Questions tagged [focal-length]

Focal length is the distance (measured in mm) between the surface of a lens and the focal point, when the lens is focussed at infinity. Smaller focal lengths indicate wide-angle lenses, larger focal lengths indicate a telephoto lens.

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2 answers
171 views

I want to measure far distance focus in a short space, but give myself a greater FOV, how would I do that?

Building off of this question, say I put a 1 m lens in front of a camera so I can see a virtual image at 500 m to focus to, when I place an object within the focal length (0.998 m), but I want a ...
0 votes
1 answer
24 views

Using the lens equation to make a camera out of an old projector lens

Given a 14" (~355mm) projector lens, does the film plane go a little more than 14" behind the center of the lens? I'm puzzled by the use of the canonical lens equation for long object ...
2 votes
4 answers
231 views

What is the use of focal length in a Fisheye lens?

This is similar to: What does the focal length of a fisheye lens mean? What is the relationship between field of view and focal length for fisheye? But actually, I have a different question. I have ...
22 votes
5 answers
24k views

How can a lens with a single focal length focus on more than one plane?

By definition, a prime lens is a fixed lens system with a fixed focal length. Then, simple physics tells us that it should be able to focus only on one plane (at a fixed distance) in front of it. But ...
4 votes
2 answers
1k views

Does changing the focal length change the depth of field for the same magnification?

When taking pictures with lenses with the same f-stop and different focal lengths, and magnifying the same subject to the same size (by changing the distance), how does the depth of field vary? I am ...
19 votes
5 answers
18k views

How to test actual focal length?

From Matt Grum's comment to my previous question, I learned that manufacturers may casually "round" actual focal length of a lens to some nice number that gets printed on the box and stored into EXIF. ...
1 vote
1 answer
2k views

How to calculate the focal length of cell phone cameras when none of the required parameters are available?

There are many camera phones for which the focal length, aperture size, and sensor size are not available. Is there a formula to calculate these parameters or a site which provides these details for ...
5 votes
2 answers
3k views

Why does calculated distance of an object in an image vary when zooming?

I would like to calculate the distance of an object from my camera, so i used the formula given in this question and I got a very good answer, but I've found that when I zoom and take the picture and ...
82 votes
6 answers
510k views

How do I convert lens focal length (mm) to x-times optical zoom?

What is the rule to convert the 'mm' notation to the 'optical zoom' notation? I searched a bit and found this one: $$\text{Optical zoom} = \frac{\text{Maximum focal length}}{\text{Minimum focal length}...
1 vote
1 answer
524 views

Pixel diameter of a given field of view calculation equisolid (equal-area) fisheye lens

I have a 180° equisolid (equal-area) fisheye lens with a focal length of 8 mm. I want to crop images to a circle defined by an angular field of view from the zenith angle of the lens (i.e. the middle ...
1 vote
1 answer
202 views

Calculation of the heigth of the camera

I am trying to find the height of a drone using the camera only. I can calculate the distance of the object top and bottom. Object is a square platform with width=0.2m. I used the equation provided by ...
3 votes
4 answers
148 views

Does a mirrorless camera need a shorter focal length for the same FoV as an SLR?

Let's say we have a 50mm lens on a full-frame reflex camera. As mirrorless cameras have a smaller distance to the sensor, does it mean we need a shorter focal length for the same sensor size to have ...
2 votes
3 answers
1k views

How big is the sun in an image made with Canon APS-C and 300mm focal length?

I am trying to decide what lens should I use for eclipse and I am wondering if my 70-300 IS USM would be enough or should I get (rent) a lens with higher magnification. Since my solar filters are ...
0 votes
5 answers
115 views

Why is aperture expressed as a function of focal length and not in absolute size?

Why is aperture expressed as a function of focal length (eg. f/2, f/4), and not in absolute size, say mm (eg. 40mm)?
1 vote
5 answers
147 views

Why do telephoto lenses have long focal length?

Considering the definition that a telephoto lens is one whose length is shorter than its focal length: Why do telephoto lenses (tend to) have long focal length? Why not a telephoto lens with a short ...
0 votes
1 answer
65 views

120mm with 35cm minimum focus distance for Macro? [closed]

Is 120mm focal length with 35cm minimum focus distance good/close enough for macro insect photography?
0 votes
1 answer
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DOF formula vs the simplified DOF formula

I was calculating the theoretical difference in the change of the DOF (depth of field), between a frame achieved on a 25mm signature prime and an "identical frame" achieved by using a 75mm ...
5 votes
3 answers
4k views

Why does getting closer or zooming in decrease depth of field?

