Full Frame (35mm) – 36 x 24 mm
APS-C (Nikon/Sony/Fuji) – 23.5 x 15.6 mm
APS-C (Canon) – 22.2 x 14.8 mm
Micro Four Thirds – 17.3 x 13 mm
1-inch Sensor – 13.2 x 8.8 mm
Custom Dimensions…
Calculation Results
Horizontal Angle: °
Vertical Angle: °
Diagonal Angle: °
Width at Distance: m
Height at Distance: m
Diagonal at Distance: m
Understanding Field of View in Photography
Field of View (FOV) defines the extent of the observable world that is seen through the camera lens at any given moment. It is determined by the relationship between the focal length of the lens and the physical size of the camera sensor.
Key Factors Affecting FOV:
Focal Length: A shorter focal length (e.g., 14mm) provides a wide field of view, while a longer focal length (e.g., 200mm) results in a narrow, zoomed-in field of view.
Sensor Size: Larger sensors (like Full Frame) capture more of the image projected by the lens compared to smaller sensors (like APS-C or Micro Four Thirds), which effectively "crop" the image.
Subject Distance: While the angular FOV remains constant regardless of distance, the linear FOV (the actual width and height in meters) increases as you move further from the subject.
The Math Behind the Calculation
The angular field of view ($\alpha$) is calculated using the formula:
α = 2 * arctan(h / (2 * f))
Where h is the sensor dimension (width, height, or diagonal) and f is the focal length. To find the linear FOV at a specific distance, we use basic trigonometry to project that angle over the distance D.
Example Calculation
If you are using a 50mm lens on a Full Frame sensor (36mm width) and focusing on an object 5 meters away: