Thanks so much! Finally there is a video that explains focal length in layman's terms that is easy to visualise and remember, and summarises the learning outcomes.
Took me watching about 6 videos before I came across yours and I finally learned what I wanted to learn about focal length!! Thanks, great job. Beginning photographer here, keep up the great work.
You created an excellent video here. It's clear to understand, full of useful content, with not a bit of waste or unnecessary detail or abstraction. Thank you!
Oh man!!! I hope you're still around Mr. Dame; this short tutorial has helped me immensely. You're explanation of focal length and crop factor is bar none the best in explaining this concept. I'm totally subscribing to your channel. Thank you!!
I'm still here. Thanks so much for the comment. Hope you like the rest of the series too. I just undertook to explain what I wish someone would have told me at the start.
The concepts you choose and your explanation are superb! I am learning a lot from your videos. I appreciate you taking time and putting effort into these lessons. Thank your very much!!
Thanks! The best explanation I've seen for explaining focal length. All other videos I've found attempting to explain have just shown what different focal lengths do rather than actually explaining focal length like your video does so well. Thanks!
Phil thank you so much for these videos. Although they are a few years old the information is current. Your presentation is clearly spoken, well thought out and the illustrations are easily understood. Many beginners can gain a great deal of knowledge of the basics by taking the time to review this series of videos. Thank you
I've watched bout 50 videos hoping to come across clear and fundamental explanation and you sir have my respect. You are by far the best tutorial-teacher-instructor-andwhatnot =) Thanks for such amazing videos!
I have watched numerous videos on this topic and this is the best I've seen so far. The lightbulb went off for me on these concepts when you summarized your points at the end. I never thought about the "benefit" of an APS-C camera with regard to saving money on lenses. What a concept.
I think the difference between APS-C and full-frame sensor cameras will diminish in time as technology improves but there will always be a difference just due to physics of light collection. I trust science will get crazy ISO performance out of our smaller sensors. For now, this is why lower megapixels can be better for quality as each photo-receptor is larger. Though I didn't talk about it in the video, there is also a multiplier to be applied to the stated lens aperture (it's the same factor). That means if you want the same depth of field (e.g. f/2.8) from a full-frame on an APS-C camera, you must divide by that factor (e.g. 2.8 by 1.6 is approximately f/1.8). This is why I got myself the Sigma 18-35 f/1.8 lens for my 7D so I have the equivalent of a 28-56mm f/2.8 on a full frame. All that to say is that fast lenses can help achieve the same effects for depth of field and shouldn't be neglected. In most cases that means you'll want prime lenses in the f/1.4 to f/1.8 max-aperture range.
Phil--Thanks for following up. Yes, this explanation helps somewhat in that it pinpoint's my comprehension problem, but what I still can't grasp is the "cause" of the "leaning in," as you put it.
Thank you phillipe .. I've gone through so many webpages, videos to understand these basic concepts , but none of them are as simple and clear as your video.. your presentation is awesome.. THANK YOU
Great series! As a beginner I have been watching a lot of video specific to the use of my Canon 70D. That has been all well and good as a tool to learn the camera but not much use in actually understanding photography. This series has helped me immensely in understanding photography in general. Thanks much!
I had a lot of doubts about understanding focal length in dslr cameras and was looking through various websites but this video was really what I needed .. Thanks a lot !
Great pacing! Love the animation work as well, it really helps to illustrate what you're talking about. Even for people like me who know how DSLRs work & digital photography, I still learned a thing or 2 from this video. Subscribed! Keep up the great work.
Great video... new to the DSLR world and semi-serious photography in general and had some trouble comprehending focal length concepts just reading it. Your diagrams and explanations are SO incredibly easy to even the most novice of photographers, thanks a ton for this... looking forward to your other videos!
The focal length is the distance in mm between the optical center the point of convergence in the lens to the plane of the sensor in the camera when the subject is in focus.
I like it ... but the angle number really matters ! To get deep understanding of cameras it is important to understand every single detail. Very good video.
