{"id":2879,"date":"2021-07-21T08:24:49","date_gmt":"2021-07-21T08:24:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/?p=2879"},"modified":"2022-06-09T10:58:41","modified_gmt":"2022-06-09T10:58:41","slug":"focal-length","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/focal-length\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Focal Length and How to Use It in Your Videos"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Choosing a focal length for every scene that you shoot is a huge creative decision. It determines how much of the scene will make it into the shot, how close the audience will feel to the subjects and what sort of background blur you\u2019ll be able to achieve. Selecting the correct lens focal length is just as important as deciding on your\u00a0<a href="\&quot;https:\/\/artlist.io\/blog\/hard-light-vs-soft-light\/\&quot;" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">quality of light<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0<a href="\&quot;https:\/\/artlist.io\/blog\/5-ways-to-color-grade-your-youtube-videos-without-using-a-filter\/\&quot;" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">color grading<\/a>\u00a0you want for the look and feel of your work. If this feels a bit overwhelming, don\u2019t worry: here is your focal length explainer.<\/p>\n<h2>What is focal length?<\/h2>\n<p>Focal length measures the distance from the optical center of your lens\u2013where the light rays converge\u2013to the sensor or film in your camera. This is measured in millimeters, and the higher the number, the longer the lens, or focal length, is. (This might seem obvious, but given how\u00a0<a href="\&quot;https:\/\/artlist.io\/blog\/video-camera-aperture\/\&quot;" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">aperture<\/a>\u00a0works, it\u2019s worth confirming.)<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2883 size-full\" src="\&quot;https:\/\/artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/66c0d444c670f47a0f004ac5fbb481dba04ec841.png\&quot;" alt=\"focal length explained\" width=\"801\" height=\"245\" srcset=\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/66c0d444c670f47a0f004ac5fbb481dba04ec841.png 801w, https:\ \ new-blog.artlist.io\ blog\ wp-content\ uploads\ 2021\ 07\ 66c0d444c670f47a0f004ac5fbb481dba04ec841-300x92.png 300w, https:\ \ new-blog.artlist.io\ blog\ wp-content\ uploads\ 2021\ 07\ 66c0d444c670f47a0f004ac5fbb481dba04ec841-768x235.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 801px) 100vw, 801px\" \ /><\/p>\n<p>The longer your lens, the narrower your angle of view will be, meaning that less of the scene will make it into the shot, but your subject will appear to be larger.<\/p>\n<p>Prime lenses have fixed focal lengths, for example, 35mm or 50mm. On the other hand, zoom lenses can cover a range of focal lengths, such as 18-35mm or 70-200mm.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2884 size-full\" src="\&quot;https:\/\/artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/ae7c6398cf6c181a9d5278fdd5fc2ba6c5b44049.jpg\&quot;" alt=\"800\" width=\"799\" height=\"312\" srcset=\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/ae7c6398cf6c181a9d5278fdd5fc2ba6c5b44049.jpg 799w, https:\ \ new-blog.artlist.io\ blog\ wp-content\ uploads\ 2021\ 07\ ae7c6398cf6c181a9d5278fdd5fc2ba6c5b44049-300x117.jpg 300w, https:\ \ new-blog.artlist.io\ blog\ wp-content\ uploads\ 2021\ 07\ ae7c6398cf6c181a9d5278fdd5fc2ba6c5b44049-768x300.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 799px) 100vw, 799px\" \ /><\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t confuse focal length with focal distance. Focal distance is the measurement from your subject to your lens. All lenses have a minimum focusing distance, determining how close you can get to a subject before your lens can no longer focus on it.<\/p>\n<h2>Field of view and angle of view<\/h2>\n<p>You will hear people talking about both \u201cangle of view\u201d and \u201cfield of view\u201d with respect to focal length. They aren\u2019t quite the same thing, but they are very similar, and for this reason, they are often used interchangeably.