Lens Angle of View
Compute the field of view in degrees from focal length and sensor size.
About Lens Angle of View
The angular field of view follows an arctangent relation between the sensor side length and twice the focal length, computed for three axes. The same lens sees a very different scene on full frame versus a crop sensor, so angles of view help choose lenses for a given framing.
Formula
Lens Angle of View
Angle of view = 2 x atan( sensor dimension / (2 x focal length) )
- sensor dimension
- Width, height or diagonal of the imaging sensor in mm
Worked example
With the default values below, Lens Angle of View returns Horizontal of 39.6. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Focal lengthminimum 1 mm
- 50 mm
- Sensorone of Full frame (36x24), APS-C (23.6x15.7), Micro 4/3 (17.3x13), 1-inch (13.2x8.8), Phone (8.5x5.6)
- Full frame (36x24)
Results
- Horizontal
- 39.6 deg
- Vertical
- 27.0 deg
- Diagonal
- 46.8 deg
Step by step
- 1Values used
- 2Lens Angle of View
- 3Horizontal= 39.6 deg
- 4Vertical= 27.0 deg
- 5Diagonal= 46.8 deg
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the 2 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 1 decimal place, 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 Lens Angle of View calculated?
Angle of view = 2 x atan( sensor dimension / (2 x focal length) ) The angular field of view follows an arctangent relation between the sensor side length and twice the focal length, computed for three axes.
Why does Lens Angle of View matter?
The same lens sees a very different scene on full frame versus a crop sensor, so angles of view help choose lenses for a given framing.
What values do I need to enter?
This calculator takes 2 inputs: Focal length, Sensor. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.