Crop Sensor (Nikon D3400) vs Full Sensor (Nikon D600) 

The only differences that I really saw was image size. Full frame was wider. Considering the ginormous price difference between the two cameras, I’d say the quality is (almost) identical. If I could have afforded the full frame, I’d have bought it but the d3400 is a beautiful little machine. Camera make, model and Lenses capture great images but the majority of a great image is the Artist behind the Lens. My thoughts...anyway, I LOVE your videos. I’m currently waiting on my fixed 35 and I can’t wait to take some street shots like you did on your 35/50mm video. You take great shots. I love your videos. Thanks! LoriWisePhotography..from Avon Lake Ohio

I could tell by the bokeh and low light differences, btw great video as always man 🙏🏽🙏🏽

Wow, the D3400 rocks especially when one considers the price!!. Dxomark measurements show it to be superb at colour depth and dynamic range at low ISOs. I actually thought the A images were the D600 till the low light images when it became obvious the B was the D600. In good light, the D3400 is awesome! Note: I watched this on a phone screen, not a large monitor :)

You are the reason why I bought the D3400! Keep inspiring! ☺️☺️ From 🇵🇭

I, honestly think the first picture looks far better on the D3400, but I am a person that loves darker images. I just bought a D3500 for black friday (great deal!) And it's well worth the money. I have just always loved the darker, more contrastic look uppon my images

After five years, lots of love for my d3400, and lots of help from this channel. I think I'm ready for a D750

I have both the D600 and D3400. I used the D600 for special events and wild life shots. The D3400 is the one I carry in my bag all the time with a 50mm f1.8 and there is added focal length with this lens due to the crop factor. This channel is where I have learned a lot.

Depth of field was a give away too

this man is very honest. i will not say this to many camera reviewers, most of them act as salesman. thanks.

I have a D3000, but just ordered a D600. Enjoyed this vid, thanks a lot. Was obvious from the first shot which one is D600, mostly because of the stronger bokeh on the full frame.

I just wanted to thank you for your videos! I just bought a D3400 about 2 months ago and I've been learning so much from you and it's incredibly helpful to this amateur! Can't wait to see more :D

We use both D610 and D5200 cameras with full-frame lenses. The D610 has a one-stop advantage over the D5200 at high ISO's. In practice, you get about the same amount of noise at ISO 6400 on the D610 as at ISO 3200 on the D5200. Aside from that, they're very closely matched for available light photography. For flash photography, however, the D5200 lacks the advanced features provided by the D610, and is really only suited for basic on-camera TTL flash. The main difference between shooting with full-frame versus cropped sensor is in lens selection, particularly with constant aperture zooms. A standard 24-70mm f2.8 zoom is a little too wide for D610 portrait shots, but is well-suited for portraits on the D5200. However, most portrait shooters prefer fast primes, typically 85 or 105mm f1.8 or faster. The D610 is ideally suited for these lenses, which are a little too long for D5200 portraits. For outdoor nature shots with a standard 70-200mm zoom, the D5200's 1.5X crop factor gives it a telephoto advantage over the D610. But for wide-angle landscapes, you can use a much broader range of focal lengths with the D610 than with the D5200. While a standard 18-50mm zoom works fine for landscapes on the D5200, few zooms of that focal length range are compatible with full-frame cameras like the D610. If you stick with wide-angle full-frame lenses, their field of view will look more dramatic on the D610 than on the D5200.

Late to the game here but glad i found this comparison. On a tight budget I tested the 3400 that a friend of mine had for sale to replace the loaner canon 450d i'd been using... If one thing i wanted to switch to nikon after that experience. Now since the 600d is about the same price used with not to many shutter clicks, i went on the hunt for one and i'm so happy i did! And yes i do still print my pictures!

I have the d3400 and was able to get professional looking shots. I’m a true believer the it’s not the camera, but the person behind the camera. I also used vintage lenses and still get awesome results. I’ve learned a lot from you btw. Thanks for your videos..

You are one of my favorite youtubers. I've learned a lot from you. However I must comment on a major flaw in this experiment/comparison. That is, you did not allow for how the crop factor affects the depth of field. At f4.5, the crop sensor camera is actually giving a depth of field as if it were at f6.75. The background blur was an obvious giveaway with these images. You would have had to use f3 on the crop sensor to have an equivalent comparison. It probably would have been much harder to tell the difference if this was done. Of course the noisy one was a clue too. Again, I love your work. I'm a little disappointed that I haven't seen anything from you lately. Keep up the good work.

