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Which is your favorite sensor format?

That was the question I posed to camera lovers on TechRadar’sWhatsApp channel.

Nikon Z6 III camera in the hand with no lens attached and full-frame sensor on display

Taking 82% of the entire vote from five options and over 12x more than the second most popular choice, full-frame is a clear winner with you.

That’s over twelve times more than APS-C, the second most popular choice.

Put simply, the result was a landslide.

The quick answer is that full-frame continues to strike a healthy balance of professional image quality and high-speed performance.

iPhone displaying WhatsApp poll asking, Camera lovers - which is your favorite sensor format?

Taking 82% of the entire vote from five options and over 12x more than the second most popular choice, full-frame is a clear winner with you.

That means superb new cameras and lenses are regularly launched.

I’d hardly call the poll a litmus test, however.

It simply asked for a favorite sensor format, plus participants could only vote once.

Fujifilm

The Fujifilm X-T5 is a powerful yet lightweight APS-C mirrorless camera that shoots 40MP stills.

Personally, I really rate myRicoh GR IIIxcompact camera, which is also APS-C, for similar reasons.

The jump from APS-C to full-frame doesn’t seem big enough to be worth it.

Medium-format is a different matter; now that I could get onboard with.

A person’s hands holding the OM System OM-1 camera

Small, lightweight, powerful; The OM-1 is a superb Micro Four Thirds camera with smartphone-like skills, including computational photography modes and incredible image stabilization.

But unfortunately I’m not rich enough for that!"

How about even smaller?

MFT cameras scratch that creative itch for me in a way that other formats often dont.

Nikon Z6 III camera in the hand with no lens attached and full-frame sensor on display

The Nikon Z6 III features a 24MP full-frame sensor that performs brilliantly in low light and for high-speed burst shooting.

Like Alex, I use both formats regularly, appreciating the distinct benefits for each one.

pick the 50MP option, and you’ve got the option to shoot handheld.

My go-to camera for serious photography and video is indeed a full-framer.

I also don’t mind the size and weight of this gear… when I’m working that is.

My Nikon mirrorless full-framer is also my top choice for landscape photography.

But I choose other cameras for other needs.

I’d probably pick full-frame camera if I could only ever use one format again.

No single format isbest,however, just better for specific needs and budgets.

Just because full-frame is the popular choice, it doesn’t mean it’s thebestformat for you.