Phil, the crop factor was something I could not get a handle on when changing from film to digital. my photo's just didn't look right using the lenses from my film camera. after watching your video I now understand what the "crop" factor is all about. I prefer having "full frame" so I will be staying with film for my important shots, but will keep the canon eos rebel (300D) I purchased - it's still a good camera under the right photo situations.
Very good explanations. I’m pretty new but have watched many videos. I knew much of this already, but confirmed some assumptions and the best explanation I’ve seen of how APS C lenses work.
It's a ratio of the diagonal size. Full frame 35mm sensors are 24 x 36mm, thus a diagonal of 43.3mm. Nikon DX sensors are 23.6 x 15.7mm with a diagonal of 28.3mm. The crop factor is therefore 43.3mm divided by 28.3mm = 1.53 (rounded down to 1.5). Search wikipedia for "Crop Factor" for a detailed breakdown.
Increasing your focal length is in effect what people refer to as zooming. Going from 200mm to 300mm decreases your angle and view (magnifying a smaller subject to fill your camera sensor area). Other optical effects are created at high focal lengths like compression (i.e. the background seems closer to the subject).
All focal lengths and aperture values stated on an EF-S lens are in terms of their 35mm equivalency so you must still apply the crop factor. A 50mm f/1.8 EF-S lens, which is made for an APS-C camera, will feel like a 80mm on a full-frame camera with an aperture of 2.8 (i.e multiply each value by the crop factor of 1.6).
DSLR sensors have a 4:3 aspect ratio while HD Video is 16:9 (wider). Any focal length can "fill" a RUclips video frame but it requires the final image be cropped to the correct ratio. Your DSLR camera does this cropping for you when you switch to video mode.
So i have given a focal length of 80 mm and i have a sensor that is measuring 16x24 (aps-c) and i need to stand a person who is two meters long. How far from camera i need to put him? I cant find ANY formula for this! Please help :(((((
Philippe, Thanks a lot for making such a good tutorial, had studied optics but forgot everything and also this is from a practical aspect and even informative but still interesting.
Hi Philippe, really superbly presented video and so helpful, many thanks for your altruism in posting it. I have recently bought a Pentax DSLR K-S2 with approx 20mp sensor, if that is how it is termed. I do a lot of indoor photography. My camera came with an 18-50mm lens and a 50-200mm and I also bought a 35mm prime lens. Please let me know if these lenses are sufficient for most needs; or any suggestions you have for further lenses and which of those are best for close-up photography? What I don't quite grasp is why my compact 18mp Fujifilm camera seems better at close-up than the DSLR? A final question is relating to what a sensor receives? There is a grid guide that is smaller than the view, based on your tutorial, am I right that it is the grid that the sensor picks up rather than the whole view? I look forward to your reply, thanks and regards, Joe.
+Joe Beard I'm glad you like the video. When you mention "close-up", do you mean macro photography (i.e. shooting things an inch in size or smaller) or do you mean close-up portrait of a person? An APS-C camera is only 'better' than traditional film or digital full-frame cameras in that it creates extra reach (zoom) with the same lens, as outlined in the video. Your 18-50mm is really a 27-75mm (i.e. 1.5x the stated focal length) and your 50-200mm is really a 75-300mm lens. If it's better at shooting macro (super up close), it's just a function of the lens(es) being able to focus on nearby objects thus ensuring they're represented (or magnified) on the sensor close to real size (1:1) or better. With those two zoom lenses and the prime, you should have more than enough to start.
Very, very good. Something as simple as your mentioning the "three clicks = one stop" cleared a LOT of fog away. Do you have this in powerpoint of pdf format?
thank you great info. I just bought a sony nex 7 & I am in over my head. I'll be watching more of your tutorials. My camera is mirror less & im sure a few thing are different ( for ex i have actual size sensor / i think LOL) thanks
I take Milky Way pictures with a Micro 4/3 sensor using a 12mm lens. If I want to take the same pictures with a full frame camera should I use a 24mm lens? what's the conversion rate?
Yes that's right, 24mm. The crop factor for Micro 4/3 is 2x. So a 35-mm equivalent value of 12mm (i.e. the stated value which you'll find on your lens) translates to having 24mm lens on a 35mm full-frame DSLR.
