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35mm Equivalent Focal Length Comparison Visualizations & Examples for Crop Sensors

Jordan Michael Lockhart

This article is about crop factors of digital camera sensors.

For those who already have an understanding that the sensor size of your camera affects the effective field of view of a lens, here are some charts, tables, and other visuals to help you calculate the 35mm Full Frame Equivalencies. Each of the visuals contains the same data represented in a different way. Find the one that makes the most sense to you so you can quickly find the information you need. It is important to note that these tables provide information of field of view only, I am not implying any changes of depth of field or aperture. 

The first thing you need to know is your camera sensors crop factor. The data below represents 4 common crop factors and examples of the sensor and cameras that use them:

1.3x Crop Factor
(APS-H)
Canon, Leica M8

1.5x Crop Factor
(Generic APS-C)
Fuji X, Nikon DX, SONY E

1.6x Crop Factor
(Canon APS-C)
Canon

2x Crop Factor
(Micro Four Thirds)
Olympus

Visualization 1

A: Finding the Full Frame Equivalent of Your Lens

This visualization is to help you understand what 35mm equivalent focal lengths you are actually getting out of your lenses depending on the camera that you put them on. For example, a 28mm lens with a 1.3x crop factor, has an effective field of view of a full frame lens equal to 35mm. 

1.3x Crop Factor28mm lens has 35mm equivalent of 36mm35mm lens has 35mm equivalent of 46mm50mm lens has 35mm equivalent of 65mm85mm lens has 35mm equivalent of 111mm135mm lens has 35mm equivalent of 176mm1.5x Crop Factor85mm lens has 35mm equivalent of 128mm28mm lens has 35mm equivalent of 42mm135mm lens has 35mm equivalent of 203mm50mm lens has 35mm equivalent of 75mm35mm lens has 35mm equivalent of 53mm1.6x Crop Factor28mm lens has 35mm equivalent of 45mm85mm lens has 35mm equivalent of 136mm135mm lens has 35mm equivalent of 216mm50mm lens has 35mm equivalent of 80mm35mm lens has 35mm equivalent of 56mm2x Crop Factor135mm lens has 35mm equivalent of 270mm35mm lens has 35mm equivalent of 70mm50mm lens has 35mm equivalent of 100mm85mm lens has 35mm equivalent of 170mm28mm lens has 35mm equivalent of 56mm

Visualization 2

Finding a Lens to Match a Full Frame Equivalent

Begin on the left with the crop factor of your cameras sensor. Move to the right to find the full frame lens field of view you want to achieve. Continue to the end of the chart to find the lens focal length you would need to emulate that exact field of view. 

1.3x Crop Factor The 35mm equivalent of a 35mm lens is a 27mm lens The 35mm equivalent of a 50mm lens is a 38mm lens The 35mm equivalent of an 85mm lens is a 65mm lens The 35mm equivalent of a 135mm lens is a 104mm lens The 35mm equivalent of a 28mm lens is a 22mm lens 1.5x Crop Factor The 35mm equivalent of an 85mm lens is a 57mm lens The 35mm equivalent of a 28mm lens is a 19mm lens The 35mm equivalent of a 135mm lens is a 90mm lens The 35mm equivalent of a 50mm lens is a 33mm lens The 35mm equivalent of a 35mm lens is a 23mm lens 1.6x Crop Factor The 35mm equivalent of a 28mm lens is an 18mm lens The 35mm equivalent of an 85mm lens is a 53mm lens The 35mm equivalent of a 135mm lens is an 84mm lens The 35mm equivalent of a 50mm lens is a 31mm lens The 35mm equivalent of a 35mm lens is a 22mm lens 2x Crop Factor The 35mm equivalent of a 135mm lens is a 68mm lens The 35mm equivalent of a 35mm lens is an 18mm lens The 35mm equivalent of a 50mm lens is a 25mm lens The 35mm equivalent of an 85mm lens is a 43mm lens The 35mm equivalent of a 28mm lens is a 14mm lens

Visualization 3

How Camera Sensor Size Affects Lens Field of View

This visualization is useful for those buying a new camera and considering changing sensor size. You can see what lenses you would need with different sensor sizes to achieve a given full frame equivalent field of view. Begin on the left with the full frame field of view you would like to achieve. Move to the right to see what focal length lens you would need to buy for a given crop sensor to achieve that field of view.

