Picture Angle

[plastii]

Hi there.

Can someone explain this to me? Every lense has picture angle - what is it?

Thanks
Marek

 

[jstuedle]

It's the angle from the extreme left side to the extreme right measured in degrees. Also considered field of view. Most are measured using a full 35mm frame unless stated "DX" of cropped chip, something similar.

 

[plastii]

It's the angle from the extreme left side to the extreme right measured in degrees. Also considered field of view. Most are measured using a full 35mm frame unless stated "DX" of cropped chip, something similar.

Thanks for the info.
I also found this so now I got it
http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/Glossary/Optical/Picture_Angle_01.htm

 

[lv6l]

what is a good mm on a lens to choose? is there any sites like the one above that tells you more in dept about these things. i always want to know which mm is a good distance so when i shoot my photos they look very natural and same proportion as how i saw it.

sorry i'm not trying to steal your thread "plastii". i been trying to search around and your thread is the closest i got.

 

[Josh66]

what is a good mm on a lens to choose? is there any sites like the one above that tells you more in dept about these things. i always want to know which mm is a good distance so when i shoot my photos they look very natural and same proportion as how i saw it.

sorry i'm not trying to steal your thread "plastii". i been trying to search around and your thread is the closest i got.

That all depends on what you want to do. "Normal" is 50mm on a full frame (35mm) sensor - about 35mm on a crop sensor (most dSLRs). "Normal" is approximately the field of view that your eye has. Telephoto is anything longer than normal, wide angle is anything shorter than normal.

If you want the same field of view you get with your eyes, look for a normal lens.

 

[lv6l]

So roughly on a D80 w/18-135mm lens the distance that best matches what I am seeing with my eyes is about 35mm?

 

[Josh66]

So roughly on a D80 w/18-135mm lens the distance that best matches what I am seeing with my eyes is about 35mm?

Yeah, that should be pretty close to what you normally see with your eyes.

 

[Helen B]

The comparison is with the viewing angle we tend to look at pictures with. The idea is that when we look at a picture taken with a 'normal' lens, the taking angle will roughly equal the viewing angle. This means that the perspective will be natural.

If the viewing angle is less than the taking angle, the perspective will appear to be expanded. If the viewing angle is greater than the taking angle, the perspective will appear to be compressed.

The 'normal' focal length is generally assumed to be roughly equal to the diagonal of the film or sensor format. It isn't an exact thing, of course. This is based on the idea that we look at pictures from a distance that is approximately equal to the diagonal of the picture.

Best,
Helen