You'll see that larger than 35mm formats, 50mm equivalent lenses actually sound like telephotos. Equivalent lenses are calculated so that the focal length produces the same approximate angle of view and the f-stop results in an aperture diameter equal to the base lens’s aperture diameter which will produce the same depth of field. Back to beginning of the Accessories based on published specifications available to me at of view. These days I'm active on Instagram and YouTube. What determines how much On top of that, I believe that learning the advanced technical side of photography makes it easier to internalize the basics, something that directly impacts the quality of your photos. 2� square format focal lengths. The article below is limited in scope simply to focal length, aperture, and ISO – the three key takeaways from the equivalence discussion that I think everyone should know. Going from a 6cmx6cm to 35mm, expect a focal length equivalent to 294mm f/7.8 on the original 6x6 medium format sensor. As you can see, you need to square your crop factor first. Other times, equivalence works in your favor, and there is no theoretical difference between a small sensor or large sensor for the photo you want: Equivalence is among the nitty-grittiest of the nitty-gritty. 645 film (56 x 41.5mm) has 2.6 times the area of full-frame 35mm (36 x 24mm), or a 0.62075x crop factor.. The first chart simply shows crop factors: While the second chart shows you the equivalent of a 100mm lens on your camera: All right. For the full-frame Nikon and Pentax medium-format, that factor is about 1.4× (if you crop the wider 3:2 Nikon frame to get an equivalent image). ... frame equivalent of f/1.2-1.4 maximum aperture. One chooses a camera and a lens. APS-H (27.90mm x 18.60mm) (1.29x crop) Medium Format. it. Don’t misinterpret that I’m saying “ISO 200 on M4/3 is the same as ISO 800 on full frame.” It’s not. When they come to Medium may have slightly different angles of view � see the wider than the horizontal angle! If you want to take equivalent photos with a Nikon DX crop-sensor camera and a Nikon FX full-frame camera, you’ll need to do a few calculations. the 35mm format is rectangular (longer on one side They are called "645" because they use the nominal 6cm x 4.5cm film size from 120 roll film.They came in three major generations: first-generation manual-focus film cameras, second-generation manual-focus film cameras, and autofocus film/digital cameras. a 28mm lens on a 35mm SLR, Another example:  40mm That makes the photos look equivalent at a broad level (field of view, depth of field, and brightness). Therefore the amount of light (number of photons) is the same in both cases but is spread over a sensor area which is 4 times larger in the full frame case , so the picture is darker and to adjust for this ISO has to be increased 4 times. That means that you should have roughly equivalent depth of field at f/2.8 on the Pentax and around f/2 on the Nikon. A number of years ago I To take equivalent photos, you’ll be at f/4 on a 1.5x sensor alongside f/6 on a full-frame sensor. As you can see in the images above, even though the fields of view are identical, depth of field is not (which will be more visible in the next section’s photos). Add 10%: 2.5mm = 27.5mm  So For example, say that you’re trying to calculate equivalence between an APS-C and medium format camera. even, gasp, position. (for instance Carl Zeiss Oberkochen for Hasselblad) Aperture opens and closes with no problems. compare lenses across cameras with different formats (sensor sizes Having done all the hard work, I If I have F1.0 APC-C lense, and F1.6 Full Frame lense, the ISO values are the same? It goes into things like print size, pixel density, diffraction, and the ugly duckling of “total light.” Feel free to read it if you’re interested in those topics. This waterfall was photographed with two exposures, one at f/22 at 1⁄15 sec and one at f/8 at 1/125 sec. Why? Characterized by its especially slim design, the GF 50mm f/3.5 R LM WR Lens from FUJIFILM is a compact 40mm-equivalent prime designed for the medium format G-mount GFX camera system. My photos have been displayed in galleries worldwide, including the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and exhibitions in London, Malta, Siena, and Beijing. This gives the X1D a versatile multi-purpose optic, and effectively an everyday lens if you'd like to use your Hasselblad as as a walkabout camera. Before I go into any details, let me simply mention one thing: the formula for equivalent aperture is exactly the same as the formula for equivalent focal length. If the desired image cannot be captured then change something like the lens or the other tools or the settings. If you see an amazing photo and wonder how to get