Which is better for astrophotography: crop sensor or full frame?

7 years 1 month ago #523461 by ShutterPal
A buddy and I have attended a couple astrophotography meetups and thinking about jumping in.  

Can one of you help with this "discussion" we are having this morning.  

Which is a better camera sensor for astrophotography:  full frame or crop?  


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7 years 1 month ago #523463 by effron
Usually a full frame will handle noise better, so it gets my vote.....

Why so serious?
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6 years 11 months ago #530228 by garyrhook
It's a pointless issue, because it avoids the relevant parameters.

1) Focal length. Longer is better. Always.

2) Sensor quality. That varies, and newer sensors, even the smaller ones, can evince better results than older, larger ones.

3) Sensor size. You need to understand resolution of the image area. My FX sensor, at 24MP, can be used to shoot in DX mode. Guess what? The DX area is exactly 16MP, the same size and resolution as the sensor in my DX body. Math and geometry explain this, but I won't bore you.

The difference? The FX sensor is newer and of higher quality in low light situations. Therefore, I will use it. And I won't put it in DX mode. Why throw away perfectly good data?

Quit worrying about view angle. Worry about focal length and resolution/quality/performance of the sensor. Newer full frame will almost always win.


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