<\/p>\n<p>Both of them refer to how much your lens can \u201csee\u201d. The field of view is how much of your scene you can get into your shot. You can think of it as the horizontal distance your lens can capture from left to right. The angle of view is the precise measurement in degrees of what your lens is able to \u201csee\u201d. As you might expect from the name, a wide-angle lens has a wider angle of view than a telephoto lens.<\/p>\n<table border=\"0\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Focal length mm<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Angle of view<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Fisheye, around 15mm<\/td>\n<td>180\u00ba<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>11<\/td>\n<td>117.1\u00ba<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>14<\/td>\n<td>104.3\u00ba<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>16<\/td>\n<td>96.7\u00ba<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>24<\/td>\n<td>73.7\u00ba<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>35<\/td>\n<td>54.4\u00ba<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>50<\/td>\n<td>39.6\u00ba<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>85<\/td>\n<td>23.9\u00ba<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>100<\/td>\n<td>20.4\u00ba<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>150<\/td>\n<td>13.7\u00ba<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>200<\/td>\n<td>10.3\u00ba<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>300<\/td>\n<td>6.9\u00ba<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>400<\/td>\n<td>5.2\u00ba<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>500<\/td>\n<td>4.1\u00ba<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>600<\/td>\n<td>3.4\u00ba<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>800<\/td>\n<td>2.6\u00ba<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>1000<\/td>\n<td>2.1\u00ba<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>A 50mm lens on a 35mm sensor will have a 39.6\u00ba angle of view; a focal length of 24mm has an angle of view of 73.7\u00ba; the angle of view for a 200mm focal length is 10.3\u00ba.<\/p>\n<h2>Full frame and crop sensors<\/h2>\n<p>When we talk about\u00a0<a href="\&quot;https:\/\/artlist.io\/blog\/cinematic-footage-and-the-types-of-camera-lenses-you-should-use\/\&quot;" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">lens focal length<\/a>, most of the time, we\u2019re doing it assuming that the lens is being used with a full-frame, 35mm sensor. However, if your camera has a crop frame sensor, putting a 50mm lens on it won\u2019t give you the same angle of view you would expect from a 50mm lens on a 35mm sensor. So the smaller sensor will effectively increase the focal length and decrease the angle of view.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re using a camera with a crop frame sensor, you can calculate the equivalent focal length of a lens by multiplying it by your sensor\u2019s crop factor. For example, Canon APS-C sensors have a crop factor of 1.6. Therefore a 50mm lens will have an equivalent focal length of 80mm. Many lenses manufactured specifically for mirrorless cameras will be sold using their actual focal lengths and have the 35mm equivalent listed on the specification.<\/p>\n<h2>Wide-angle lenses<\/h2>\n<p><a href="\&quot;https:\/\/artlist.io\/blog\/wide-angle-lenses\/\&quot;" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wide-angle lenses<\/a>\u00a0have a focal length that is shorter than the diagonal measurement of your camera\u2019s sensor. Usually, they range from 23 to 35mm. Below 23mm is called an ultra wide-angle lens.<\/p>\n<h2>Normal or standard lenses<\/h2>\n<p>Normal lenses are called normal because they were thought to be closest to how the human eye sees the world. The focal length calculation for a normal length lens is anything similar to the diagonal measurement of your camera\u2019s sensor. On a 35mm sensor, that\u2019s 43mm. A normal (or standard) lens ranges from about 35 to 70mm.