Great channel - I'm learning a lot from your videos and have a D3300 myself.I could tell within a few images that the D600 was the B images. Initially due to shallower depth of field; but then I also felt that the colours and perspective are also more natural or at least pleasing with the D600. In particular the mushrooms, lollipops and toy figures really pop on the D600 but seem less natural and "flatter" on the D3300. I may have to consider a full frame camera in the future!

Great point. Thanks for showing rather than just saying. I moved from carrying around two crop sensor Nikons (one converted for infrared) to carrying around two full-frame Nikons and all the related stuff. I shoot mostly landscapes at native ISO and smaller apertures so see no real difference in the images I make, but definitely have a heavier and more crammed backpack. Occasionally the full-frame may come in handy for me for close up and low light work, as you show very well. Excellent video.

I wish I could not find the difference. Apart from the 8,13 and 15, my guess was correct. The noticeable difference is with the Depth of field. I used a D700 for an year and currently using Fuji. Thanks for the comparisons.

You can tell there's a difference, but I like that you dont make people feel bad about not having a full frame camera

We print for the general public coming into our Photo Club to see how Class members have an Eye for Photography! I use a crop sensor D7000 or D7500! Full Frame is a bit out of reach right now! Thank You for your Class, interesting subjects! But Thank to this Video I can now afford a D600! Thank You! I was just able to pick up a D600 for more Full Frame fun!

Thanks, 12mins saves me all the testing on my d3400 as my backup camera body for my main d610. Now i can confidently use the d3400 with the 70-200/2.8 for reach and d610 with 24-70/2.8 for all round shooting. Cheers!

Thanks, Awesome video. I actually started with a new D3400 and got a used D600 recently. In zoom situations and sunny weather, the D3400 is perfect. I love it, also its sharpness, maybe because of the removed anti aliasing filter. On closer situations, low light and fancy features I prefer the D600. Initially I was planning to replace the D3400 with the D600, but now I have a hard time saying goodbye to the D3400. I think they both have their purpose.

Wow! Worth subscribing! Just bought D3400 last night.

the full frame does more than just noise. the color rendition of the full frame is better especially at iso 6400. noise reduction cannot make up for lack of color rendition.

Thanks for taking the time to make this comparison - it is really useful. I ended up with 7 of one and 8 of the other (favouring FF).

lens choice is a big difference to be honest. that's one of my biggest reasons to go with full frame. quality difference? not gonna affect my real world applications tbh.

fantastic well explained video, I have the D3400 and I love it, i feel like the images that we can get from it are amazing for a crop sensor, love your channel and I follow you on Instagram as well thanks for the tips

Have to say... great video. This is how videos, explaining the differences between cameras should be. I may say that d3400 is not so bad. The real difference should show on extreme conditions, like the sunset or low light but depends always on what we want to achieve. Great video again.

I am lucky to purchase D3400. Reason is only you. 😍 I learning how to capture good quality photo using cheap camera. Thanks

I own two very similar cameras, and I certainly have noticed the difference in quality between full frame and the DX format. The diference isn't huge, but it's certainly noticeable. For one, the gradation of tones is better with full frame, as well as the apparent lack of digital noise. Full frame is more forgiving if you slightly overexpose or underexpose. The smaller format therefore requires a bit more discipline and perfectionism, by compaison. And has also been said elsewhere, the difference in apparent depth of field is often a bit of a giveaway.

Picture 5 was the biggest giveaway for me. The depth of field was so easy to pick up on the tree.

The technology is so close now, that the difference is even less now. Everything is getting really good! Started shooting professionally 35 years ago and made the switch to digital about 15 years ago. Been shooting APSC (crop) sensor camera's ever since, and making a nice living doing it. May get a full-frame body this year, but it certainly isn't necessary to be a successful pro shooter.

one of the most detailed comparison i have watched so far..most b samples that liked more than a might have some advantage in technical information (use your words)..i dont know if i am alright because not a photographer,not even have a camera lol but i am just interested

It was very helpful I had to watch a couple of times to be able to see the differences in the full frame and the crop sensor frame camera. You did a great job explaining.