the same look in your images, just do some quick calculations to figure out the right settings. And total light…………in English. The following image, taken at f/8, has the same depth of field as the prior one: This formula applies just as well for “stranger” cases of equivalence, too, like the APS-C vs medium format example above. than 120mm, or the Arsenal Vega lens is slightly longer camera records as much of the scene before it as a results of these calculations may be misleading, as After the 2012-2017 Great Equivalence War, photographers everywhere agreed never to utter that word again. Before we start, what is equivalence? but also by the size of the recording medium behind But if you don’t at least take into account focal length, aperture, and ISO, you’ll never get equivalent photos across different camera systems. If you don’t also do the next step (the ISO side of things), the f/6 photo will be significantly darker. If a 50mm focal length lens is The Hasselblad XCD 35-75mm f/3.5-4.5 is just shy of being a medium format version of a standard 24-70mm zoom, with an equivalent 27.65-59.25mm focal range. Was looking for some good data about ISO equivalence, and finally found it. much). Lens Data section, click below and then choose the Quite simply, it’s the way you can take similar looking photos with two different cameras – two cameras of differing sensor sizes, to be more specific. mmCalc is a simple online tool that uses your sensor size to instantly convert any focal length and aperture f-stop into its 35mm equivalent. However, if you want equivalent photos on both these cameras, you’ll need to shoot your full-frame sensor at twice the focal length, twice the f-number, and four times the ISO. Or f/4 and ISO 1000 (1.5x crop camera) versus f/6 and ISO 2250 (full-frame). However, as we near the two-year anniversary of the ceasefire, it seems that isolationist thoughts – i.e., that equivalence is isolated just to focal length – are resurfacing again. This is called perspective, and it’s a cruel force if equivalence is your goal; with different perspectives, it just isn’t possible to capture two identical photos. detailed comparison. Fine to get same field of view. A 50mm Normal Lens on Every Format Since 50mm is the most common focal length (at least on prime lenses), let's find the equivalent of a 50mm lens on every format. mount could be made for it,  a 50mm lens The crop factor for that sensor is 1.5x. The 6 x 7 format is the easiest crop factor to calculate at roughly half the equivalent focal length for full frame cameras. formulae to �convert� 35mm format focal lengths to There are useful things to be gained from equivalence. Equivalent focal lengths with 35mm (They aren’t hard, and I’ll cover them below.) (They aren’t hard, and I’ll cover them below.) For instance, Format, a whole new set of focal lengths needs to be section. routinely quote both the diagonal and horizontal So, when you crop your photos by using a crop-sensor camera, you need to do something about the depth of field problem. I'm most likely going to just get 3 lenses. One picks up the camera and lens of choice for the session or day and sets the camera, frames the image taking into consideration any other tools such as flash, filters or whatever. Further, if you crop the MF image to a determined not only by the focal length of the lens, So, what’s the underlying formula here? As a side note, smartphone manufacturers have tried to get around this by using a low base ISO of around 25 on many models. The lens is designed for Hasselblad's digital 'medium-format' which features a 44x33mm camera sensor size and a 0.79x magnification. Who would have guessed? My understand is as follows which is slightly different , I am wrong? Hopefully this fact is already second nature to you. But Hey. ), though some Let’s stop this madness before it’s too late. And this only applies when your fields of view are matched already – after you’ve zoomed in with the larger sensor. If I use a medium format lens on a camera with a 1″ sensor, the aperture is tiny (less than 1)? In fact, let’s revisit the 2x crop sensor example. In practice, even if a And, by actual magic, full-frame sensors are about two stops better in high ISO performance than 2x crop cameras. Medium format will have an edge just like FF has to APS-C or m43. Pentax-a 645 55mm f2.8 medium format manual focus, auto aperture or manual aperture works well, see pictures for exterior condition, some dust in lens, no haze or fungus. The issue is that in real-world use, there isn’t a clear cut winner when it comes to image quality between medium format and full-frame. Quite simply, now that we’ve entered a bit of a cool-down period on the equivalence debate, it’s become a good time to turn back and examine it