Superb video, one question though if used properly a 85mm APS-C lens should give same compression of a human face in portrait photography as the 85mm full frame lens if only head shot are done
You must be thinking of anamorphic formats (check wikipedia for that term). Since your DSLR will only shoot video in the 16:9 aspect ratio, you'll need to edit your video in Premiere or Final Cut (or something similar) to add a letterbox effect. You're effectively covering up usable portions of your video with black bars top/bottom to create a cinematic ratio (e.g. 2.35:1). You'll have to be quite cognisant of your "visible" frame while shooting given a lot of the image is cropped in post.
Thanks so much for such a well presented and organized video! What focal length and distance would you need to have a full body shot (video) with a shallow depth of field? When I use my 50mm the subject has to be so far away and there is very little bokeh. Close up I can get a shallow DOF on an APS-C but not full body. When I use my 10-18 I can easily get full body but there is no depth of field plus there is some distortion. Does you know how to achieve this look?
A wide angle lens has less depth of field by virtue of how lenses (and light) works. A smaller sensor has less depth of field too. To get an estimate of the effect, you need to apply a similar multiplier to the aperture value as done for focal-length. For example, an APS-C camera at f/2.8 produces a similar bokeh as a full-frame camera at just f/4 -- holding constant the focal length. The relative distance from camera, to subject, to background is important too. You can use this depth of field simulator to get familiar with the effects of various settings: dofsimulator.net/en/
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
Dude, you rock! So much crap out there, this is the first time I started to grasp the concepts! (5 years after you posted it!)
Thanks Alex!
The visual explanation without getting too technical really helps people.
Ugh, you're a legend. I'm watching this in 2018. Thank you!!!!!
LOL... Thanks Emma :)
Thanks so much! Finally there is a video that explains focal length in layman's terms that is easy to visualise and remember, and summarises the learning outcomes.
this video really explains everything, best way to eliminate confusion about Focal Length, Angle of View and Crop Factor.
Thx for the comment
Took me watching about 6 videos before I came across yours and I finally learned what I wanted to learn about focal length!! Thanks, great job. Beginning photographer here, keep up the great work.
Thanks Kevin!
You created an excellent video here. It's clear to understand, full of useful content, with not a bit of waste or unnecessary detail or abstraction. Thank you!
Thanks Marc!
Explanation at its very best. So useful for getting the basics right.
Oh man!!! I hope you're still around Mr. Dame; this short tutorial has helped me immensely. You're explanation of focal length and crop factor is bar none the best in explaining this concept. I'm totally subscribing to your channel. Thank you!!
I'm still here. Thanks so much for the comment. Hope you like the rest of the series too. I just undertook to explain what I wish someone would have told me at the start.
This is a great video... This is what I'm exactly searchin for. Thanks Philippe!!
You're welcome!
The concepts you choose and your explanation are superb! I am learning a lot from your videos. I appreciate you taking time and putting effort into these lessons. Thank your very much!!
Thanks for the comment. It's appreciated.
Very nice! Finally someone who can clearly explain the topic :) great work!
+Milan Mlich I just explained it the way I wish someone would have explained it to me when I was struggling with these topics!
Thanks! The best explanation I've seen for explaining focal length. All other videos I've found attempting to explain have just shown what different focal lengths do rather than actually explaining focal length like your video does so well. Thanks!
Great videos like this always come from the best like you Philippe Dame. Great!
Phil thank you so much for these videos. Although they are a few years old the information is current. Your presentation is clearly spoken, well thought out and the illustrations are easily understood. Many beginners can gain a great deal of knowledge of the basics by taking the time to review this series of videos. Thank you
Paul Thompson thank you for your comment!
I've watched bout 50 videos hoping to come across clear and fundamental explanation and you sir have my respect.
You are by far the best tutorial-teacher-instructor-andwhatnot =)
Thanks for such amazing videos!
Thanks Luis! You put a smile on my face :)
I have watched numerous videos on this topic and this is the best I've seen so far. The lightbulb went off for me on these concepts when you summarized your points at the end. I never thought about the "benefit" of an APS-C camera with regard to saving money on lenses. What a concept.