Thank you for your thoughtful reviews. I as many others have a D3400 and use it for vacation, grandkids and just fun photos. That is the main reason I got this camera was weight is just not a problem while wandering around all day. Oh and as you demonstrated the pictures are fantastic. I will also ask for the large kit lens review. Please keep up the good work we all appreciate it.

I think many beginner photographers put frame frame on a pedestal like it’s magically gonna bring your photography to the next level and it won’t. Focus on editing, composition and lighting

Mr RealWorld (do we know your real name?). I've been a semi-pro photographer for five years and it's great to see your channel demonstrate what can be done with entry-level/budget equipment. You are exploding the myth that you have to use expensive cameras, lenses, accessories to take great pictures. So many 'pros' scoff at anyone who has a crop sensor camera! As you show all the time, get your camera off 'auto' and it's possible to take great photos with a crop sensor. Experiment all the time and have fun. Same with speed lights/flash. You can achieve a great deal off-camera. I use a very affordable Yongnuo and it's superb. Your teaching style is so good. I subscribe to many great photography RU-vid channels but watch your videos more than anyone else's. I like the way you don't talk down to new photographers and give them the confidence to try things. Keep up the good work Mr RealWorld. I always look forward to your next video!

I'm kind of new to photography, but I got all of them correct. When shooting at the same settings, it's very clear that the bokeh is much much stronger in the Fx.

This is perhaps the only video on you tube which compares low light performance between apsc and full frame. Remarkable conclusions. Just saying that you can get good results from both is not enough because in wedding candid videos the situation is quite challenging and I have seen that my d3300 kit lens 18-55 mm is worthless. My 35mm f1.8 serves well, but I think I should have bought f1.4 would have been even better. I am also planning to buy the niKon 70-200 f4, but it would be useless in low light. The cheapest Tamron f2.8 70-200mm is costing 8 times more than f4 Nikon equivalent. Therein lies a tale! But admire your effort to make a video that actually makes sense and convinces people with images about crop sensor, and not just by giving your opinion. Thanks.

may I request, can you please make a field test of Nikon D7500, if you don't mind. thanks.

I have to say I did not fully see a $1200 difference...., but then again I am not making money on my photos :/.. I thought it was interesting though that the bigger sensor was using slower shutter speeds, I assumed the opposite would happen. Awesome video!

such a great comparison bro. bokeh is always prominent in full sensor compare to crop. love it. just subbed to your channel.

Can u plzz do a review over 70-300 mm lens on nikon d3400 ????

nice comparison....i love all your video's, and your clicks with the perfect music is so pleasing..just love it❤️ can you please upload a video of nikon z50 with the kit lens?

Full frame is not just about lower noise. It's about control of depth of field (which you have more of with full frame). It's also about color and contrast, which full frame cameras typically do better at because of the larger photosites. How about dynamic range? Full frame cameras typically outperform crop sensor cameras in high contrast lighting situations.

Thank you very much RealWorld, you have just helped me to decide what I should be getting next!

The photo of the woman shows up the deficiencies in the lens, especially in the D600. The same test of the two cameras done with a 35mm f1.8G and a 50mm f1.8 would convince me more as to the relative quality of the two cameras. Would be great if you could do that test.

Thanks for a great demo. I used the softness of the background to tell. Presumably, you used a longer focal length with the D600 for a given shot. All of this talk-not by you-about equivalent focal lengths ignores that the depth of field and compression depend on the actual focal length, not the equivalent. That’s one reason medium format was preferred for portraits back in the day.

Photo in 8:57 is taken with a cropped sensor with 1/125 exposure time and 9:00 is full-frame while it is taken with 1/60 exposure time. Since the first photo taken with a cropped sensor doesn't it needs to be taken with more exposure time because it captures less light than full-frame?

I noticed that the B images have better shadows. More detail too.

