Free Field of View Calculator
Field of view is the angular extent of the scene a lens captures, set by the sensor size and focal length. Angle of view = 2 × atan(sensor ÷ (2 × focal length)). See exactly how much of the scene any lens sees on your camera — before you buy or frame.
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How field of view works
Field of view (angle of view) is set by two things: the sensor dimensions and the focal length. A 50 mm lens on full frame sees 39.6° horizontally; the same lens on APS-C sees about 25 to 27° (1.6x and 1.5x crops) — which is why crop sensors "crop" the frame (1.5× crop ≈ 75 mm equivalent).
The 35 mm equivalent is the focal length that would give the same framing on a full-frame body. It's how photographers compare lenses across sensor sizes: Micro 4/3 has a 2× crop, APS-C ≈ 1.5× (Canon ≈ 1.6×), phones ≈ 5-7×.
Worked example
You're choosing a lens for an indoor shoot and the room is 4 m across. With a full-frame body, a 24 mm lens (73.7° horizontal) frames the whole wall from about 2.8 m back, while a 35 mm (54.4°) needs ~4 m — the calculator tells you exactly which lens fits before you carry it there. The same math works in reverse for video: pick your shot size, then check whether your zoom range covers it at the working distance. This is also how you compare across sensor formats — a 23 mm lens on APS-C frames like 35 mm on full frame, and the calculator shows both angles side by side.
Field of view reference table (focal length × sensor)
Horizontal angle of view in degrees for each focal length and sensor format. Divide-by-two, roughly: a 24 mm lens on full frame sees about 74°, and the same lens on APS-C sees about 52° — which is why a 24 mm on a crop body frames like a 36 mm on full frame.
| Focal length | Full frame 36 × 24 mm | APS-C (1.5×) 23.5 × 15.6 mm | APS-C Canon (1.6×) 22.3 × 14.9 mm | Micro 4/3 17.3 × 13 mm | 1-inch 13.2 × 8.8 mm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 mm | 104.3° | 80.0° | 77.1° | 63.4° | 50.5° |
| 16 mm | 96.7° | 72.6° | 69.7° | 56.8° | 44.8° |
| 20 mm | 84.0° | 60.9° | 58.3° | 46.8° | 36.5° |
| 24 mm | 73.7° | 52.2° | 49.8° | 39.6° | 30.8° |
| 28 mm | 65.5° | 45.5° | 43.4° | 34.3° | 26.5° |
| 35 mm | 54.4° | 37.1° | 35.3° | 27.8° | 21.4° |
| 50 mm | 39.6° | 26.4° | 25.1° | 19.6° | 15.0° |
| 85 mm | 23.9° | 15.7° | 14.9° | 11.6° | 8.9° |
| 100 mm | 20.4° | 13.4° | 12.7° | 9.9° | 7.6° |
| 135 mm | 15.2° | 9.9° | 9.4° | 7.3° | 5.6° |
| 200 mm | 10.3° | 6.7° | 6.4° | 5.0° | 3.8° |
| 300 mm | 6.9° | 4.5° | 4.3° | 3.3° | 2.5° |
| 400 mm | 5.2° | 3.4° | 3.2° | 2.5° | 1.9° |
Values are horizontal angles of view computed as 2·atan(sensor width ÷ (2 × focal length)), rounded to 0.1°. Vertical and diagonal angles, and the 35 mm equivalent for your exact body, are in the calculator above.
Related tools & guides
Camera Sensor Sizes
Full sensor dimensions and crop factors, explained.
Open →Astro Pixel Scale Calculator
Arcsec/pixel sampling for your camera + scope.
Open →Focal Length Explained
What focal length actually does to your frame.
Open →Field of view FAQ
What's the difference between FOV and focal length?
Focal length is a property of the lens; field of view is the result on a given sensor. The same lens gives different FOV on different bodies. That's why "35 mm equivalent" exists.
How is field of view calculated?
FOV = 2 × atan(sensor dimension ÷ (2 × focal length)), in degrees. Horizontal uses sensor width, vertical uses height, diagonal uses the diagonal.
Does field of view change when I crop in post?
Yes — cropping changes the effective sensor area, so the FOV narrows exactly like using a longer lens. The calculator's distance fields show you the scene dimensions your final crop will cover.
Angle of view and frame size (full frame 36 × 24 mm)
Short answer: a 50 mm lens on a full frame body sees 39.6° across and covers 7.20 m at 10 m. A 24 mm lens sees 73.7° and covers 15.00 m at the same distance. Diagonal angle of view is the number in most lens specs; horizontal is the one that decides whether a group or a room fits.
| Focal length | Horizontal angle | Vertical angle | Frame width at 10 m | Frame height at 10 m |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 mm | 104.3° | 81.2° | 25.71 m | 17.14 m |
| 16 mm | 96.7° | 73.7° | 22.50 m | 15.00 m |
| 20 mm | 84.0° | 61.9° | 18.00 m | 12.00 m |
| 24 mm | 73.7° | 53.1° | 15.00 m | 10.00 m |
| 28 mm | 65.5° | 46.4° | 12.86 m | 8.57 m |
| 35 mm | 54.4° | 37.8° | 10.29 m | 6.86 m |
| 40 mm | 48.5° | 33.4° | 9.00 m | 6.00 m |
| 50 mm | 39.6° | 27.0° | 7.20 m | 4.80 m |
| 70 mm | 28.8° | 19.5° | 5.14 m | 3.43 m |
| 85 mm | 23.9° | 16.1° | 4.24 m | 2.82 m |
| 100 mm | 20.4° | 13.7° | 3.60 m | 2.40 m |
| 135 mm | 15.2° | 10.2° | 2.67 m | 1.78 m |
| 200 mm | 10.3° | 6.9° | 1.80 m | 1.20 m |
| 300 mm | 6.9° | 4.6° | 1.20 m | 0.80 m |
| 400 mm | 5.2° | 3.4° | 0.90 m | 0.60 m |
Reading the table
Field of view depends on the sensor, not just the lens. The same 50 mm is a normal lens on full frame (39.5° across), a short telephoto on APS-C (25.3°, because a 1.6× body frames 50 mm like 80 mm) and a mild telephoto on Micro Four Thirds (20.4°). Divide by the crop factor to compare focal lengths across formats.
Angle of view is not linear with focal length, which is why the jump from 14 mm to 24 mm looks enormous and the jump from 200 mm to 400 mm looks modest. Doubling focal length halves the frame width; it does not halve the angle.