Medium format question?

[Ghoste]

Ok, so more questions since I have Hassies on my mind. Since the film is much larger I know (I think I do atleast) that the lense acts opposite of a digital camera lense i.e. 20D when the sensor is smaller. Like.. since the 20D has a small sensor the lense acts larger. With a medium format the lense should act much much wider correct? So like the 20D it's focal length multiplied by 1.6, what is it for medium format? I hope I'm making sense and I hope it actually works like I think it does. Haha thanks for putting up with my random late night questions that make no sense.

 

[ThomThomsk]

I don't use MF (yet), so I Googled this:

http://www.photo.net/equipment/medium-format/focal-length-conversion

That was first hit with the search phrase 'lens focal length equivalent "medium format"'

Thomsk

 

[photoboy15]

A 50mm lens on a 35mm would be the same view as a 80mm lens on a Hassie (6x6) or a 90mm lens on a 6x7.

 

[Hertz van Rental]

The standard lens for any format is approximately the film diagonal for that format (corner to corner across the neg).
Anything of longer focal length acts as a telephoto.
Anything of shorter focal length acts as a wide.

 

[FuddyDuddy]

A 50mm lens on a 35mm would be the same view as a 80mm lens on a Hassie (6x6) or a 90mm lens on a 6x7.

Hello.

Well actually it wouldn't. An 80mm lens on a Hassie equates to a ~43mm in 35mm. As has been mentioned, the "normal" lens of a particular format is taken to be the length of the format's diagonal, and for 35mm this is ~43mm.

So a 50mm on a 35mm camera is in fact a very mild telephoto.:lmao:

50mm became the accepted "standard" simply because a 50mm cine lens was all that was at hand when Oskar Barnack created his first 35mm stills camera. Or that's how the story goes.:er:

Fuddy

 

[Hertz van Rental]

The diagonal thing is only approximate. A standard on 35mm is anything between 45 and 55mm. There's no appreciable difference until you get outside those parameters.
There's a similar amount of leeway with all formats. If you use prime lenses you are limited for choice.

 

[Ghoste]

I'm really confused. So basically the lense is wider on medium format then on 35mm. Like their 30mm is a fisheye on that camera when standard fisheye is 15mm.

 

[Hertz van Rental]

Example:
If you have a format where the standard lens is 50mm.
Then a 25mm lens is a wide and 100mm is a telephoto.

If you have a larger format where the standard lens is 100mm.
Then a 50mm is a wide and 150mm is a telephoto.
A 25mm would be a 'super-wide'.

And so on.

Does that make it clearer?

 

[Ghoste]

Yeah somewhat. Hertz you are to smart for me Soo... yeah.. I dunno. So basically it's the opposite of what digital does to the lense right? Medium format makes lenses wider?

 

[photoboy15]

Yes essentially. But your lens technically is not getting wider your media, whether it be a digital sensor or a roll/sheet of film, is what is changing size. The lens produces and image in a circle. The film or sensor is only picking up part of that image circle. The larger the media the more of the images picks up and the wider the image looks.

It is like cropping, for lack of a better term. If you have ever developed your own prints and you make an 8x10 image and then put piece of 5x7 paper under the enlarger with out changing the enlarger then you only get part of the picture. That is a rudimentary example but I hope it helps.