with rational heads. In other words, a 100mm lens on 645 sees about the same angle of view as a 60mm lens does on 35mm film.. Even if those lenses did exist, most crop-sensor cameras still lack ultra-low ISO values. You can sit down behind a trailer of several hundred lenses and work out which is closest to the camera equivalent you had and fell in love with 20 years ago. Equivalent to a ~40mm f/2.9 in 35mm-format terms, the 12oz = 335gram Fujifilm GF 50/3.5 lacks the lens speed but nails it on […] It’s similar to the first two, although slightly more complicated. To go to the lens test section, click here. The best you can do is get the theory right – the math in this article – and accept that image quality differences are going to remain based on your sensor itself. Equivalence is just a method of procrastination, the result of gas or ego. ISO 250, on the FF camera to get the same image brightness. cameras. If you don’t believe me, here’s the proof: Clearly, the first image has a shallower depth of field. A given I also don’t want photographers to waste their time in forum arguments if there is any way around it. rectangle, you will of course be reducing the angle Ken. Offering an equivalent 24mm focal length and priced at around £3,600, we find out just what the Hasselblad XCD 30mm F3.5 is capable of in our latest in-depth review complete with full-size sample photos. A simpler There’s never been a more affordable way to get into digital medium format photography before, and whilst Pentax paved the way over recent years … Instead, you’ll have to set it to base ISO as well, and darken the photo as needed with a faster shutter speed. That’s my true reason for writing this article: to emphasize the three important takeaways of equivalence. Note: On Photography Life, we already have a very detailed article on equivalence here. Nasim’s famous quote, “Everyone is right, everyone is wrong,” has been etched both into the peace treaty and into the hearts of millions. Sure, a thousand little differences mean that your photos will never look identical even after you get the math right. To get a good approximation of the than the other), while the 2� square (6�6) format is manufacturers of lenses for medium format cameras What photographer hasn't thought about getting into medium format photography? Hopefully this goes without saying, but any side-by-side test will show ISO 800 to be brighter than ISO 200. In this case, you need to look at the ratio of their sensor diagonals to find the crop factor between the two. You get the point. Most likely, it already has better high ISO performance than the crop sensor, so it works out to be roughly an even trade. All you have proved is that the bigger the sensor, the shallower the depth of field. See, the aperture side of equivalence is actually about fixing a problem you made a moment ago. offer a lens with a focal length of 135mm. designed for use on a 35mm camera could not be used = 22mm, Back to beginning of the I also wasn't a big fan of the 5 blade straight aperture of the Hasselblad V lenses. Everyone agrees that focal length is part of equivalence. Full-frame sensors are about 1.3 stops better than APS-C sensors at high ISOs. (I know it’s hardly been a paragraph, but my foot is starting to twitch, so I’ll break my no-disclaimer rule just once to say okay, unless you crop or stitch a panorama.). Note: For a quick understanding of numbers like 1/2.3, skip to table of sensor formats and sizes. So, we can expect that f/8 at 200mm provides similar depth of field as f/4 at 100mm, cropped to match the field of view. Excellent work indeed. As its name implies, the GA645 series uses 120 roll film and captures images in a 645 format. Hi Thanks. Condition is "Used", … For example, this leads to equivalence between f/4 and ISO 1000 (on a 2x crop camera) compared to f/8 and ISO 4000 (full-frame). Carl Zeiss Jena and Arsenal are also slightly For examples, the most famous medium format 6x7 lens was the Pentax 105mm f/2.4. (Naturally, assume the same lens, sensor megapixels, pixel-level performance, aspect ratio, people jumping in front of the camera, and the camera’s mood that day. lens. Because the example photo above simulates a 2x crop factor, that’s simply f/8. Its all irrelevant. Otherwise, you just can’t get equivalent images. The one you still have but don’t use. Yes even for professionals. Its sleek profile makes it ideal for walkaround and everyday shooting and completes a truly portable medium format … Or, if you’re deciding between two camera systems, it helps to know exactly what you’re giving up with one versus the other. This allows for better tonality (smoother gradations), finer detail, and less apparent grain. To go back to the beginning of the A made a comparison of 6�6 and 35mm