Skip to content
ENExplore Calculators

Field Of View (Camera) Calculator

Work out field of view (camera) instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Field Of View (Camera) Calculator

Angle of view is twice the arctangent of half the sensor dimension over the focal length, and the covered scene width is twice the distance times the tangent of half that angle. Field of view depends on sensor size as well as focal length, which is why a 50 mm lens is standard on full frame but a portrait lens on a crop body.

Formulas

Angle of view

FOV = 2 x arctan(sensor dimension / (2 x focal length))

Scene coverage

coverage = 2 x distance x tan(FOV / 2)

Worked example

With the default values below, Field Of View (Camera) Calculator returns Horizontal field of view of 39.598. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Focal lengthminimum 1 mm
50 mm
Sensor widthminimum 1 mm
36 mm
Sensor heightminimum 1 mm
24 mm
Subject distanceminimum 0.01 m
10 m

Results

Horizontal field of view
39.598 deg
Vertical field of view
26.991 deg
Scene width at the subject
7.200 m
Scene height at the subject
4.800 m

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2Angle of view
  3. 3Scene coverage
  4. 4Horizontal field of view= 39.598 deg
  5. 5Vertical field of view= 26.991 deg
  6. 6Scene width at the subject= 7.200 m
  7. 7Scene height at the subject= 4.800 m

Assumptions and limits

  • The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
  • In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
  • Figures are rounded for display to 3 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the Field Of View (Camera) figure worked out?

FOV = 2 x arctan(sensor dimension / (2 x focal length)). Angle of view is twice the arctangent of half the sensor dimension over the focal length, and the covered scene width is twice the distance times the tangent of half that angle.

Why does this matter?

Field of view depends on sensor size as well as focal length, which is why a 50 mm lens is standard on full frame but a portrait lens on a crop body.

What do I need to enter?

Enter focal length, sensor width, sensor height, subject distance. The defaults shown are a realistic worked example — swap in your own figures to get a result you can use.

Related Calculators

Field Of View (Camera) Calculator | Calcrivo