Equivalent To???

[Beauty Through a Lens]

What does equivalent to 450mm in 35mm mean?

I am going buy the 18-300mm lens and it says "Its massive zoom range goes from wide-angle (27mm equivalent in 35mm) all the way to super-telephoto (450mm equivalent in 35mm)"

Does it mean that it's zoom is more powerful than this lens?

[pnodrog]

It means when used on a APS-C sized (not full frame) camera it has an equivalent view that a 27-450mm lens would have on a full frame (35mm) camera.

I assume it is for a Nikon or some other APS-C camera that has a factor of 1.5x A Canon APS-C camera has a 1.6x so it's equivalent would be 28.8 to 480mm

[Beauty Through a Lens]

I'm talking about Nikon and I don't understand what you mean can you please put it in simpler terms?

[purplehaze]

Adrian, maybe this article will help: http://www.photographymad.com/pages/...ctor-explained

[JR1]

I'm talking about Nikon and I don't understand what you mean can you please put it in simpler terms?

EDIT: Correction - I should have said the crop factor on the D7100 is 1.5.

That IS simple terms............

Who made the camera is irrelevant

GOOGLE the "crop" factor of YOUR camera................ GOOGLE Crop factor (camera)

EG Nikon D7100 eg 1.5x

then simple maths.

28mm x 1.5 = 42mm

300mm x 1.5 = 450mm

so on a camera with a 1.5 crop factor a 28-300 becomes a 42-450mm

As an aside, the D7100 also has a 1.3 crop mode which is very useful for extra reach,

http://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/dslr...features01.htm

http://www.techradar.com/news/photog...o-know-1132611

GOOGLE Crop factor

http://digital-photography-school.co...tor-explained/

[Donald]

Adrian

The focal length of lenses is expressed in terms of the length in relation to its use on a camera with a what is called a full-frame sensor. When you use the same lens on a camera with a crop-frame sensor; i.e. a smaller sensor, the effective focal length of the lens seems to increase.

Have a read of this CiC tutorial. It will hopefully explain a lot for you.

What you have quoted is a reference to the good old days of film when the film size in a SLR camera was 35mm. Some people use that terminology (confusingly for the beginner) to mean a full-frame sensor. Always strikes me as trying to be too smart.

[dje]

Adrian once you get your head around the crop factor concept there are a couple of other things to consider.

You don't say what sort of camera you have ie whether it's crop factor or full frame.

The 18-300mm is a DX lens ie designed for use on a crop factor camera. It could be used on a full frame camera but it would suffer from bad vignetting (dark corners) unless the FF camera were used in DX mode.

The 400mm lens you referenced is an FX lens which means it is designed to operate on a FF camera. But it could also be used on a crop factor camera and in this situation you would get a FF equivalent of 600mm.

Dave

[Donald]

Dave makes a very good point, Adrian. A way of thinking about is that you can use the high-end lenses, that are mainly designed for full-frame camera, on crop-frame cameras, but generally not the lenses specifically designed for crop frame cameras on a full frame camera.

For example, I have a Tokina 11-16 f2.8. Absolutely wonderful lens. I love it. But if I ever bought a full-frame camera, I'd have to throw it away.

[Geoff F]

In real terms 'equivalent to' is virtually meaningless in real life.

For example, you have more pixels in a full frame camera so you can crop an image to make it apparently larger and the same as a crop sensor camera.

Probably a better way of looking at lens differences is to simply ask 'what lenses do you currently have and how much bigger/smaller would you like to achieve'?

Whether a full frame or crop sensor body is best, depends on the sort of scenes which the photographer mostly shoots.

[William W]

. . . I am going buy the 18-300mm lens and it says "Its massive zoom range goes from wide-angle (27mm equivalent in 35mm) all the way to super-telephoto (450mm equivalent in 35mm)"

Does it mean that it's zoom is more powerful than this lens?

No.

The 400mm Lens is (your terms) "more powerful", than the 18mm to 300mm zoom lens.

"more powerful" meaning that the 400mm lens will make the Subject appear closer than if you used the zoom lens at 300mm, no matter what camera is used.

***

Len's FOCAL LENGTHS are absolute.

"massive zoom range goes from wide-angle (27mm equivalent in 35mm) all the way to super-telephoto (450mm equivalent in 35mm)"

Is basically sales and marketing hype, using big numbers to impress the prospective customer.

The best advice I can give is to grab your camera get to a camera store or find a friend and plonk a few different lenses on it and learn intuitive stuff like "Oh a 300mm lens would be good for getting a good shot of my kid playing soccer if she were on the other side of the field . . . "Oh an 18mm lens is good for a fun family portrait when all the cousins arrive and we have to cramp indoors because it is raining, but 18mm, if Aunty Mable is at the end of the group, she looks fatter than she actually is . . . and other stuff like that.