I think the difference between APS-C and full-frame sensor cameras will diminish in time as technology improves but there will always be a difference just due to physics of light collection. I trust science will get crazy ISO performance out of our smaller sensors. For now, this is why lower megapixels can be better for quality as each photo-receptor is larger.
Though I didn't talk about it in the video, there is also a multiplier to be applied to the stated lens aperture (it's the same factor). That means if you want the same depth of field (e.g. f/2.8) from a full-frame on an APS-C camera, you must divide by that factor (e.g. 2.8 by 1.6 is approximately f/1.8). This is why I got myself the Sigma 18-35 f/1.8 lens for my 7D so I have the equivalent of a 28-56mm f/2.8 on a full frame. All that to say is that fast lenses can help achieve the same effects for depth of field and shouldn't be neglected. In most cases that means you'll want prime lenses in the f/1.4 to f/1.8 max-aperture range.
Very good and funny videos bring a great sense of entertainment!
Phil--Thanks for following up. Yes, this explanation helps somewhat in that it pinpoint's my comprehension problem, but what I still can't grasp is the "cause" of the "leaning in," as you put it.
Great Job!!!! I watched over 30 videos, but nothing like this.Best video I seen so far!!!!
You have such a calming voice and explain things so beautifully. I’ve learned so much from this video, thank you!!! 🙏🏻🙏🏻
InstaBlaster...
This is the video I have been looking for :) Other videos are not explaining what was explained here... thanks!
The best tutorial I've watched! You're an incredible teacher
+Craig Kenny Thanks!
Thank you so much Philippe this was a subject I didn't fully understand until seeing this video.
very well explained, one of the best teacher on internet
Thank you phillipe .. I've gone through so many webpages, videos to understand these basic concepts , but none of them are as simple and clear as your video.. your presentation is awesome.. THANK YOU
That's lovely. Easy for any beginner's to understand.
Probably one of the best tutorials out there. I`m serious, great job.
Wow thx!
what a great video, the explanation, as well as the visual aids, I now understand the conversion - thank you!
very useful tutorial and being an electrical professional i couldn't find any difficulty to understand ...thank you very much.
Excellent explanations!!! Best of the best!
Can't agree more
Thank you for submitting this article useful video and can be used for photography enthusiasts beginners.
It's been said many times already but thank you for taking the time to make this video. It has definitely been insightful.
Steven Martinez Thanks for the feedback. It's appreciated.
Great series! As a beginner I have been watching a lot of video specific to the use of my Canon 70D. That has been all well and good as a tool to learn the camera but not much use in actually understanding photography. This series has helped me immensely in understanding photography in general. Thanks much!
+GenoFelice Glad you liked it. I appreciate the comment.
Man, you are a genius. Thanks so very much for this information. Keep up the good work.
Thanks Henderson!
simply great explanation ... thanks sir 😊😊😊😊
This is great - straightforward & well explained. Thanks for posting!
i was lookink for a concise explanarion but couldn't find . yours is great thank you!
Excellent presentation. I learned tons. Please keep up the good work.
Thanks for explaining so well and those cruel diagrams were very helpful to understand.
So happy to find these videos. They're unbelievably helpful. Thanks very much.
Glad you're enjoying them!
Your videos and tutorials are excellent! Well done. Looking forward to more. Thx.
I have actually learnt something from your video which apparently seems kind of difficult science....thanks mate.
I had a lot of doubts about understanding focal length in dslr cameras and was looking through various websites but this video was really what I needed .. Thanks a lot !
Great pacing! Love the animation work as well, it really helps to illustrate what you're talking about. Even for people like me who know how DSLRs work & digital photography, I still learned a thing or 2 from this video.
Subscribed! Keep up the great work.
You're welcome! I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for your comment.
Clear explanation...everyone should watch this. Thank you.
Fantastic..I've been searching for help at this topic for quite long....finally you made me very clear.! :) Great video.!
Explanation was done in a beautiful way.
Really impressive information.
This is the best explanation I have found! Thanks!
