds camera like the PEN series is a quarter the area of a full-frame sensor (and half the size diagonally). This means that four-thirds cameras have a crop factor of 2 (because a full-frame sensor would be twice as long, diagonally).
This crop factor of 2 means that a four-thirds lens will have a focal length that is half that of a 35mm lens that frames the same area. So for example, if you want a lens that behaves the same as a 50mm lens on a film camera or full-frame DSLR, you would need a 50/2 = 25mm four-thirds lens. Or if you want to work it backwards, if you have a 14-42mm four-thirds lens, that's equivalent to a 28-84mm lens on a full-frame/film camera.
The sensor on a Nikon crop-frame DSLR is slightly larger than this, having a crop factor of 1.5 (a full-frame sensor is 50% longer diagonally than the Nikon crop sensor). This means that if you want a lens that behaves the same as a 50mm lens on a film or full-frame DSLR, you would need a 50/1.5 = 33mm lens. And again, to work it backwards, an 18-55mm lens on a Nikon crop-frame DSLR is equivalent to a 27-83mm lens on a full-frame/film camera.
You'll notice that in both cases, the kit lens for each system (14-42 on a four-thirds camera, 18-55mm on a Nikon crop-frame DSLR) works out to almost exactly the same 35mm equivalent focal length -- so with each 'kit' you'll be able to frame shots almost exactly the same.
Also remember that there are benefits (smaller/lighter lenses, theoretically cheaper telephoto/supertelephoto lenses) and downsides (wider apparent depth of field, more noise) to a camera with a smaller sensor.
@abirkill perfectly and it was exactly on what I went blank since my answer was a full frame gets everything, and the 4/3rds gets noticeably less. Being an Olympus User I so enjoy the light weight and love shooting with a wide angle. Even my film camera is an olympus
What's the building on the left with the orange 'Jodrell bank' shape on the roof?
@humphreyhippo That's the Harbour Centre, an office building with a lookout tower on top.
The sensor on a four-thirds camera like the PEN series is a quarter the area of a full-frame sensor (and half the size diagonally). This means that four-thirds cameras have a crop factor of 2 (because a full-frame sensor would be twice as long, diagonally).
This crop factor of 2 means that a four-thirds lens will have a focal length that is half that of a 35mm lens that frames the same area. So for example, if you want a lens that behaves the same as a 50mm lens on a film camera or full-frame DSLR, you would need a 50/2 = 25mm four-thirds lens. Or if you want to work it backwards, if you have a 14-42mm four-thirds lens, that's equivalent to a 28-84mm lens on a full-frame/film camera.
The sensor on a Nikon crop-frame DSLR is slightly larger than this, having a crop factor of 1.5 (a full-frame sensor is 50% longer diagonally than the Nikon crop sensor). This means that if you want a lens that behaves the same as a 50mm lens on a film or full-frame DSLR, you would need a 50/1.5 = 33mm lens. And again, to work it backwards, an 18-55mm lens on a Nikon crop-frame DSLR is equivalent to a 27-83mm lens on a full-frame/film camera.
You'll notice that in both cases, the kit lens for each system (14-42 on a four-thirds camera, 18-55mm on a Nikon crop-frame DSLR) works out to almost exactly the same 35mm equivalent focal length -- so with each 'kit' you'll be able to frame shots almost exactly the same.
Also remember that there are benefits (smaller/lighter lenses, theoretically cheaper telephoto/supertelephoto lenses) and downsides (wider apparent depth of field, more noise) to a camera with a smaller sensor.
Does that answer your question?