Sensor format

Full frame (35 mm)

The reference format all crop factors are measured against: 36 × 24 mm, the frame of 135 film. Best balance of low-light performance, shallow depth of field and lens choice.

36×24 mm
Dimensions
1.00×
Crop factor
864 mm²
Area (100% of FF)
+0.0
Stops of light vs full frame
3:2
Aspect ratio
30.0 µm
Circle of confusion

About Full frame (35 mm)#

The reference format all crop factors are measured against: 36 × 24 mm, the frame of 135 film. Best balance of low-light performance, shallow depth of field and lens choice.

Typical cameras: Sony a7 IV, Canon EOS R6 II, Nikon Z6 III, Leica Q3.

Compared to other formats#

Full frame (35 mm)APS-CFour Thirds / Micro Four Thirds1" (one-inch) sensor

Lens needed for the same framing#

Full-frame focal lengthEquivalent on Full frame (35 mm)Horizontal angle
14 mm14.0 mm104.3°
24 mm24.0 mm73.7°
35 mm35.0 mm54.4°
50 mm50.0 mm39.6°
85 mm85.0 mm23.9°
135 mm135.0 mm15.2°
200 mm200.0 mm10.3°

Equivalent aperture for depth of field#

On Full frame (35 mm)Full-frame equivalent
f/1.4f/1.4
f/2f/2.0
f/2.8f/2.8
f/4f/4.0
f/5.6f/5.6
f/8f/8.0

Cameras with a Full frame (35 mm) sensor#

367 cameras in our database.

Depth-of-field tables for this format#

24 mm f/1.824 mm f/2.824 mm f/835 mm f/1.835 mm f/2.835 mm f/850 mm f/1.850 mm f/2.850 mm f/885 mm f/1.885 mm f/2.885 mm f/8

Frequently asked questions#

What is the crop factor of Full frame (35 mm)?

1.00× (diagonal 43.3 mm vs 43.3 mm for full frame).

How big is a Full frame (35 mm) sensor?

36 × 24 mm, an area of 864 mm².

Is Full frame (35 mm) good in low light?

At the same exposure it gathers 0.0 stops more total light than full frame, so expect roughly that much less visible noise at equal print size. Modern processing narrows but doesn't erase the gap.

Last updated October 03, 2026 · How we calculate · Sources