APS-C sensor size usually means an imaging area around 23.5 × 15.6 mm, although the exact dimensions vary by manufacturer. Canon APS-C sensors are typically smaller, at about 22.3 × 14.9 mm. In practical terms, APS-C sits between Micro Four Thirds and full frame, offering a useful balance of camera size, reach, image quality, and lens choice.
The main differences between formats are sensor area, crop factor, and the field of view produced by a given lens. The comparison below uses approximate active sensor dimensions; manufacturers may round measurements or use slightly different aspect ratios.
APS-C Sensor Size: Typical Dimensions and Meaning
APS-C originated as an Advanced Photo System film format, but digital cameras use several closely related sensor dimensions. A typical non-Canon APS-C sensor measures approximately 23.5 × 15.6 mm, with an area of about 367 mm². Canon’s common APS-C dimensions are approximately 22.3 × 14.9 mm, or about 332 mm².
Both versions are substantially smaller than a 36 × 24 mm full-frame sensor, but considerably larger than Micro Four Thirds and one-inch formats. Sensor size does not determine image quality by itself. Lens design, sensor generation, pixel density, exposure, processing, and camera design also affect the result.
APS-C Dimensions and Crop Factors by Manufacturer
Crop factor compares a sensor’s diagonal measurement with the 43.3 mm diagonal of full frame. A larger crop factor shows a smaller sensor and a narrower angle of view with the same lens.
- Canon APS-C: approximately 22.3 × 14.9 mm, with a 1.6× crop factor.
- Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, and Pentax APS-C: generally about 23.5 × 15.6 mm or 23.6 × 15.7 mm, with a 1.5× crop factor.
Crop factor does not magnify the lens or increase its true focal length. Instead, the smaller sensor records a narrower portion of the lens’s image circle. A 50 mm lens gives a field of view similar to a 75 mm lens on a 1.5× APS-C camera and an 80 mm lens on a 1.6× Canon APS-C camera. This is useful for telephoto subjects, while wide-angle lenses need shorter focal lengths to provide the same framing as full frame.
Camera Sensor Size Chart: APS-C Compared With Common Formats
This camera sensor size chart lists representative dimensions, approximate area, and crop factor. Medium format is especially variable, so the 44 × 33 mm figure represents a common digital medium-format size rather than every medium-format sensor.
- One-inch: 13.2 × 8.8 mm; approximately 116 mm²; 2.7× crop factor. Common in compact cameras and some bridge cameras.
- Micro Four Thirds: 17.3 × 13 mm; approximately 225 mm²; 2.0× crop factor. Its 4:3 aspect ratio differs from the 3:2 ratio used by most APS-C and full-frame cameras.
- APS-C: approximately 22.3–23.6 × 14.9–15.7 mm; about 332–370 mm²; 1.5× or 1.6× crop factor.
- Full frame: 36 × 24 mm; 864 mm²; 1.0× crop factor. This is the usual reference for crop comparisons.
- Digital medium format: commonly 44 × 33 mm; approximately 1,452 mm²; about 0.8× relative to full frame.
By area, a typical APS-C sensor is roughly 1.6 times larger than Micro Four Thirds and about three times larger than a one-inch sensor. Full frame has more than twice the area of APS-C, while a 44 × 33 mm medium-format sensor is roughly four times larger than APS-C.
What Sensor Size Changes in Practice
Field of view: crop factor is the most immediate difference. To match the full-frame view of a 24 mm lens, use approximately 16 mm on 1.5× APS-C, 15 mm on Canon APS-C, 12 mm on Micro Four Thirds, or 9 mm on a one-inch camera.
Depth of field: when framing the same subject from the same distance, a smaller sensor usually requires a shorter focal length. At the same marked aperture, that combination generally produces more depth of field than a larger format. Larger formats can produce a shallower appearance at equivalent framing, but subject distance, focal length, aperture, and background also matter.
Noise and dynamic range: a larger sensor can collect more total light for the same composition and exposure, which may support lower noise or greater tonal flexibility. However, sensor technology and pixel design are critical. A modern APS-C sensor can outperform an older, larger sensor, so size is a useful baseline rather than a complete quality ranking.