angles of view, Just enter the focal length and maximum aperture of your lens and then choose a sensor size. Note that certain focal lengths become popular, and many manufacturers consider that sensor, is equivalent to a 157.5mm f/2.1 lens. The Mamiya 645 camera systems are a series of medium format film and digital cameras and lenses manufactured by Mamiya and its successors. recorded (more than three and a half times as I do want to emphasize that equivalence is rarely something you’ll need to think about in the field – but it does matter a lot in certain non-field cases. The CZJ Biometar An equivalent exposure is one that relies on the same amount of light for the proper exposure but juggles the aperture and shutter speed settings to yield different image effects. Are Canon and Nikon the only reputable makers? lenses that purport to have the same focal length GFX / X1D / 645z (43.80mm x 32.90mm) (0.79x crop) 645 (56.00mm x 41.5mm) (0.62x crop) 6x6 (56.00mm x 56.00mm) (0.55x crop) 6x7 (56.00mm x 67.00mm) (0.50x crop) 6x8 (56.00mm x 77.00mm) (0.45x crop) 6x9 (56.00mm x 84.00mm) (0.43x crop) Large Format. Quite simply, it’s the way you can take similar looking photos with two different cameras – two cameras of differing sensor sizes, to be more specific. While I’m at it, I’ll mention another thing: this is only talking about depth of field. On the rare 1.3x APS-H Canon cameras, that’s f/4 and f/5.2, a little less than one stop of difference. Lens Data section, To go back to the beginning of the Accessories manufacturer�s �135mm� lens may in fact have a focal Thank you for the great insight. that you want to read about. prefer a simpler approach! Crap. Thanks for helping me help you! Equivalence goes completely out the window once you start moving. Hopefully, it’s no surprise to hear that Canon’s APS-H cameras performed about one stop worse at high ISOs versus the company’s same-generation full-frame cameras. When you zoom in at a constant aperture, depth of field decreases. It directly matters any time you try to recreate the look of a particular image (such as an inspiring portrait photo you saw online), or when you’re deciding among camera systems in the first place. square. For example, a 100mm lens on a 1.5x camera is like a 150mm lens on full-frame camera, at least for field of view. If so, why didnt you just say that, much more simple. So. Arsenal Vega (so either it is slightly shorter they must offer lenses in them. You can debate all day about sensor efficiencies, lens T-stops, X-Trans vs Bayer, CCD vs CMOS, and a million other things. If you’re at ISO 100 on the APS-C camera, you would need ISO 100 * (1.6^2), i.e. The XCD 30mm F3.5 is a wide-angle prime lens for the Hasselblad X1D and 907X 50C medium-format camera systems. Fine. All the best. Dave (have FF, APSC and Mic 4/3 cameras). Relatively speaking, it would be a super-fast lens with a long zoom. different from each other. that would enable me to check the exact a 50mm 6�6 lens is roughly equivalent to So, the entire discussion below assumes that you’re standing still, because otherwise you might as well be reading a completely different article (like Elizabeth’s on lens compression). But since you’re at base ISO on both cameras, the large sensor is likely going to win in terms of things like dynamic range and color depth. That’s two stops of difference. focal length, halve it, and add a bit �80mm� Biometar and Xenotar lenses in the above At this point, the obvious difference is that one photo is darker than the other. ... as small as vintage medium format goes). What we have is a 63mm f/1.5 (full-frame equivalent) lens, with the aperture equivalence referring to depth of field. What were you thinking? Recently everyone is raving about the launch of Fujifilm Medium Format camera… I can’t resist the temptation and hence wanted to get one for myself… but I don’t have the money to spare… so I bought something “equivalent” at about 20 times cheaper instead 😛 Enter to the world of medium format with Fujifilm GW690III… It’s not the easiest thing to understand in paragraph form, so I created two color-coded tables below to make things easier to visualize. Angle and Field of View The downside is that medium format cameras are bigger, heavier, more expensive, darker lenses (f/2.8 or f/4 is usually the largest aperture), and film-developing costs more. Your apertures in this case are f/4 and f/8, as I showed a moment ago. Am I missing something obvious? Sharpness and contrast are practically the same for the two 200 mm, this surprised me a lot. (note reducing the sensor size makes it a darker lens, not a brighter one, sorry) As sensor size decreases, depth of field will increase for a … 77mm Filter Size f/2 Aperture N/A Stabilized G Mount Mid-telephoto lens for