Lens Reach Calculator

by Jason Polak

Calculate lens reach defined as the number of pixels on your subject, with the results given as equivalent focal lengths on various sensors. This is not the same thing as field of view equivalence.

Sensor
Focal Length mm
Aperture f /
 

on 100MP Fuji Medium Format
 

on 67MP Full-Frame
 

on 61MP Full-Frame
 

on 45.7MP Full-Frame
 

on 24MP Full-Frame
 

on 40.2MP APS-C
 

on 32.5MP Canon APS-C
 

on 26.1MP APS-C
 

on 20.3MP APS-C
 

on 25.2MP Micro Four Thirds
 

on 20.3MP Micro Four Thirds
No AI was used to make this calculator.

Definitions

These are the approximate sizes of each sensor:

Video

In this video I explain the calculator and give two examples:

Note

The pixel pitch is found by dividing the sensor size length (or the width) by the number pixels on the corresponding side. This is a very good approximation, but can be off by a small amount in practice due to various factors, such as actual vs. effective pixels and errors in stated measurements.

Based on my own experience in testing various cameras, I'd estimate that the error range is around 5%. Therefore, at 500mm, small differences of up to around 30mm are likely. (For reference, 530/500 = 1.06).

For example, if the equivalent focal length for 500mm is 485mm on another sensor, for practical purposes, they're pretty much the same. That's about the difference between the Nikon Z8 and Nikon Z50. But 500mm vs 350mm will already be quite different.