Isn’t it optically? Ignoring lens imperfections and assuming infinite resolution, you should get the same image cropping vs. equivalent focal length, no?
It will not, I specifically included the F-stops for that reason.
The depth of field is determined by the focus distance and the aperture of the lens. Both remain unchanged.
Note that 35mm F/2.0 is the same aperture as 70mm F/4.0. Both lenses have an aperture of 17.5mm. (35/2.0 == 70/4.0)
You can easily verify this with your favorite zoom lens. If you have an 24-70 F/2.8 available to you, you can verify by taking 2 pictures; one at 35mm F/2.8 and one at 70mm F/5.6. Crop the 35mm one to 25% area (half the width, half the height). Render both images to the same size (print, fill screen, whatever) and see for yourself.
I think it's not the same. Changing focal length changes the perspective warping, right? That's why fisheye lenses look crazy, and telephoto lenses "compress" depth.
This might be a function of the sensor geometry too, though.
Cropping the centre of a fisheye photo will look the same as a normal or telephoto lens if they are taken at the same distance (the crop will have less resolution of course)
I just meant sensor pixels, because you’re obviously losing those when cropping, but you get the same perspective as from larger focal length (since you’re not moving).
I agree that the images correspond to the same region in object space. Further assumptions on optical resolution don't work well, as the optical resolution depends on the f-number.
The angular resolution depends purely on the aperture diameter, not the f-number. There should be no difference between capturing the image in high resolution, and blowing it up for a lower resolution sensor.
All that should be needed is a 200mpx sensor that can output the entire frame in 12mpx, and 12mpx of the central area in full resolution. It's similar to how our eyes work.