As excitement boils feverishly for the much anticipated Canon EOS 5D Mark II, the announcement of Canon's new full-frame DSLR has caused quite a ruckus amongst enthusiasts and photographer's circles. Canon fans in particular will have much to rejoice at this moment since prior to the release of the Nikon D700, Canon was monopolising the affordable, standard-sized full-frame DSLR market with the almost antique Canon EOS 5D. First Canon, then Nikon and even Sony, with its Sony Alpha A900, all have shown an intent to make full-frame DSLRs more affordable and accessible. However, with non full-frame DSLRs producing perfectly fine photos, just how much different and better are the full-frame sensors?

First of all, full-frame image sensors refer to sensors which share the same size format as traditional 35mm film that measure approximately 36 x 24mm. Due to issues with cost and availability, the majority of DSLRs today however adopt a smaller than full-frame sensor often with a size known as 'APS-C' that measures roughly 22 x 15mm. Comparatively speaking, full-frame sensors trump the image quality of smaller frame sensors due to its sheer size advantage. With a larger sensor, it makes room for larger pixels to collect light and in effect raises the sensor's sensitivity to light. As a result, a much cleaner image can be achieved while showing lesser signs of image noise. Less noise also leads to sharper and more refined details. The larger sensor becomes particularly effective at distinguishing details hidden in dim areas or when photographing in low-light.

With a larger sensor, it makes way for a larger room for even more pixels to be added. With that said, a greater resolution can be achieved to make visible the finer and subtle details that smaller sensors may not catch. In more practical terms, the increase in megapixels also allows images to be cropped extensively or enlarged to a greater scale. This gives professionals and photographers the ability to deliver the bigger prints they need when using images for commercial purposes.

Another important advantage of full-frame sensors is the ability to reach the wider angles of wide-angle lenses. Since with non-full-frame sensors, anytime a lens designed for full-frame is mounted on, they are only able to capture the centre section of the imaging area and unable to benefit from the whole perspective of that lens. This is known as the crop factor which shows a crop size of the captured image to the size of the full-frame. In the case of Nikon's DX format sensor, a crop factor of 1.5x is given and when used with a Nikon 200-400mm lens, the crop factor turns the focal length into a 300-600mm zoom, effectively extending the reach of that lens. This is one benefit that full-frame sensors are without and becomes a disadvantage for users who often shoot at the telephoto end.

However, even so, with the incredible advantages brought along by full-frame sensors, interest and excitement is still burning wild for the full-frame DSLRs and especially for cameras like the Nikon D700. Given that both Canon and Nikon have now been able to offer full-frame DSLRs in a more affordable package, it's an attractive proposition to professionals and an option to consider for serious amateurs. Given the popularity of Canon's EOS 5D and the excitement for the Nikon D700, one thing is for sure and that is demand is strong for these cameras. We wouldn't be surprised if other companies began following in this direction, this could be a sign of things to come for the future of DSLRs.