How to Use the Sensor Format Equivalency Calculator
- Select your reference sensor format from the dropdown, or choose “Custom Sensor…” to enter your own width and height in millimeters.
- Enter your reference focal length in mm — the number printed on the lens barrel, not an equivalent.
- (Optional) Enter your aperture or T-stop to also see the equivalent f-stop for matching depth of field across formats.
- Pick a second format under Highlight comparison format to trace it in blue on the ground glass diagram alongside your reference sensor.
- Read the results table instantly: every format sorted by sensor size, with its equivalent focal length and, if you entered one, equivalent aperture.
Tip: a 35mm lens on Super 35 frames roughly the same shot as a 50mm on full frame — both formats share a similar diagonal ratio. Hover over any underlined term for a quick definition, and the table and diagram update live as you type.
Focal Length / Sensor Format
Sensor Format Equivalency Calculator
Enter a focal length on one sensor format and see the field-of-view equivalent across full frame, Super 35, medium format, 65mm, and more — the same way a 50mm on full frame reads roughly like a 35mm on Super 35, or a 90mm on a 65mm sensor.
Reference Setup
Ground Glass — Sensors to Scale
Equivalent Focal Lengths
| Format | Sensor (mm) | Equiv. focal length | Equiv. aperture |
|---|
How this works: equivalence is calculated from the ratio of each sensor’s diagonal measurement, which is what actually governs field of view — not just sensor width. The optional aperture column applies the same ratio, giving the f-stop that produces roughly the same depth of field and field of view when moving between formats (a common reference point for cinematographers matching a look across cameras). Cine formats like Super 35, Alexa LF, and Alexa 65 vary slightly by camera and recording mode; the dimensions here are drawn from ARRI’s published specs and are meant as a practical reference, not an exact match for every camera body.
Mastering Sensor Format Equivalence
Every sensor format sees a different slice of the same lens’s image circle. A 50mm lens doesn’t change what it physically does when you mount it on a smaller sensor — it just gets cropped, and that crop is what field-of-view equivalence actually measures. Understanding the ratio between formats lets you translate a lens kit, or a whole shooting style, from one camera system to another.
Why Diagonal, Not Width, Drives Field of View
Sensor width alone doesn’t tell the whole story, since aspect ratios vary between formats — Super 35 shot open-gate and the same sensor cropped to 16:9 for digital cine have noticeably different proportions. The diagonal measurement captures the full image circle a lens has to cover regardless of aspect ratio, which is why equivalence math — here and industry-wide — is calculated from the ratio of diagonals, not widths.
Cine Formats Aren’t One Size
Names like Super 35, Full Frame Cine, and Alexa LF cover a range of actual sensor dimensions depending on the camera and recording mode — open gate, 16:9, and anamorphic crops all differ. Treat the presets in this tool as practical reference points drawn from published specs, not an exact match for every camera body, and use the Custom Sensor option whenever you have the manufacturer’s exact figures for your recording mode.
Using Equivalent Aperture to Match Depth of Field
Field of view is only half of matching a look across cameras — depth of field is the other half. Entering your working aperture or T-stop applies the same diagonal ratio to your f-stop, giving you the aperture on the comparison format that produces a similar depth of field and exposure look. This is the same reference point cinematographers use when moving a lens package between a Super 35 body and a full-frame or large-format camera mid-production.
This calculator is especially useful for:
- Cinematographers switching camera bodies or formats mid-production who need to match an established look.
- Photographers moving between crop-sensor and full-frame bodies.
- DPs pre-visualizing a lens package across multiple formats before a shoot.
- Colorists and DITs comparing footage shot on mixed-format productions.
Whether you’re translating a lens kit from Super 35 to full frame or dialing in a vintage still lens on a cine camera, the diagonal ratio is the number that actually tells you what you’ll see in frame.
Related Tools & Guides
- Crop Factor & 35mm Equivalent Calculator — a simpler, single-format version of this calculator with field-of-view and equivalent aperture.