<P> The term full frame or ff is used by users of digital single - lens reflex cameras (DSLRs) as a shorthand for an image sensor format which is the same size as 35mm format (36 mm × 24 mm) film . Historically, 35mm was considered a small film format compared with medium format, large format and even larger . This is in contrast to cameras with smaller sensors (for instance, those with a size equivalent to APS - C - size film), much smaller than a full 35mm frame . Currently, the majority of digital cameras, both compact and SLR models, use a smaller - than - 35 mm frame, as it is easier and cheaper to manufacture imaging sensors at a smaller size . Historically, the earliest digital SLR models, such as the Nikon NASA F4 or Kodak DCS 100, also used a smaller sensor . Kodak states that 35mm film has the equivalent of 6,000 pixel horizontal resolution according to a Senior Vice President of IMAX . </P> <P> If the lens mounts are compatible, many lenses, including manual - focus models, designed for 35mm cameras can be mounted on DSLR cameras . When a lens designed for a full - frame camera, whether film or digital, is mounted on a DSLR with a smaller sensor size, only the center of the lens' image circle is captured . The edges are cropped off, which is equivalent to zooming in on the center section of the imaging area . The ratio of the size of the full - frame 35mm format to the size of the smaller format is known as the "crop factor" or "focal - length multiplier", and is typically in the range 1.3--2.0 for non-full - frame digital SLRs . </P>

What does it mean to have a full frame camera
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