portraits High Image quality This medium telephoto lens with a focal length equivalent to 87mm in the 35mm format offers fantastic bokeh thanks to its large F2 aperture, making it the perfect portrait lens. Mostly nowadays a zoom lens to make life easier. f/1.6 is darker than f/1.0, regardless of what sensor sizes you use (sensor size doesn’t affect image brightness). angles of view. Notice I haven't said anything about depth of field. Hi Heikki, in your example, the ISO values will not be the same, assuming your goal is to get the same image brightness. A 200mm photo does not have the same depth of field as a cropped 100mm photo. However, many lenses labelled �135mm� are not has a slightly wider angle of view than the table, for instance. of the scene before you ends on on the film is �standard� field of view, a 50mm lens on a 6�6 Just to refresh, that math is as follows: You need to apply all three in order to get an equivalent photo. Instead, you’re left with only three variables still standing: focal length, aperture, and ISO. lens is projecting the scene onto an area 24mm high Compared to 35mm, medium format uses 3~4 times as much film surface. And you’re quite right to think that. If you want to take equivalentphotos with a Nikon DX crop-sensor camera and a Nikon FX full-frame camera, you’ll need to do a few calculations. The 200mm focal length of the 645 lens is effectively the same as a 125mm lens on a 35mm camera, and when we crop the image by using the 200mm 645 lens on a 35mm camera, it effectively becomes exa… mathematically-inclined people have designed complex Next time you wonder how much image quality you give up with a phone, remember that the best case is like shooting all your DSLR images at ISO 1250. Put a 1.5x crop camera next to a full-frame camera in 1.5x mode, and the photos will be identical. And it does. Also by magic. (about 10% of the resulting number). As I said a moment ago, the exact fix is (f-number) x (crop factor). The 120mm lenses from 56mm wide (the size of a 6�6 or 2�" square frame), Introduction Images Technik Analysis Recommendations This all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use any of these links to approved sources when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. If a 50mm focal length That also holds up at pixel level, as you can see in the following 100% crops (after downsampling the D800e image to match the D7000): Noise levels are pretty much the same. Some variation will occur when the format aspect ratios do not match. (or perhaps even greater), which is why different My mm f/ lens, on a. Micro Four Thirds Canon APS-C Nikon APS-C APS-H Cropped Medium Format Medium Format. The 645 FA is autofocus and much easier to handle due to its smaller size and weight. Divide by 2 = 25mm. exposure), a certain amount of the scene will be Specifically, the larger-sensor camera is now capturing underexposed images, which is no surprise, since you decided to use a smaller aperture on it. The image sensor format of a digital camera determines the angle of view of a particular lens when used with a particular sensor. Whether you’re using a … Be aware that most manufacturers quote the diagonal angle of view (it is Various mathematically-inclined people have designed complex formulae to “convert” 35mm format focal lengths to 2¼ square format focal lengths. It measures 87.3mm diagonally. Medium format brings with it bulkier and heavier lenses mated to large cameras, but what of medium format with a top-performing lens of the same weight as even diminutive Leica M rangefinder lenses? In digital photography, the image sensor format is the shape and size of the image sensor.. However, standard smartphones have tiny sensors with a 7x crop factor versus full-frame. Is medium format popularity on the rise? approach. Click to view full screen and switch from one to the next: A lot of photographers stop here, but that’s not good. for 35mm format cameras, it was for years popular to I am confused about one thing…and this may be a bit unorthodox. MF lens � 2 = 20mm + 10%: 2mm ), As you almost certainly know, you need to use a longer lens on the full-frame camera to match the crop camera. All of equivalence – all of it – assumes that you don’t move your physical position. projecting the same scene onto an area 56mm high � Finally, the Hasselblad 350 mm superachromat is just too expensive for my pockets. relationship between 6�6 and 35mm, take the 6�6 Clearly, you were thinking that you can just raise the ISO on the large sensor camera to compensate. In fact, sometimes suitable “35mm format” lenses – especially enlarger lenses – make great Medium Format macro lenses. I noticed the same thing with the 67 M 55-100 mm f/4.5 zoom being "colder" than the equivalent 645 FA 55-110 mm f/5.6 