Size Used To Matter; Part II

Not much size difference between the micro4/3 camera, the APS-C camera and the full frame camera. (click to enlarge)
They are very close to the same dimensions and weight.  The difference is really negligible.

On Wednesday, I posted a short discussion on how, in the film days, size did matter.  You can find that post here.  Size mattered in the fact that with larger film formats, major improvements in image quality could be seen.  In today's digital photography world, size doesn't matter nearly as much as in the past.

The three lenses attached aren't exactly equivalent, but close.   All three are of the highest quality and
are appropriate use by enthusiasts and pros alike.  The Olympus combination weighs in at 33.7 oz. (956g), while
the Fujifilm combination weighs 41.4 oz. (1194g) and the Nikon at 52.1 oz. (1430g).  The heaviest (Nikon)
weighs about 50% more than the lightest (Olympus) and 25% more than the Fujifilm.

Technology is the great equalizer and, I believe, that holds true in digital photography.  There is much less difference in image quality when comparing digital sensor sizes than when comparing film sizes.  The differences in sensor sizes is much more relevant at the extremes—very low light, very high ISOs, etc.  For normal daylight photography, the differences in image quality among these three cameras/lenses is hard to see.

Even more relevant, the sizes of the cameras that hold the various format sensors has largely homogenized.  The Sony A series cameras are even smaller than the Nikon mirrorless cameras.  As you can see by the two images here, these cameras and lenses are almost the same size.  The Olympus sensor is 1/4 the size of the Nikon sensor and the Fujifilm sensor slides in between.  The weights are not too different as well.

However, when we get away from lenses in the normal prime or zoom range, the lenses required for the different formats do become more pronounced.  That is because the image circle projected from the rear of the lens naturally has to be larger for the full frame camera requiring larger (also meaning heavier) lens elements.  But, if you are like me, I use the normal range zoom the majority of the time for my photography and these three cameras with these three lenses can satisfy a large portion of enthusiasts' photography.

As we start the voyage into the inclusion of "computational photography" features into the upcoming cameras, it will be interesting to see if they cameras remain the same size, get a bit smaller (these are about as small as I would want a camera) or get larger.  Exciting times are ahead.  Why?  Technology.

So, "pick your poison."  Choose which format suits your type of photography the best and go out and make photographs.  Don't fret about sizes and differences as that pesky technology will continue to equalize the field.

Join me over at Instagram @dennisamook or my website, www.dennismook.com. 

Thanks for looking. Enjoy! 

Dennis A. Mook 

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