I know that aperture changes the depth of field (DOF), but why is it that by making the image appear larger (by getting closer to the camera or zooming in) there is less DOF?
2 votes
2 answers
715 views

Is this diagram I've drawn in regards to Depth of field correct?

This diagram is modelled after a video I saw on depth of field formula and its derivation. I have now learnt a bit more regarding Depth of focus and how it refers to "the tolerance of placement ...
0 votes
0 answers
85 views

Is this effect because of the lenses? what type?

https://www.instagram.com/p/CwsKDthOdST So in this video, the legs of the man look really small. I thought at first it must be because of the lenses but if it were for wide angle lenses, that would ...
3 votes
4 answers
2k views

If focal length does not affect DOF, why doesn't a 25mm lens at an f-stop of 4 give me the same DOF as a 100mm on an f-stop of 16?

After having spent some time reading about DOF and the derivation of its formula, I tried calculating the theoretical DOF of different lenses. Now to my knowledge, a camera using a lens with a focal ...
0 votes
1 answer
142 views

Image metadata contains Focal length and calibrated focal length but the values are different

I have a DJI drone image. When I use gdalinfo -mdd all myphoto.jpg at the command line I can read the EXIF and XMP tags for the image. I see there are two values ...
1 vote
1 answer
90 views

Focal length reducer on FF camera (24mm F2)

Lens: Zuiko OM 24mm F2, Camera: Sony A7S2 What would happen if a focal length reducer (0.71x) is used to adapt a 24mm F2 FF lens, into a FF camera? The resulting field of view should be ~17mm with ...
2 votes
2 answers
329 views

Convert Zoom % to Focal length

My Panasonic FZ70 zooms to 60x. The only focal length indicators on the lens are the minimum (20mm) and the maximum (1200mm). There is no indication of focal length as I zoom in or out; the ...
2 votes
2 answers
2k views

I'm hoping to prove this distance to camera equation:

$$ D = \frac{f\times H}{h} $$ where $$ \begin{align} D &= \textrm{distance from lens to object} \\ (d &= \textrm{distance from lens to 35mm film}) \\ f &= \textrm{focal length} \\ H &= ...
4 votes
5 answers
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Is the formula for object image size given focal length, etc. independent of sensor size?

I am trying to figure out how big an object of, say, 50cm height at 100m distance and 600 mm focal length would appear on a camera's sensor. The ubiquitous formula $$ \textrm{object size in image} = \...
0 votes
4 answers
4k views

Calculation for getting dimension of object in image not working

I am trying to calculate the dimensions of an object in an image. This is a sample image I took to get height of blue shirt: I am following the math from this page with sastanin's answer to How do I ...
47 votes
5 answers
212k views

How do I calculate the distance of an object in a photo?

If I took a picture of a windmill on the horizon — given that I know the sensor size and the focal length of the lens and other factors to do with the shot — could I calculate how far away an object ...
1 vote
5 answers
595 views

Bad photos (no focus). What are these photos called?

I'm creating an open Neural Network that could identify if the photo is blurred. This way I need to find many photos of objects at close range, and the focus should be upset. The same as you can see ...
0 votes
0 answers
59 views

Does autofocus in iPhone changes focal length? [duplicate]

I was wondering how auto-focus works in mobile cameras. I understood that, mobile phones uses either 'contrast based' or 'phase-detection based' algorithms to find the optimum length position for ...
1 vote
2 answers
2k views

Determining the size of a pixel at a given distance

I have a camera looking at a flat plane that is a known distance away from it. I also know the cameras intrinsic parameters. The image from the camera looks like this: (it's grayscale but that shouldn'...
-1 votes
1 answer
2k views

How to calculate Sensor Pixel Pitch?

I need to compute the “Sensor Pixel Pitch (in mm/px)” for some calculation. I have the following data available from the manufacturer: ...
13 votes
5 answers
14k views

Do bigger focal lengths capture more light?

