Camera Field of View Calculator
Calculate camera field of view from sensor dimensions and focal length to see horizontal, vertical, and diagonal angle of view plus scene coverage at any distance. Presets cover full-frame, APS-C, Micro Four Thirds, 1-inch, C920-class webcam, and a typical phone-main sensor. Enter a target horizontal FOV to reverse-calculate focal length.
Camera Field of View Calculator
Common focal lengths
Used for 35 mm equivalent focal length only; FOV uses your actual sensor and lens.
Reverse-calculates the focal length needed for that horizontal angle of view (FOV to focal length).
Results
Coverage at subject distance
Enter Sensor Size and Focal Length
Start with a sensor preset or type width and height in millimeters. Enter the actual focal length of your lens, not the zoom ring marketing label if it differs from specifications. Crop factor is used only to show 35 mm equivalent focal length; angle of view always uses the physical sensor size and lens you entered.
Subject distance helps translate angular FOV into meters or feet of coverage, which is essential for studio setups, real estate photography, and event planning where you need to know how wide a group will fit.
Horizontal, Vertical, and Diagonal Camera FOV
Horizontal angle of view is the most cited spec on lens datasheets. Vertical FOV matters for portrait orientation and video formats. Diagonal FOV summarizes the full frame corner-to-corner and is useful when comparing lenses across different aspect ratios.
All three values derive from the same arctangent relationship between sensor dimension and focal length. Changing focal length does not scale FOV linearly. Halving focal length does not exactly double the angle: a 50 mm lens on full-frame is about 39.6° horizontal, while 25 mm is about 71.5°.
Lens Field of View Explained
A lens field of view calculator answers how much of a scene a given focal length captures on a specific sensor. Wide-angle lenses shorten focal length relative to sensor size, increasing FOV. Telephoto lenses narrow the cone of light reaching the sensor.
This lens FOV calculator also shows 35mm equivalent focal length so you can compare crop-sensor setups to full-frame references used in photography forums and lens reviews.
Angle of View Camera Examples
A 50mm lens on full-frame (36×24 mm) delivers about 40° horizontal FOV similar to normal human perspective. A 24mm wide-angle pushes beyond 70° horizontal. Use these benchmarks to sanity-check calculator output against lenses you already own.
For a fov to focal length calculator workflow, enter the horizontal FOV you need in the target field. The result is the focal length for your current sensor width. Security and landscape planners use the same loop when choosing lenses.
Webcam and Phone Camera FOV
Modern phone main cameras often sit near 70–80° horizontal with equivalent focal lengths around 24–26 mm on full-frame scale. Use the typical phone-main preset (~7.1×5.3 mm) as a starting point, then replace it with your device's published sensor size. iPhone FOV varies by model, so this tool does not ship an unversioned iPhone preset. The Logitech C920-class preset uses a 1/3-inch sensor (4.8×3.6 mm) with a ~3.7 mm lens. That geometry is about 66° horizontal and 78.5° diagonal; manufacturer marketing often quotes a ~78° diagonal figure.
Fisheye lenses exceed 180° and break rectilinear assumptions but this calculator assumes straight-line projection, so fisheye fov values from manufacturers may look wider than calculated rectilinear equivalents.
Common Calculation Mistakes
Mixing up sensor diagonal with width is the most frequent error. Always use the correct axis for horizontal versus vertical FOV. Another pitfall is applying crop factor twice: if you already entered APS-C sensor width, do not also lengthen the focal length by the crop. The 35 mm equivalent figure is for comparison only.
For surveillance overlap, pair results with the security camera FOV calculator which adds mounting height and target width recommendations. Use the vertical FOV converter when a video spec lists vertical instead of horizontal angle.
Frequently Asked Questions
Divide sensor width by twice the focal length, take arctan, multiply by two, and convert to degrees for horizontal FOV. Repeat with sensor height for vertical FOV. Crop factor is shown as 35 mm equivalent only; it does not change the FOV math. Enter a target horizontal FOV to reverse-calculate focal length, plus coverage at your subject distance.
Lens angle of view is the angular extent of the scene a lens projects onto the sensor, measured in degrees. It depends on both focal length and sensor size so the same lens on a smaller sensor yields a narrower angle because the sensor captures a smaller portion of the image circle.
iPhone camera FOV varies by model, lens, capture mode, and crop. Check the specification for your exact device, then enter its actual sensor dimensions and focal length. The Typical phone main preset is a generic ~7.1×5.3 mm starting point, not an iPhone model.
No. Higher focal length means narrower FOV and more magnification. Lower focal length widens the angle. Telephoto lenses above 85mm on full-frame often drop below 30° horizontal, while ultra-wide lenses exceed 90°.