<\/p>\n<h2>Telephoto lenses<\/h2>\n<p>A lens with a focal length in excess of 70mm is a telephoto lens, hence why they are often known as long lenses.<\/p>\n\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"section\" data-elementor-id=\"186\" class=\"elementor elementor-186\" data-elementor-post-type=\"elementor_library\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-section-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-b6940b6 elementor-section-full_width cta-middle external elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"b6940b6\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-ae3297b\" data-id=\"ae3297b\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;gradient&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3c76fe4 elementor-view-default elementor-widget elementor-widget-icon\" data-id=\"3c76fe4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"icon.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-icon-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-icon\">\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"45\" height=\"13\" viewBox=\"0 0 45 13\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M13.7128 4.45274C13.2137 4.45274 12.7223 4.56022 12.2694 4.75984C11.8701 4.93643 11.5477 5.25889 11.3634 5.65046V9.85017H9.58984V2.91719H11.2175V4.39899C11.3327 4.16866 11.4786 3.95368 11.6551 3.75406C11.8164 3.5698 12.0006 3.40089 12.2003 3.25501C12.3845 3.12449 12.5765 3.00933 12.7914 2.93255C12.9757 2.86345 13.1753 2.82506 13.3673 2.81738H13.5823C13.6283 2.81738 13.6744 2.82506 13.7205 2.83274L13.7128 4.45274Z\" fill=\"#FFDA2A\"><\/path><path d=\"M19.1865 9.48966C18.9024 9.6125 18.6106 9.71999 18.3112 9.80445C17.958 9.91193 17.5972 9.96568 17.2287 9.96568C16.9906 9.96568 16.7603 9.93497 16.53 9.87354C16.3227 9.8198 16.1307 9.71231 15.9618 9.57411C15.7929 9.42824 15.6624 9.25165 15.5703 9.04435C15.4628 8.79867 15.4167 8.52995 15.4244 8.26123V4.27649H14.5107V2.91754H15.4244V0.667969H17.1979V2.91754H18.6567V4.27649H17.1979V7.66236C17.1979 7.90805 17.2594 8.08464 17.3899 8.18445C17.5204 8.29194 17.6893 8.34568 17.8582 8.338C18.0425 8.338 18.2268 8.30729 18.4033 8.24587C18.5799 8.18445 18.7181 8.1307 18.8256 8.08464L19.1865 9.48966Z\" fill=\"#FFDA2A\"><\/path><path d=\"M19.9315 0.191406H21.7051V7.62343C21.7051 7.87679 21.7665 8.07642 21.8893 8.22229C22.0275 8.36817 22.2195 8.44495 22.4191 8.43727C22.5342 8.43727 22.6571 8.41424 22.7723 8.38352C22.8951 8.35281 23.0179 8.30675 23.1331 8.253L23.3711 9.60428C23.1024 9.72712 22.826 9.81926 22.5342 9.86532C22.2502 9.92674 21.9661 9.95745 21.6743 9.95745C21.1215 9.95745 20.6916 9.81158 20.3845 9.51215C20.0774 9.21272 19.9315 8.79812 19.9238 8.253L19.9315 0.191406Z\" fill=\"#FFDA2A\"><\/path><path d=\"M24.2998 9.84997V2.91699H26.0734V9.84997H24.2998Z\" fill=\"#FFDA2A\"><\/path><path d=\"M26.1887 1.08236C26.2041 1.35876 26.0966 1.6198 25.8893 1.80407C25.6973 1.98066 25.4516 2.08047 25.1906 2.07279C24.9296 2.08047 24.6685 1.98066 24.4766 1.80407C24.277 1.6198 24.1695 1.35108 24.1771 1.08236C24.1771 0.767578 24.277 0.521892 24.4766 0.345304C24.6685 0.168717 24.9296 0.0689069 25.1906 0.0765846C25.4516 0.0765846 25.6973 0.168717 25.8893 0.345304C26.0889 0.521892 26.1887 0.759901 26.1887 1.08236Z\" fill=\"#FFDA2A\"><\/path><path d=\"M30.1276 9.98085C29.5441 9.98085 28.9683 9.88872 28.4232 9.70446C27.9011 9.53555 27.4174 9.26683 26.9951 8.91365L27.6554 7.80038C28.0393 8.07678 28.4539 8.30711 28.8915 8.4837C29.2754 8.63725 29.6823 8.71403 30.0892 8.71403C30.4424 8.71403 30.7188 8.64493 30.9261 8.51441C31.1257 8.39157 31.2409 8.17659 31.2332 7.94626C31.2409 7.70825 31.095 7.49328 30.88 7.40114C30.5038 7.23991 30.1123 7.10939 29.713 7.0019C29.26 6.87906 28.8762 6.76389 28.5614 6.64873C28.285 6.55659 28.0316 6.42607 27.7936 6.25716C27.6093 6.12664 27.4635 5.95773 27.3713 5.75044C27.2792 5.53546 27.2331 5.30513 27.2408 5.06712C27.2331 4.73698 27.3022 4.41451 27.4481 