I never understood what the f really stands for in the f-stop values, like f/1.8. Wikipedia explains it in various articles, but I still find it very confusing. What I understand, though, is that it ...
6 votes
3 answers
3k views

APS-C crop factor 1.5x or 1.53x

I'm having issues wrapping my head around how to get crop factor based on 35mm. I understand what crop factor is but my math is confusing me. For example, everyone knows that aps-c is a 1.5x crop ...
2 votes
1 answer
298 views

What focal length is best for photography of rugs?

What focal length is best for photography of rugs? I am choosing between a Sony 16-50mm lens and a 50-210mm lens. Rugs size small and medium sized 2x3m Notes :i have 2 only lenses size 16:50 mm and 50:...
1 vote
1 answer
117 views

How to calculate the optimal distance to photograph details for mobile phone lenses?

Most of the mobile phones I've owned have a primary, wide angle camera lens somewhere around 28mm. If I wanted to capture the most details/sharpness (the most pixels) and ignored perspective and ...
5 votes
9 answers
1k views

How can I explain focal length to someone who isn't into photography?

Context So my friends and family are curious about how far my lens can reach. I usually explain with focal length and show them a few pictures. Question Is there any easier way to explain what ...
2 votes
7 answers
625 views

Why is the commonly utilized aperture for moon photography much higher than that provided by DoF formula?

in this Moon Photography Guide, a F-Number equal to f/11.0 is suggested. In many answers in this forum, similar values are suggested (ranging from f/8.0 to f/11.0). Even if someone suggests f/5.6, it ...
1 vote
4 answers
194 views

What is the definition of focal length for a camera lens?

I came across many articles where the focal length of a camera lens is defined as the distance between the optical centre of the lens and the sensor. One such article is here: https://photographylife....
4 votes
1 answer
2k views

What are the equivalent focal lengths for iPhone digital zoom?

I would like to know what the equivalent focal lengths are when in digital zoom on an iPhone 13 Max Pro – greater than 3X to 15X.
3 votes
2 answers
269 views

Does "Field of view" include radial lens distortion?

When manufacturers state the "field of view" of a camera, is that including lens distortion or not? I work a lot with CCTV and dashcam footage which always has barrel distortion. For a given ...
0 votes
3 answers
212 views

Clarifications about the Reproduction Ratio Formula

The reproduction ratio formula is: ...
34 votes
9 answers
33k views

How to capture the scene exactly as my eyes can see?

What settings of my DSLR camera will emulate the scene exactly as I can see through my naked eyes? I think it's not possible to get the contrast and colors exactly as my eyes can see, and it may vary ...
0 votes
1 answer
122 views

What does pixel width mean in the context of calculating camera placement distance?

I am setting up cameras for an experiment filming animals. In a experimental protocol paper that I'm following, it states that: Based on a pinhole camera model, the bound x_min on the pixel span of ...
0 votes
3 answers
231 views

Equivalent lens to periscope camera?

I am trying to figure out an equivalent telephoto lens to the newer periscope cameras that report focal lengths in 35 mm equivalents. There are some similar threads such as How do I convert lens focal ...
2 votes
4 answers
2k views

Are most (if not all) lenses' focal length described as the 35mm equivalent? [duplicate]

2 thoughts made me ask this question: Different lens looks different on the different-sized sensor and has a different 35mm equivalent Many normal and wide-angle lenses' optical center is not ...
1 vote
0 answers
155 views

What does the focal length of a fisheye lens mean?

Say an ordinary lens, Sigma 30mm f1.4 for example, is designed for APS-C and thus produces images that have a 35mm-equivalence of 48mm. But what about the fisheye ...
0 votes
2 answers
308 views

How to calculate extension tube length when the focal length is unknown

A 16mm objective has a minimum focus distance of 1m. When an extension tube is used to decrease the minimum distance to 0.1m, how long is this extension tube? If b_1...
2 votes
5 answers
490 views

Can I use a 127.5mm focal length on a crop camera to see what the view would be like using an 85mm full frame lens?

I have a Nikon D7500 which is a DX format camera. I am thinking of getting a Nikon 85mm lens but I only see one that is in FX format. I have a 70-300 lens in DX format and was wondering if I set the ...
0 votes
2 answers
144 views

Capturing License Plates From 50-100 ft (And Night)?

I'm attempting to build something with a Raspberry Pi that can hopefully capture moving vehicle's license plates 50-100 ft away (and at night). I understand very little about photography, but through ...

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