Focal Length Visualizations
This diagram came out of wondering exactly which focal lengths I want to have in my collection. Especially when it comes to decisions like, "Should I have a 12mm prime when I also have a zoom lens that starts at 16mm"
It's the first time I put something together like this and the process was fairly straight forward:
- Setup tripod and take a series of shots in manual at various focal lengths
- Import images into editor like Affinity Designer/Photo or Photoshop etc.
- Scale images down to match their position within the widest photo
- Add boxes and labels
Has anyone done any testing like this? What did you find about how it influences your focal length selection?
Uploaded files:
Talk about a helpful visual! It really shows how a small focal length change makes a huge difference at the wide end. I've never used one, but those lenses that are something like 11-17 or whatever always seemed to be such a small range to me. But this makes it clear that it's actually a big change in the field of view.
Wow, that must've taken ages to put together! Nicely done!
I love these illustrations. They make it all real.
And it goes to show why I'm desperate to get a 12-15mm lens for my Ricoh GXR M-mount. I currently can't get wider than 32mm cropped with my current selection. And my favorite lens goes from 35mm to 56mm effectively.
Quote from ahoyhere on July 25, 2022, 11:21 pmWow, that must've taken ages to put together! Nicely done!
I love these illustrations. They make it all real.
And it goes to show why I'm desperate to get a 12-15mm lens for my Ricoh GXR M-mount. I currently can't get wider than 32mm cropped with my current selection. And my favorite lens goes from 35mm to 56mm effectively.
Glad it's helpful!
This diagram was actually pretty quick to make! I do graphic design as part of my job, so that helps too.
Made a quick explainer video to show the process: How to Create a Focal Length Visualization in Affinity Designer
(Direct Link: https://youtu.be/PfJWRQru1YQ)
This result can be accomplished in many apps. The free & great Canva (https://www.canva.com) would even work for this.
Hope it helps!
Here's another focal length choice I've been contemplating, between two zoom lenses, I looked at 50, 70, 140, and 300 on APSC. A good friend lent me his Fujifilm 70-300mm, an excellent lens!
Uploaded files:
I missed your last post. I came back here to look at the wide angle one again, trying to decide if I really "need" something wider than I already have (I do, as far as anyone actually "needs" any more camera gear lol).
Once again I am impressed by your work and surprised by the difference in focal lengths. When I use a zoom I'm usually at the far end. For me that means I've shot a lot of photos at 135mm and 300mm. The difference is pronounced. Necessary even for a lot of wildlife shots. But if you asked me to draw rectangles on there guesstimating them I would have had the 140 much closer! Shows how fallible our perceptions can be and why empirical data is so useful. 🙂