4.11508C27.5863 3.83869 27.7782 3.58532 28.0239 3.39338C28.285 3.18608 28.5767 3.03253 28.8915 2.93272C29.237 2.82523 29.6055 2.77148 29.9664 2.77148C30.4578 2.77148 30.9568 2.84058 31.4252 2.99414C31.8858 3.14769 32.3158 3.39338 32.6766 3.72352L31.9626 4.7984C31.6478 4.56039 31.3023 4.36077 30.9338 4.21489C30.619 4.09205 30.2889 4.03063 29.951 4.03063C29.69 4.02295 29.429 4.08437 29.1986 4.21489C28.999 4.33774 28.8915 4.53736 28.8915 4.81375C28.8838 4.92124 28.9145 5.02873 28.9683 5.12086C29.0297 5.213 29.1065 5.2821 29.1986 5.33584C29.3291 5.41262 29.4673 5.46636 29.6132 5.51243C29.7821 5.56617 29.9971 5.62759 30.2581 5.68901C30.7342 5.81186 31.1411 5.9347 31.4789 6.05754C31.7783 6.15735 32.0547 6.30323 32.3158 6.47982C32.5154 6.61802 32.6766 6.80996 32.7918 7.03261C32.8993 7.26294 32.953 7.52399 32.9453 7.77735C32.9453 8.45299 32.692 8.99043 32.1929 9.38199C31.6708 9.78891 30.9952 9.98085 30.1276 9.98085Z\" fill=\"#FFDA2A\"><\/path><path d=\"M38.0812 9.48966C37.7971 9.6125 37.5053 9.71999 37.2059 9.80445C36.8527 9.91193 36.4919 9.96568 36.1233 9.96568C35.8853 9.96568 35.655 9.93497 35.4323 9.87354C35.225 9.8198 35.0331 9.71231 34.8642 9.57411C34.6953 9.42824 34.5647 9.25165 34.4726 9.04435C34.3651 8.79867 34.3191 8.52995 34.3267 8.26123V4.27649H33.4131V2.91754H34.3267V0.667969H36.1003V2.91754H37.5591V4.27649H36.1003V7.66236C36.1003 7.90805 36.1617 8.08464 36.2922 8.18445C36.4228 8.29194 36.5917 8.34568 36.7606 8.338C36.9448 8.338 37.1291 8.30729 37.3057 8.24587C37.4823 8.18445 37.6205 8.1307 37.728 8.08464L38.0812 9.48966Z\" fill=\"#FFDA2A\"><\/path><path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M3.43194 1.08203H5.20549L8.62975 8.48334V9.85765C7.24776 9.91907 5.80435 9.94979 4.31487 9.94979C2.8254 9.94979 1.38199 9.91907 0 9.85765V8.48334L3.43194 1.08203ZM1.90407 8.39121C2.71023 8.41424 3.51639 8.42192 4.31487 8.42192C5.12103 8.42192 5.92719 8.40657 6.72567 8.39121L4.31487 3.18572L1.90407 8.39121Z\" fill=\"#FFDA2A\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-509c078 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"509c078\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-b63c6db\" data-id=\"b63c6db\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-88ef02d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"88ef02d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Get unlimited royalty-free 4K footage<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-90a8615\" data-id=\"90a8615\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-476808b elementor-mobile-align-justify elementor-align-justify elementor-widget__width-initial external-link-event event-midpage-startfree elementor-widget-tablet__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"476808b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href="\&quot;https:\/\/artlist.io\/start-now\&quot;">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Start  Free Now<\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1816319 elementor-mobile-align-justify elementor-align-justify elementor-widget__width-initial external-link-event event-midpage-pricing elementor-widget-mobile__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"1816319\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href="\&quot;https:\/\/artlist.io\/page\/pricing\/max\&quot;">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Pricing<\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n<h2>Exaggeration<\/h2>\n<p>Wide-angle lenses exaggerate the sense of space in a scene. They will make it feel as if subjects are farther apart from each other than they really are and accentuate the depth of a scene. Wide-angle lenses will also intensify sizes: small objects in the background will seem smaller than usual, while larger objects in the foreground will look unnaturally large. If you film someone very close to the camera using a wide-angle lens, their nose and chin will look comically oversized.