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23mm APS-C vs 35mm full frame portrait comparison
Interactive side-by-side simulation at the same subject size: see how 23mm APS-C and 35mm full frame change camera distance, perspective, depth of field and background blur.
What this comparison shows
Both images show the same portrait at the same size. Both cameras stand at almost the same distance, because 23mm APS-C and 35mm full frame have a similar field of view. From closer in, 35mm full frame shows more of the room around the person. 23mm APS-C has a narrower field of view, so the background looks larger and closer and is easier to simplify.
Start at f/1.4 on the left and f/2 on the right. Then try f/1.8 vs f/1.8, or open both to f/1.4 and f/1.4. Match depth of field sets the right-hand aperture so the background is as blurred as on the left. The smaller APS-C sensor needs a wider aperture to reach the same background blur as full frame.
At the face framing, 23mm APS-C stands 57 cm from the subject. At f/1.4 the sharp zone runs from 55 cm to 59 cm. 35mm full frame stands 57 cm away, and at f/2 the sharp zone runs from 55 cm to 59 cm.
Questions
How far from the subject do you stand with 23mm APS-C and 35mm full frame?
In the face framing, 23mm APS-C stands 57 cm from the subject and 35mm full frame stands 57 cm. Both cameras stand at almost the same distance, because 23mm APS-C and 35mm full frame have a similar field of view.
Which blurs the background more, 23mm APS-C or 35mm full frame?
At the same framing, a distant background blurs in proportion to the aperture opening, focal length divided by f-number. 23mm APS-C at f/1.4 opens 16.4 mm and 35mm full frame at f/2 opens 17.5 mm, so both blur it about the same. Close behind the person, the focal length matters less and the f-number more.
Do 23mm APS-C and 35mm full frame give a different perspective?
Hardly. Both frame the face from almost the same distance, so perspective and background size match. What changes is how much the background blurs at a given f-number.
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Also see: depth of field, bokeh, crop factor, lens compression.