 

To achieve a true 135mm FOVwith a 1.3x crop factor you need a104mm lenswith a 1.6x crop factor you need a84mm lenswith a 2x crop factor you need a68mm lenswith a 1.5x crop factor you need a90mm lensTo achieve a true 28mm FOVwith a 1.6x crop factor you need a18mm lenswith a 2x crop factor you need a14mm lenswith a 1.5x crop factor you need a19mm lenswith a 1.3x crop factor, you need a22mm lensTo achieve a true 35mm FOVwith a 1.5x crop factor you need a23mm lenswith a 1.3x crop factor you need a27mm lenswith a 1.6x crop factor you need a22mm lenswith a 2x crop factor you need a18mm lensTo achieve a true 50mm FOVwith a 1.5x crop factor you need a33mm lenswith a 2x crop factor you need a25mm lenswith a 1.3x crop factor you need a38mm lenswith a 1.6x crop factor you need a31mm lensTo achieve a true 85mm FOVwith a 1.5x crop factor you need a57mm lenswith a 1.6x crop factor you need a53mm lenswith a 2x crop factor you need a43mm lenswith a 1.3x crop factor you need a65mm lens

Visualization 4

Table of Effective Field of View of Full Frame Lenses on Various Crop Sensor Cameras

This visualization is a traditional data table much like a multiplication chart. Use the table to find the effective field of view of a full frame lens on camera body with a crop sensor.

 

Effective Field of View of Full Frame Lenses on Crop Sensor Cameras
16mm 28mm 36mm 50mm 85mm 135mm 200mm 300mm
1.3x 21mm 36mm 46mm 65mm 111mm 176mm 260mm 390mm
1.5x 24mm 42mm 53mm 75mm 128mm 203mm 300mm 450mm
1.6x 26mm 45mm 56mm 80mm 136mm 216mm 320mm 480mm
2x 32mm 56mm 70mm 100mm 170mm 270mm 400mm 600mm
SOURCE: jordan michael lockhart

Visualization 5

Crop Factors in Real World Conversation

When talking about crop factors and lens equivalencies in the real world, its common for people to say "35mm equivalent" instead of "full frame equivalent". In fact full frame refers to the frame size of 35mm film. So the two phrases can be considered the same.  

 

1.3x Crop Factor

A 28mm lens on a camera with a crop factor of 1.3x, has a 35mm equivalent of 36mm.

A 35mm lens on a camera with a crop factor of 1.3x, has a 35mm equivalent of 46mm.

A 50mm lens on a camera with a crop factor of 1.3x, has a 35mm equivalent of 65mm.

An 85mm lens on a camera with a crop factor of 1.3x, has a 35mm equivalent of 111mm.

A 135mm lens on a camera with a crop factor of 1.3x, has a 35mm equivalent of 176mm.

 

1.5x Crop Factor

A 28mm lens on a camera with a crop factor of 1.5x, has a 35mm equivalent of 42mm.

A 35mm lens on a camera with a crop factor of 1.5x, has a 35mm equivalent of 53mm.

A 50mm lens on a camera with a crop factor of 1.5x, has a 35mm equivalent of 75mm.

An 85mm lens on a camera with a crop factor of 1.5x, has a 35mm equivalent of 128mm.

A 135mm lens on a camera with a crop factor of 1.5x, has a 35mm equivalent of 203mm.

 

1.6x Crop Factor

A 28mm lens on a camera with a crop factor of 1.6x, has a 35mm equivalent of 45mm.

A 35mm lens on a camera with a crop factor of 1.6x, has a 35mm equivalent of 56mm.

A 50mm lens on a camera with a crop factor of 1.6x, has a 35mm equivalent of 80mm.

An 85mm lens on a camera with a crop factor of 1.6x, has a 35mm equivalent of 136mm.

A 135mm lens on a camera with a crop factor of 1.6x, has a 35mm equivalent of 216mm.

 

2x Crop Factor

A 28mm lens on a camera with a crop factor of 2x, has a 35mm equivalent of 56mm.

A 35mm lens on a camera with a crop factor of 2x, has a 35mm equivalent of 70mm.

A 50mm lens on a camera with a crop factor of 2x, has a 35mm equivalent of 100mm.

An 85mm lens on a camera with a crop factor of 2x, has a 35mm equivalent of 170mm.

A 135mm lens on a camera with a crop factor of 2x, has a 35mm equivalent of 270mm.