Though it might be difficult finding a camera store to play in now as they drop off and most buying is done "on line."

WW

[dem]

With this zoom lens you will be able to take a full body shot of a person standing anywhere between 2 and 30 meters away from the camera.

30 meters is about 5 cars parked by the side of the road.

Does this give a good idea of the field of view?

[joebranko]

The term ' equvalent' when discussing focul length and cropped cameras often causes me to have to review it. It is misleading. The thing to remember is, as Bill says, focul length is absolute.

[Beauty Through a Lens]

So on the Nikon D5100 would I be able to get the results shown for the 18-300? It's sensor is 23.6 x 15.6 mm CMOS sensor

http://imgur.com/lkDg4aB

[Manfred M]

So on the Nikon D5100 would I be able to get the results shown for the 18-300? It's sensor is 23.6 x 15.6 mm CMOS sensor

http://imgur.com/lkDg4aB

If the image is taken with a 18-300mm lens on a 1.5 crop frame sensor, yes.

Unfortunately, there is no information on the image that you link to, so we have no idea as to what equipment was used to take those shots.

[Beauty Through a Lens]

I got it from Nikons website for the 18-300mm lens It's a DX lens so I am assuming it was shot on a DX body.

[Manfred M]

I got it from Nikons website for the 18-300mm lens It's a DX lens so I am assuming it was shot on a DX body.

It would look the same shot on an FX body as the body would revert to DX mode automatically, as the camera body would recognize the type of lens it is and crop the image at capture. Therefore; you have answered your own question. This is the range you would get.

All that being said, being on the Nikon website, I would assume that good quality tripod was used to take the shot and the photographer knew what he / she was doing.

[JR1]

In real terms 'equivalent to' is virtually meaningless in real life.

For example, you have more pixels in a full frame camera so you can crop an image to make it apparently larger and the same as a crop sensor camera.

Probably a better way of looking at lens differences is to simply ask 'what lenses do you currently have and how much bigger/smaller would you like to achieve'?

Whether a full frame or crop sensor body is best, depends on the sort of scenes which the photographer mostly shoots.

How do you have more pixels in a FF camera, my D4s is 16.2mp, the D7100 is 24.1, this comment could confuse even more,

100% agree with you on the rest

[Beauty Through a Lens]

I guess I am just so confused by all of this. Like on the D5100 Nikon will I be getting the equivalent of a 450 in a 35mm? I'm just so lost. Yes or no answer please then you can explain if you want.
I been reading everything you guys said and researching but I just need to make sure I understand

[pnodrog]

I guess I am just so confused by all of this. Like on the D5100 Nikon will I be getting the equivalent of a 450 in a 35mm? I'm just so lost. Yes or no answer please then you can explain if you want.
I been reading everything you guys said and researching but I just need to make sure I understand

Basically YES

[Dave Humphries]

I guess I am just so confused by all of this. Like on the D5100 Nikon will I be getting the equivalent of a 450 in a 35mm? I'm just so lost. Yes or no answer please then you can explain if you want.
I been reading everything you guys said and researching but I just need to make sure I understand

Hi Adrian,

You are no doubt used to the "angle of view" of your kit lens on your D5100, which starts at 18mm - in other words, you have a rough idea, before you lift the camera and peer through the viewfinder, how much of a scene you will be able to 'fit in' to the photo. Don't worry about "Equivalent to" if you are just buying lenses for your camera, it just adds unnecessary confusion.

The whole concept of "Equivalent to" (focal length) is only of use to people comparing one format (sensor size) camera, to another. If you're not considering this, just forget it.

Since you're probably not familiar with what a 300mm lens looks like on a 35mm camera, the fact that on your D5100, it gives a more 'zoomed in' view (equivalent to 450mm on a 35mm camera) is completely irrelevant - so don't over think it.

It "is what it is" on any given format, so it becomes irrelevant.

PS - I remember this topic making my head hurt a few years back, so just move on.

To assuage those that might say I am over simplifying, here's an example when it is relevant ...
If someone is out shooting with two different sensor size cameras, e.g. a DX and FF (say the D5100 and a D810) and they have the Nikon 70-300mm lens fitted to the D5100, then move the lens to the D810, they will notice that fully zoomed in (300mm) on the D810 is a wider angle shot than when it was on the D5100. In fact 300mm on the D810 (FF) will look like 200mm using same lens on D5100 (DX).

If they zoom to 300mm on the D5100, they would need to fit a 450mm lens (which doesn't exist) on the D810 to match the angle of view - that is what 'equivalent to' means. But if you don't have two cameras, that's of no practical help, is it!

Cheers, Dave