Beginner APS C Mode on Full Frame Cameras

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mrmcox

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Name
Mark
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi all,
Firstly, I apologise if this is a stupid question....

I have a sony A7iii full frame camera. I see there is a mode called APSC / Super 35 which is great for getting that little bit of extra reach. I guess this is down to cropping the image sensor area, and using less pixels ? reducing file size. What is the difference between taking in APSC mode, and cropping in Post ? Is it not just the same thing, or are there benefits to either method ?

Thanks
 
The short answer is no difference but you will loose the pixels in APSC mode whereas taking the image in full frame mode and cropping in post you will still have the pixels available should you change your mind or would like to move the crop to reposition your subject.
 
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If you are going to edit in post, then there is absolutely no point in using a crop mode in camera.

It is best used when images are taken for retail sales and displayed as shot without any editing, or similar cases.
 
It's also worth noting that some mirrorless cameras will force you in to crop mode when using utlra high (40fps+) frame rates.
 
There are two advantages to using APS-C mode in camera,
1) The image in the viewfinder is the 'magnified' cropped image - which may make composition and focus point selection easier.
2) The resulting raw file will be smaller, so you will be able to shoot more images before filling the buffer (and the buffer will clear quicker for a given number of images).

The disadvantage is that you lose the extra data that would have been captured outside of the APS-C area of the sensor - so if you find you've chopped off part of the subject (for example) you have no option to adjust the composition in post to avoid that error.

Personally I've never used APS-C mode, but there may be situations where it could be advantageous.
 
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