Great video... new to the DSLR world and semi-serious photography in general and had some trouble comprehending focal length concepts just reading it. Your diagrams and explanations are SO incredibly easy to even the most novice of photographers, thanks a ton for this... looking forward to your other videos!
Very nice tutorial, thanks Philippe!
Very informative, and well explained. Thanks
The focal length is the distance in mm between the optical center the point of convergence in the lens to the plane of the sensor in the camera when the subject is in focus.
Another great video - nicely paced and the animations are nice and descriptive without being over-complicated.
Thank you very much for your time making such a thoroughly explained tutorials. Love it x
Awesome video, nice efforts...thanks a lot
awesome tutorial!! very easy to understand. Something I couldn't learn from my degree and tutors!
Very useful and well explained! Thank you a lot!
You're welcome!
I like it ... but the angle number really matters ! To get deep understanding of cameras it is important to understand every single detail. Very good video.
Phil, the crop factor was something I could not get a handle on when changing from film to digital. my photo's just didn't look right using the lenses from my film camera. after watching your video I now understand what the "crop" factor is all about. I prefer having "full frame" so I will be staying with film for my important shots, but will keep the canon eos rebel (300D) I purchased - it's still a good camera under the right photo situations.
Superb explanation.
Excellent content, thanks.
Thx for the comment
Awesome technical explanation! By far one of the best tutorial I have came across. Thank you sir!.
+TubeSwarn Thanks!
this tutorial was so helpful... Thanks Sir MR. Dame you are the best to explain
Very good explanations. I’m pretty new but have watched many videos. I knew much of this already, but confirmed some assumptions and the best explanation I’ve seen of how APS C lenses work.
Excellent tutorial ! - I'm a newbie in this sector and I'm learning photography. Thus, your tutorials are helping me a lot..
Thanks & Best wishes
It's a ratio of the diagonal size. Full frame 35mm sensors are 24 x 36mm, thus a diagonal of 43.3mm. Nikon DX sensors are 23.6 x 15.7mm with a diagonal of 28.3mm. The crop factor is therefore 43.3mm divided by 28.3mm = 1.53 (rounded down to 1.5). Search wikipedia for "Crop Factor" for a detailed breakdown.
Increasing your focal length is in effect what people refer to as zooming. Going from 200mm to 300mm decreases your angle and view (magnifying a smaller subject to fill your camera sensor area). Other optical effects are created at high focal lengths like compression (i.e. the background seems closer to the subject).
Thank you for the wonderful video.
Q:Does an EF-S lens' focal length have the 1.6 crop factor calculated?
All focal lengths and aperture values stated on an EF-S lens are in terms of their 35mm equivalency so you must still apply the crop factor. A 50mm f/1.8 EF-S lens, which is made for an APS-C camera, will feel like a 80mm on a full-frame camera with an aperture of 2.8 (i.e multiply each value by the crop factor of 1.6).
@@pdame thank you for the reply. Though I tend to agree but confusing part is that I have heard the opposite from others.
Cool very good Video
Thank you for this tutorial - first I've watched and found it extremely informative and useful
+Cathy Davies Thanks for the comment. I hope you enjoy the others in the series as well.
DSLR sensors have a 4:3 aspect ratio while HD Video is 16:9 (wider). Any focal length can "fill" a RUclips video frame but it requires the final image be cropped to the correct ratio. Your DSLR camera does this cropping for you when you switch to video mode.
awesome explanation. thanks for that.
So i have given a focal length of 80 mm and i have a sensor that is measuring 16x24 (aps-c) and i need to stand a person who is two meters long. How far from camera i need to put him? I cant find ANY formula for this! Please help :(((((
Damn!!!! The best tutorial! Thank you man!
Brilliant explanation. Thanks a lot..
Great explanation.
You taught me a lot in this video. Thank you for real.
You're welcome!
you're awesome , thank you so much Phil
really you explained everything in simple way .
Glad you liked it.
Very clear and helpful. Thank you.
Thats fantastic sir! Crisp and clear
Philippe, Thanks a lot for making such a good tutorial, had studied optics but forgot everything and also this is from a practical aspect and even informative but still interesting.
