1.3x crop mode question

Does anyone have some real world feedback? How well does it perform, image quality, autofocus issues, etc. I would like to know if using crop mode with a Nikon 70-300 VR will give me a "close enough" image vs buying a Sigma 50-500 or 150-500. I currently have a D7000 and the 70-300, the Sigma or the D7100 both fall into the same price range so it's a toss up on which to get. If the crop mode produces decent pics then I could get the d7100 body and shoot with my current set of lenses. If not the I'll pop for the Bigma and hold off on the 7100. Thanks in advance.

It does exactly what it's name suggests - Crop.

Idea being it pre-crop your pictures so you don't need to do it afterwards. It does NOT change the look or quality of the picture, perspective or effective aperture of the lens or anything like that.

Up side is that you gain 1 fps shooting speed on continuous mode if you need that for sport. But the buffer issue might kick in but that's for another topic to discuss.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Like SL said, its just a crop to make smaller files. I don't use it. I can crop afterwards. The few times I have used it, I forgot to turn it off. Even though it draws a crop box in the viewfinder and has a big 1.3 in the corner, I have still managed to not notice it and ruin some shots. Sure, I would use it if I needed a little boost to my burst, but I haven't had that need so I just don't bother with it.
It looks like you also have a d3200, so just crop a 300mm shot from that and you should get similar to what the d7100 will give you with your 300mm. There is no magic in the 1.3 crop mode. The d7100 might be a hair sharper having no AA filter.

They advertise it as "giving more reach". So I assumed it was by cropping into the frame like a DX crops 1.5x into a full frame. So 1.5x native and 1.3x done in camera would make a 300 fill the frame like a 500 right? Most times this is done in post you sacrifice some resolution. Does the crop mode also lose resolution? If not you could crop even further in post!

Its just like a regular crop, it does not squeeze the 24mp into the smaller view. I forget how many pixels it leaves you with, but the result is certainly less crop-able because its already been cropped. Its just marketing hype with the 'more reach'.

The final photo is the same whether you use the 1.3 crop mode or crop it in post. You are much better off cropping in post. You can control it better.

The D7100 is sharper than the D7000 by a good bit. I have both and there is a lot of difference in the two.

I tried it on the D7100 to try and speed the camera up with smaller files for BIF as i normally crop those anyway,it didnt do much to help.

Thanks for the info, I was hoping to do more "in camera" as well as get away without buying another lens thus adding more weight to my pack. I don't like to post process much. I prefer to get it right in camera for the most part. If I post it to social media then I use whatever filter or slide settings are available. I never do any post work on my laptop anymore, I rather be out shooting then sitting at home tweaking on the details.

Looks like my trip next summer with hopes of getting some Orca shots will need a Bigma after all. I may opt for a 7100 but I haven't decided due to the configuration of some of the controls, it's a small issue but an issue still.

I believe the 1.3x crop leaves you with around a 16MP image. It is definitely not a substitute for a longer lens. Its only advantages are 1fps faster burst rate, smaller files which take up less space on your SD card etc. and you might not need to crop after.
Downside is you need to be more precise, I've cut birds wings out of BIF shots and if you don't like the crop you can't go back.

I have never used the 1.3x crop on my D7100, as others have said, it is just a pre-crop of your shot rather than doing it yourself during post-processing.