How does the sensor size of a digital SLR effect image angle of view?
Because the image sensor in some digital SLR cameras is smaller than the 35mm film that lens angle of view calculations have traditionally been based on, there is a decrease in picture angle when shooting with a DX format. This is a benefit for some types of photography because of the apparent increase in focal length*. The new Nikon D3x and D3 Digital Single Lens Reflex cameras offer 3 different sensor options: • FX – uses the entire 23.9 x 36mm sensor to utilize almost all Nikkor lenses for image capture speeds of up to 9 frames per second. • DX – uses a 15.9 x 23.7mm portion of the sensor to allow the use of Nikon DX lenses, and achieve maximum capture speeds of up to 11 frames per second. • 5:4 – uses a 30 x 24mm portion of the sensor, and is the choice for easy output print sizes of 4″x5″ and 8″x10″. * If we multiply the 35mm focal length by 1.5 we can get an approximation of the “digital” angle of view for the DX format. For example: Lens 35mm Film Focal Length “FX” Sensor Focal