***** Thanks!
Great video and very helpful!
amazing information, thnx a lot....philippe...
Hi Philippe, really superbly presented video and so helpful, many thanks for your altruism in posting it. I have recently bought a Pentax DSLR K-S2 with approx 20mp sensor, if that is how it is termed. I do a lot of indoor photography. My camera came with an 18-50mm lens and a 50-200mm and I also bought a 35mm prime lens. Please let me know if these lenses are sufficient for most needs; or any suggestions you have for further lenses and which of those are best for close-up photography? What I don't quite grasp is why my compact 18mp Fujifilm camera seems better at close-up than the DSLR? A final question is relating to what a sensor receives? There is a grid guide that is smaller than the view, based on your tutorial, am I right that it is the grid that the sensor picks up rather than the whole view? I look forward to your reply, thanks and regards, Joe.
+Joe Beard I'm glad you like the video. When you mention "close-up", do you mean macro photography (i.e. shooting things an inch in size or smaller) or do you mean close-up portrait of a person? An APS-C camera is only 'better' than traditional film or digital full-frame cameras in that it creates extra reach (zoom) with the same lens, as outlined in the video. Your 18-50mm is really a 27-75mm (i.e. 1.5x the stated focal length) and your 50-200mm is really a 75-300mm lens. If it's better at shooting macro (super up close), it's just a function of the lens(es) being able to focus on nearby objects thus ensuring they're represented (or magnified) on the sensor close to real size (1:1) or better. With those two zoom lenses and the prime, you should have more than enough to start.
Like how you explained it . Thanks
Thanks, very good ...easy to understand..that physics math, how implement in Camera lenses.
Very, very good. Something as simple as your mentioning the "three clicks = one stop" cleared a LOT of fog away. Do you have this in powerpoint of pdf format?
Thanks for all your comments. It's appreciated.
Very well explained...thanks!!!!
thank you great info. I just bought a sony nex 7 & I am in over my head. I'll be watching more of your tutorials. My camera is mirror less & im sure a few thing are different ( for ex i have actual size sensor / i think LOL)
thanks
I take Milky Way pictures with a Micro 4/3 sensor using a 12mm lens. If I want to take the same pictures with a full frame camera should I use a 24mm lens? what's the conversion rate?
Yes that's right, 24mm. The crop factor for Micro 4/3 is 2x. So a 35-mm equivalent value of 12mm (i.e. the stated value which you'll find on your lens) translates to having 24mm lens on a 35mm full-frame DSLR.
Superb video, one question though if used properly a 85mm APS-C lens should give same compression of a human face in portrait photography as the 85mm full frame lens if only head shot are done
This was extremely helpful. Thank you!
Glad you liked it!
Great, thank you
You must be thinking of anamorphic formats (check wikipedia for that term). Since your DSLR will only shoot video in the 16:9 aspect ratio, you'll need to edit your video in Premiere or Final Cut (or something similar) to add a letterbox effect. You're effectively covering up usable portions of your video with black bars top/bottom to create a cinematic ratio (e.g. 2.35:1). You'll have to be quite cognisant of your "visible" frame while shooting given a lot of the image is cropped in post.
Thanks so much for such a well presented and organized video!
What focal length and distance would you need to have a full body shot (video) with a shallow depth of field? When I use my 50mm the subject has to be so far away and there is very little bokeh. Close up I can get a shallow DOF on an APS-C but not full body. When I use my 10-18 I can easily get full body but there is no depth of field plus there is some distortion.
Does you know how to achieve this look?
A wide angle lens has less depth of field by virtue of how lenses (and light) works. A smaller sensor has less depth of field too. To get an estimate of the effect, you need to apply a similar multiplier to the aperture value as done for focal-length. For example, an APS-C camera at f/2.8 produces a similar bokeh as a full-frame camera at just f/4 -- holding constant the focal length. The relative distance from camera, to subject, to background is important too. You can use this depth of field simulator to get familiar with the effects of various settings: dofsimulator.net/en/
Thanks so much! I appreciate the link as well as taking the time to explain!
First class. Thank you.