Doug Kerr
Well-known member
Many of you know that I have expressed disagreement with the use of "full frame" to mean a format (sensor) size of 36 mm x 24 mm, based on these premises:
• The term does not imply a specific format size without mention of the base film size involved (such as "full-frame 35-mm").
• The term is often used to suggest that this frame size is the ne plus ultra, the format size beyond which one need not aspire.
But upon reflection, I come to this position:
Assuming that we are clearly speaking in the context of a camera genre in which the cameras primarily use lenses from a family originally intended to support full-frame 35-mm cameras, or have strong design, historical, or evolutionary ties to such cameras, then "full frame" can be taken to mean:
The largest frame size ordinarily available within that genre
and as such (when we are clearly speaking in the context of that genre), is a reasonable moniker for the 36 mm x 24 mm frame size.
Obviously, we should not ask a fellow shooting a camera with a 56 mm x 56 mm frame if it performs a lot better than the full frame camera he used to use.
• The term does not imply a specific format size without mention of the base film size involved (such as "full-frame 35-mm").
• The term is often used to suggest that this frame size is the ne plus ultra, the format size beyond which one need not aspire.
But upon reflection, I come to this position:
Assuming that we are clearly speaking in the context of a camera genre in which the cameras primarily use lenses from a family originally intended to support full-frame 35-mm cameras, or have strong design, historical, or evolutionary ties to such cameras, then "full frame" can be taken to mean:
The largest frame size ordinarily available within that genre
and as such (when we are clearly speaking in the context of that genre), is a reasonable moniker for the 36 mm x 24 mm frame size.
Obviously, we should not ask a fellow shooting a camera with a 56 mm x 56 mm frame if it performs a lot better than the full frame camera he used to use.
