Field of view calculator
Lens and sensor in; the angle of view, how much of the room is in frame, and where the camera stands for each shot size out.
- 54.4°
- 32.3°
- 61.1°
3.09 m × 1.74 m
| Extreme close-up | 0.21 m |
| Close-up | 0.52 m |
| Medium close-up | 0.86 m |
| Medium shot | 1.47 m |
| Cowboy | 2.07 m |
| Full shot | 3.46 m |
| Wide shot | 6.91 m |
For a standing adult, from the conventional height each size holds. A starting mark, not a rule.
The room decides the lens
On a scout, measure how far back the camera can actually go: wall to subject, minus the space the operator needs. Put that distance in, pick the shot size you want, and change the lens until the distance fits. That is the lens to put on the rental list, and it is worth knowing before the day rather than discovering the 85 will not fit in the kitchen.
The frame width at distance is the other half. It tells you how much wall is in shot behind a two-shot, whether the stand on the edge of the plan is in frame, and how much set dressing the art department has to cover. On a lighting diagram the camera draws this same cone, so a lamp in the wedge is a lamp in the shot.
The shot size distances are for a standing adult and use the conventional height each size holds: a close-up is about 30 cm of person, a medium shot about 85. Faces and bodies vary, and so do directors. It is a mark to put a tripod on, not a law. Shot sizes, and what each is for.
How do you calculate field of view?
The angle is two times the arctangent of the sensor dimension divided by twice the focal length. Use the sensor width for the horizontal angle, its height for the vertical and its diagonal for the diagonal. The frame width at a distance is simply the distance times the sensor width divided by the focal length.
How far back do I need to be for a full body shot?
It depends on the lens and the sensor. On full frame with a 50mm lens, a standing adult fills a 16:9 frame from about 4.9 metres. A wider lens lets you stand closer; a longer one pushes you back. The calculator gives the distance for every shot size.
What is crop factor?
How much smaller a sensor is than full frame. A smaller sensor sees a narrower angle through the same lens, so a 35mm on Super 35 frames roughly like a 50mm on full frame. The angle matches; depth of field and perspective do not, because those follow the real focal length and distance.
Why does the vertical frame change the numbers?
A 9:16 frame is cropped out of a horizontal sensor, so it uses a narrow slice of its width. The same lens therefore sees much less side to side in vertical, and you stand further back to fit a person.
How accurate is it?
It uses the rectilinear lens formula every lens chart is built on and nominal sensor widths. Real sensors vary by a millimetre, lenses breathe when focusing and fisheyes follow different maths, so treat the result as within a degree or two.
Put the lens on the plan
In Frameboard each shot carries its lens, and the camera on the lighting plan draws what that lens sees in the room you drew.