Field of view, by lens and sensor
The horizontal angle each common focal length sees on each common format, computed rather than copied. A 50mm is not one lens; it is four, depending on what is behind it.
Horizontal angle of view, in degrees
Two times the arctangent of half the sensor width over the focal length. Sensor widths: Super 16 12.52 mm, Micro 4/3 17.3 mm, Super 35 24.89 mm, Full frame 36 mm.
| Lens | Super 16 | Micro 4/3 | Super 35 | Full frame |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12mm | 55.1° | 71.6° | 92.1° | 112.6° |
| 14mm | 48.2° | 63.4° | 83.3° | 104.3° |
| 16mm | 42.7° | 56.8° | 75.8° | 96.7° |
| 18mm | 38.4° | 51.3° | 69.3° | 90.0° |
| 21mm | 33.2° | 44.8° | 61.3° | 81.2° |
| 24mm | 29.2° | 39.6° | 54.8° | 73.7° |
| 25mm | 28.1° | 38.2° | 52.9° | 71.5° |
| 28mm | 25.2° | 34.3° | 47.9° | 65.5° |
| 32mm | 22.1° | 30.3° | 42.5° | 58.7° |
| 35mm | 20.3° | 27.8° | 39.1° | 54.4° |
| 40mm | 17.8° | 24.4° | 34.6° | 48.5° |
| 50mm | 14.3° | 19.6° | 28.0° | 39.6° |
| 65mm | 11.0° | 15.2° | 21.7° | 31.0° |
| 75mm | 9.5° | 13.2° | 18.8° | 27.0° |
| 85mm | 8.4° | 11.6° | 16.7° | 23.9° |
| 100mm | 7.2° | 9.9° | 14.2° | 20.4° |
| 135mm | 5.3° | 7.3° | 10.5° | 15.2° |
| 150mm | 4.8° | 6.6° | 9.5° | 13.7° |
| 200mm | 3.6° | 5.0° | 7.1° | 10.3° |
Real sensors differ from these nominal widths by a millimetre or so, and anamorphic squeeze multiplies the horizontal figure by the squeeze factor. Both are inside the error of where the stand ends up.
The same framing on another format
The focal length on each format that sees the same horizontal angle as the Super 35 lens in the first column. Framing only: depth of field and perspective stay with the real lens and the real distance.
| On Super 35 | Sees | Full frame | Micro 4/3 | Super 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18mm | 69.3° | 26mm | 13mm | 9mm |
| 24mm | 54.8° | 35mm | 17mm | 12mm |
| 32mm | 42.5° | 46mm | 22mm | 16mm |
| 35mm | 39.1° | 51mm | 24mm | 18mm |
| 50mm | 28.0° | 72mm | 35mm | 25mm |
| 65mm | 21.7° | 94mm | 45mm | 33mm |
| 85mm | 16.7° | 123mm | 59mm | 43mm |
| 100mm | 14.2° | 145mm | 70mm | 50mm |
| 135mm | 10.5° | 195mm | 94mm | 68mm |
Four things the table does not say out loud
- A focal length is a property of the glass. What it sees is a property of the glass and the sensor behind it together, which is why a 50mm on Super 35 sees 28 degrees and the same 50mm on a full-frame body sees 40. Any table that lists an angle beside a focal length without naming the format is quietly assuming one.
- Lens makers quote the diagonal because it is the biggest number. On a set the horizontal is the one that matters: it decides where the frame edge falls on the wall, whether the flag is in shot, and how far back the camera has to be for two people to fit. That is what this table gives.
- "A 35 on Super 35 is like a 50 on full frame" is true for the angle and false for everything else. Depth of field, the size of the background and the way faces render belong to the actual focal length and the actual distance, and no crop factor moves them.
- A camera on a Frameboard lighting plan carries its lens and its format, and the cone it draws is this arithmetic. Change a 35 to an 85 and the wedge on the plan narrows to what the sensor will actually see, so a lamp that was safely outside the frame is shown to be inside it before anybody rigs it.
What is the field of view of a 50mm lens?
It depends on the sensor. Horizontally, a 50mm sees about 28 degrees on Super 35, 40 on full frame, 20 on Micro 4/3 and 14 on Super 16. The lens is the same; the window behind it is not.
How is angle of view calculated?
Two times the arctangent of half the sensor width over the focal length. Every number on this page is that formula, computed when the page is built, from the same code that draws the camera on a Frameboard lighting plan.
Is a 35mm on Super 35 the same as a 50mm on full frame?
The angle of view is nearly the same, so the framing matches from the same spot. Depth of field and perspective do not match, because those follow the real focal length and the real distance, and no crop factor changes them.
Which sensor width do you use for Super 35?
24.89 mm, the 3-perf 4:3 gate that most digital Super 35 sensors are close to. Real cameras vary by a millimetre or so either way, and so do their angles by a degree; for a plan that is inside the error of where the stand ends up.
See the cone on the plan
A camera on a Frameboard lighting plan draws exactly this angle from the lens on the shot, so the frame edge is on the drawing before the day.
Related: what belongs on a lighting plan, shot sizes and what each is for, and storyboards.