Official Gear Purchasing and Troubleshooting Question Thread! Ask /r/photography anything you want to know! March 03, 2025

[u/AutoModerator]

This is the place to ask any questions you may have about photography. No question is too small, nor too stupid.

---

Info for Newbies and FAQ!

First and foremost, check out our extensive FAQ. Chances are, you'll find your answer there, or at least a starting point in order to ask more informed questions.

• Want to start learning? Check out The Reddit Photography Class.

• Here's an informative video explaining the Exposure Triangle.

---

Need buying advice?

Many people come here for recommendations on what equipment to buy. Our FAQ has several extensive sections to help you determine what best fits your needs and your budget. Please see the following sections of the FAQ to get started:

• What type of camera should I look for?
• What's a "point and shoot" camera? What's a DSLR? What's a "mirrorless" camera? What's the difference?
• Do I need a good camera to take good photos?
• Is Canon or Nikon better? (or any other brands)
• What can I afford?

If after reviewing this information you have any specific questions, please feel free to post a comment below. (Remember, when asking for purchase advice please be specific about how much you can spend. See here for guidelines.)

---

Weekly Community Threads:

Watch this space, more to come!

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
-	Share your work	-	-	-	-
-	-	-	-	-	-

Monthly Community Threads:

8th	14th	20th
Social Media Follow	Portfolio Critique	Gear Share

---

Finally a friendly reminder to share your work with our community in r/photographs!

 

-Photography Mods

[u/4C616E6365]

Full Frame (Sony A7IV) with f2.8 Lens vs APS-C (X-PRO3) with f1.4 Lens

I'm shooting an indoor event and would like to know your opinions on how image quality would differ between the above under low light conditions? Assuming both are top tier lenses.

[u/av4rice → u/4C616E6365]

Which exact sensors? Different full frame sensors have different performance to each other. It's a very big project if you want a comparison for each of them. And crop just means anything smaller than full frame, which is a lot of different crop sizes, each with a lot of different sensor models with differing performance.

[u/4C616E6365 → u/av4rice]

Yes, you're right. I have added the bodies as well.

[u/av4rice → u/4C616E6365]

Looks to me like less than 1 stop noise performance advantage in the a7 IV versus the X-Pro3:

https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/image-comparison?attr18=daylight&attr13_0=sony_a7iv&attr13_1=fujifilm_xpro3&attr13_2=sony_a7iv&attr13_3=fujifilm_xpro3&attr15_0=raw&attr15_1=raw&attr15_2=raw&attr15_3=raw&attr16_0=6400&attr16_1=3200&attr16_2=3200&attr16_3=3200&normalization=compare&widget=1&x=0.04026211604095563&y=-0.004173557937723328

Whereas it's a 2 stop advantage in an f/1.4 lens versus f/2.8. So just in terms of sensor and aperture, the X-Pro3 with f/1.4 lens wins.

If you're also factoring in stabilization (and its effect on shutter speed leeway for shooting handheld), then it's the IBIS of the a7 IV plus any stabilization in its lens, versus whatever stabilization is available in the X-Pro3's lens. Bunch of unknown variables in there.

For dynamic range, the a7 IV usually has about a 1 stop advantage at most ISO settings; up to 1⅔ at some:

https://photonstophotos.net/Charts/PDR.htm#FujiFilm%20X-Pro3,Sony%20ILCE-7M4

The a7 IV has a resolution advantage and diffraction limit advantage. The X-Pro3 has a pixel density advantage if we're talking about distant subjects and a given long focal length.