Interesting video as always! I think very few people think about whether they should buy a camera with a crop sensor or a full sensor if they are beginners. I have the D3400 and at the beginning I didn't care about this topic. If you buy your first DSLR and then experiencing the first things the crop is not really a big topic. For me the question about the sensor became interesting as I was shooting interior design images for my uncle. I notices that the 18mm kit-lens was too much zoom to get a wide angle in small rooms. Now with a wide angle lens 10-20mm it works better. But I think with a full frame sensor It's also possible to shoot interior photos with the kit-lens at 18mm. On the other hand a crop sensor might be a benefit to shoot sports or animals with a telephoto lens because it gives you a closer image section of the subject. In my opinion it's better to start with a crop sensor camera if you are a beginner because you don't know how deep your interest in photography will develop. I got some friends with dslrs and they only use the auto mode which seems a little obvious to mee that they don't have huge interest in the topic. So many people got DSLRs but they don't really have more knowledge then the average people with a simple compact camera or a smartphone. As I started with the D3400 this year in April I fortunately discovered your channel on RU-vid which motivated me to explore the S, A and M modes and know I'm on a completely other level as I was a few months ago and I'm still learning. I aggree with you that it is a question of how much money you can afford to buy a camera. But at the beginner level a crop sensor is really perfect. Do you also shoot interior design photography? Maybe you could do a video on this in the future if you got time. I'm doing this now with HDR but I want to do it with the exterior window lights and the interior lamps. So the difficult thing for me is to adjust the White Balance in Lightroom because there are two different types of light. Maybe you have some tips :D

As an amateur photographer, the $1,000 difference is not worth for me. BTW, great video.

Is he john cena's long long cousin 👍👍👍

I know it's a bit older video, but i have something to note, not to question the outcome, but some details, mainly on your noise test image, the result is a bit skewed, as the DX body is underexposed a full stop compared to the FX (1/125s vs 1/60s). Did the lighting change between the two shots?

12 A was having heavy noise because of high shutter speed. ( 125 on 3400 and 60 on d600)

Great video. I could tell the 600 from the 3400 because the 3400 shots clearly have more depth of field. Now, I you had shot the 600 at f8 and the 3400 at f4 (same ISO so compensate with shutterspeed) I think the difference between the a and b shots would have been even smaller?

I guessed 12/15 correct. Nice video. I own the d3400. I've been thinking of up grading my camera and trying to decide between getting a better crop sensor camera ( d7200 or d500) or going d750. I usually photograph family/kids, landscapes and occasionally wildlife. It's a tough call because I like the full frame for night photography, landscapes and portrait shots but the reach for wildlife is so nice and saves a ton of weight and money on lenses.

Should I upgrade to the Canon 6D Mak 11 as I've got the Canon 700D and does really good but 6D Mak 11 is full frame camera and costs alot of money. Just wondering the difference between the two for astrophotography. Been watching videos on canon 6D Mak 11 and looks impressive. I still remember the SLR cameras before the Digital ones and I took some incredible shots of Orion etc with basic SLR camera at around 1993-4 time. Canon 6D Mak 11 feels great when holding it and it not heavy.

Which type of camera do you use most of the time atm. in 2020? An APS-C camera or a Full frame camera?

The full had warmer colors, a brighter more blurry depth of field, less noise, and much better low light it seemed.

Absolutely true facts!!! Love this guy!!!! ... don't buy expensive stuff...cheap cameras are perfect .... just less fancy

Old but cool video. Did the same with my d750 and d7200. In essence crop sensor Nikon cameras are great

Your reviews are almost perfect Please make a video of Canon EOS 800D vs Nikon D3500

Hi! Can you do a review about old dslr models, like the Nikon D40 or anything from 2006- 2009? It would be like how decade old cameras are still faring today and if their output are still acceptable to today's standard. The truth is, I'm a beginner and I only have a Nikon D40 and kit lens. So I'm really curious.

good video very informative. I have a D3400 with a Kit Lens, 70-300mm lens and a newly acquired 1.8f 50mm lens.

I actually preferred the crop sensor images look over the full sensor

I guessed 13 of 15 "A" pictures to be the crop sensor. So, yeah, it shows ;) But the final Lightroom editing example is what people need to remember. If one knows what he/she is doing, the crop sensor cameras are just fine :)

Thank you for all the videos you make, that's a very good teaching. Greetings from Italy !

I love your video's , a lot to learn from them but most of all lot's of fun

Sony a99 series gives you a mode where you can change from full frame to aps-c frame which will allow you to fill the frame and not have any shadow while using a aps-c lens on a full frame camera....This Sony camera also has a builtin 1.4x/2.0x clear converter lens which works great, no need to purchase a tele-converter lens.....