zoom. That’s because aperture is also part of equivalence – and so is ISO. I know, I know. The practical use case would be to put a Pentax 67 300 F4 lens on an adapted Nikon 1 J5 camera for astrophotography. Yes, it is true that at a given field of view and aperture, there is a shallower depth of field than a 35mm equivalent. section, click below and then choose the accessory What about Fuji, don’t the exist in your world? The Fujinon GF 32-64mm f/4 R LM WR is the only zoom lens so far for Fujifilm’s medium format G Mount and cameras with the 43.8 x 32.9 mm sensor with which it covers a focal length range equivalent to 25-51mm. obviously a much larger amount of the scene will be directly on a medium format camera, for two reasons: Various Why Focal Length Is Clearly Part of Equivalence, Sometimes, Equivalence Isn’t Possible with Your Gear, Print Size, Total Light, Airy Disks, Circles of Confusion, and Eigenvalues, A System to Pick the Right Shutter Speed, Aperture, and ISO, Understanding ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture - A Beginner's Guide, Nikon D300 vs D90 High ISO Noise Comparison, Z6 II vs. Z7 II – advice on which one better for enthusiast level, To watermark or not to watermark on prints, Equivalent Focal Length = (Focal Length) x (Crop Factor), Equivalent Aperture = (F-Number) x (Crop Factor). Things get a bit more complicated – though not much – if neither camera in question is full frame, just because math like “1.5x crop” is assumed to be relative to full frame. This is anti-climactic, if not slightly disappointing though – wouldn’t it have been great to effectively get a superb 300mm f/4 lens buy delving through the medium format lenses on ebay? As usual Pentax do not get a mention. The new mirrorless medium format Fujifilm GFX system has really shaken the camera industry lately, and judging by the initial responses from photographers I know, this is a format and camera system that’s going to be around for some time. For a simplified discussion of image sensors see image sensor.. The formula for equivalent focal length is easy: (focal length) x (crop factor). than 120mm � I do not have the technical equipment I want to understand this so please reply. To me, that’s the takeaway that matters in the equivalence discussion. the time. Small differences aren’t a surprise – and there are a few here – but overall these photos are as equivalent as they can be. But when you get down to the essence of equivalence, that’s all superfluous. There’s a reason why photographers pay top dollar for lenses like the Canon 50mm f/1.2 or Sigma 14mm f/1.8 with a full-frame camera. wide-angle lens would on a 35mm camera. So, if your large sensor is at base ISO, you probably can’t do the ISO part of equivalence; the small sensor simply can’t go low enough to compensate. Companies simply don’t make 35mm f/0.8 or 9mm f/1.2 lenses for APS-C crop sensor cameras, which is what it would take to achieve equivalence. Sure, a thousand little differences mean that your photos wil… 2) You change the f stop to by smaller (dividing by the crop factor) on the smaller sensor to get same depth of field . That leads to an equivalent ISO of 25 x 7^2, or about ISO 1250. Popular 6 x 7 medium format cameras include the Mamiya RB67 , RZ67 models and the Mamiya 7 ; Pentax 67 models ; Bronica GS-1 ; Fujifilm GM670, GW670 and GF670. � 36mm wide (the size of a full-frame 35mm Unfortunately, we can’t side-step the science here. The 645 Format – The Best Entry Level for the Medium Format Camera. PL provides various digital photography news, reviews, articles, tips, tutorials and guides to photographers of all levels, By Spencer Cox 50 CommentsLast Updated On July 14, 2019. Hi, just logged in for the first time to say thank you. Hopefully, a math-based understanding of equivalence, especially the main takeaways, will help you avoid that fate – or, if it’s doomed to happen either way, at least dominate the discussion boards and prove to everyone that you’re the Best Photographer™. What has had the majority of the GFX community really interested is the fact that this is a proper fast aperture lens for the GFX system. The 645 format relatively seems to be something seen as a small format, but it is usually 60×45 mm on 120 medium-format … So while a 50mm lens range of lenses that you want to read about. Before we start, what is equivalence? Take, for instance, a 50mm MF When you do set ISO 100 and f/1.0 on the aps-c camera, and ISO 250 and f/1.6 on the FF camera (assuming you use equivalent focal lengths on both cameras; i.e., 100mm on aps-c and 160mm on FF), your photos will be fully equivalent. That’s because any time you move, you change the relative sizes of objects in your photo. recorded. length of as little as 130mm, or as much as 139mm