D600 runs about $750 on ebay!! I bought the D3400 for $319 w/kit today!

initial 2 pics and ''b" pics were noticeably the D600 material. i lost the differences later on between the 2 though (maybe because the focus point was different in them. But yes, the D600 felt better for sure. (i own a D3400, beginner here)

Nothing to say but you are a legend. Great job. Thanks

what lens is on the d600, im getting a d600 soon but what lens should i use , maybe Nikon 24-85mm f3.5-4.5G ED-VR

Drastic differences in the cameras colors. I wonder the differences between a newer FF (750,850) and a 3400/3500/5600 would look like.

Nice 👍. Crop sensor also not bad for the price. Thank you for clearing my mind.

I could see the difference, I'm old school Film. I did enjoy your video.

Thank you for the comparisons.

I saw your videos D3400 and I also like your all videos. Because your videos on entry level DSLR. Please make one video on time lapse and slow motion. How we can make it on D3400 or D5300

my question would be: a Full sensor Camera ISO 100 - 12800 ( expands to 50-51200) and Crop Camera ISO 100 - 51200 ( expands to 50-1640000) The crop camera has more ISO yet some people have told me that the full frame camera will still do better in low light. I know the less light the more ISO we're suppose to use, wouldn't the Crop camera do better since it has more ISO? I am assuming that a camera that has higher ISO means it can handle reducing the noise in the pictures. I hope this question makes sense, sometimes I feel that buying real expensive cameras are a waste of money.

Superb video and a very great info. Thank you very much!

I know I'm late, buh aside the ISO performance how do their autofocus fare in low light situations?

Will you make a video to compare image of nikon dslr and olympus mirrorless?

Hi, I want to upgrade from Nikon d3300 to Nikon d5300 is it batter? Dose Nikon d5300 have low pass filter...so, please tell me what should I do. Thanks in advance

Great video. I had no idea of the difference. Thank you for the work you put into it. And the return of your "subject"!🖒. I've upgraded from paint to Lightroom now, just learning the buttons! Cheers.

I see the more green light in the d3400 d600 you see less green and better natural skin tone and colour better dynamically plus d3400 brings the back ground closer

very informative video thanks for your time my question what would you say is the biggest differences between these two cameras maybe when printing how much size can I print with the Nikon d3400 maybe the size of a notebook or bigger than that

How do I change settings in my D3400 to use crop factor of 1.5 when using my nikor Dx 70-300mm vr lens? I came to know that it will be up to 450mm.

I shot a after wedding dinner party with a Nikon D5000 and kit 18-55mm lens ...

Video quality on this is fantastic. What camera and lens did you use to video this?

As always great vedio broo. Sir I have a small request .As u said before can u make a vedio of light room editing process of some of u r pics which are featured in u r video's(street photography video, fireworks video)

I have 2 full frame cameras, the Canon 5DII and 5DIII and I have 3 cropped sensor camera’s 7DII and a Fuji HS30EXR bridge camera that I keep in my wife’s car and I’ve taken some of my best images with. I use the 7DII mainly for wildlife and using filters with landscapes. This latter use is partly because I’m tight and cropped sensors only need a 85mm filter, but also because I can use my Sigma 18-35 f1.8 which I prefer to my Canon 16-35 II which I use on the 5DII for bracketing. I have upper body difficulties and drop things regularly so only use my 5DIII in the studio for still life and food photography, a place you really need a full frame camera at least. But one thing people really don’t need to do is chase the latest technology, there are some very good full frame cameras on the second hand market. Also, don’t be taken in by gear reviews on RU-vid, buy any full frame camera made in the last 10 years and you will have an amazing camera for stills photography (I don’t shoot video and never will do)

Hi do they have differences with regards to color sharpness? which one is better?

Hi, i have nikon D5600 crop frame, my friend is selling his D610 which is full frame. Should i buy it???

@realworld what video camera did you shoot this video with? It was amazingly sharp.

In every image, I was able to talk the difference

Big difference in the portrait of the lady. Sun spots in A & Prettier skin in B. Other photos not a big difference. TY

Does the Z50 or D7500 have any significant improvement at ISO 6400?

Can you please help us in long exposure Photography with D3400. Is it compulsory to have filters in long exposure Photography?

The difference between the Full Frame sensor and a Crop sensor is not only in low noise performance in low light situation but also in the "Depth of Field" or "Bokeh". Shots in the "B" series are more Bokeh creamier than the "A" series shots.