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"mceNonEditable embeditem\" data-embed-url=\"https:\/\/media.giphy.com\/media\/LMI4CuvmO7CVy7mf9F\/giphy.gif\" data-embed-height=\"384\" data-embed-width=\"800\" data-embed-constrain=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2885 size-full\" src="\&quot;https:\/\/artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/giphy-3.gif\&quot;" alt=\"Animated GIF - Find &amp; Share on GIPHY\" width=\"480\" height=\"270\" \ /><\/div>\n<p>Handy tip: If you have a small room and want to give the impression of it being larger, use a wide-angle lens.<\/p>\n<p>Without making your characters seem too large, by bringing a wide-angle lens close to them, you can instill a sense of intimacy into your audience. Rather than being observers, the audience will feel as if they are participants in the scene.<\/p>\n<div class=\"mceNonEditable embeditem\" data-embed-url=\"https:\/\/media.giphy.com\/media\/4AlGWbXEGR9HXWh0zj\/giphy.gif\" data-embed-height=\"384\" data-embed-width=\"800\" data-embed-constrain=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2887 size-full\" src="\&quot;https:\/\/artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/giphy-4.gif\&quot;" alt=\"Animated GIF - Find &amp; Share on GIPHY\" width=\"480\" height=\"270\" \ /><\/div>\n<h2>Compression<\/h2>\n<p>Where wide-angle lenses can exaggerate the sense of space in a scene, telephoto lenses do the opposite: they create a compression effect. Telephoto lenses show the background as being closer to the subjects or objects in the scene than they actually are, in effect flattening it. They can also show characters as being much closer to each other, which can emphasize their intimacy. Subjects in the background can appear roughly the same size as those in the foreground. But whereas a wide-angle lens can bring the audience closer to the subjects, a telephoto lens can do it from further away. This can make the audience feel as if they are observers or even voyeurs.<\/p>\n<div class=\"mceNonEditable embeditem\" data-embed-url=\"https:\/\/media.giphy.com\/media\/Gkx3zeRMobyoCykTQ8\/giphy.gif\" data-embed-height=\"384\" data-embed-width=\"800\" data-embed-constrain=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2888 size-full\" src="\&quot;https:\/\/artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/giphy-5.gif\&quot;" alt=\"Animated GIF - Find &amp; Share on GIPHY\" width=\"480\" height=\"270\" \ /><\/div>\n<p>It\u2019s often thought that telephoto lenses \u201chave\u201d a shallower depth of field than wider lenses. This isn\u2019t strictly true. What telephoto lenses do is magnify the subject in the scene, which makes the background appear more blurred, presenting a\u00a0<a href="\&quot;https:\/\/artlist.io\/blog\/shallow-depth-of-field-what-it-is-and-how-to-use-it\/\&quot;" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shallow depth of field<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"mceNonEditable embeditem\" data-embed-url=\"https:\/\/media.giphy.com\/media\/097wj2VCvgmeen4mkq\/giphy.gif\" data-embed-height=\"384\" data-embed-width=\"800\" data-embed-constrain=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2889 size-full\" src="\&quot;https:\/\/artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/giphy-6.gif\&quot;" alt=\"Animated GIF - Find &amp; Share on GIPHY\" width=\"480\" height=\"270\" \ /><\/div>\n<h2>Movement and focal length<\/h2>\n<p>If you want to increase the perceived speed of someone or something moving toward or away from the camera, use a wide-angle lens. For example, a car rushing toward the camera at speed will have the audience on the edge of the seats if you film it with a wide-angle lens. For a greater sense of speed of a person or an object moving across the screen, use a telephoto lens.<\/p>\n<div class=\"mceNonEditable embeditem\" data-embed-url=\"https:\/\/media.giphy.com\/media\/uh48Oa83o9AQG7uSQ2\/giphy.gif\" data-embed-height=\"384\" data-embed-width=\"800\" data-embed-constrain=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2890 size-full\" src="\&quot;https:\/\/artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/giphy-7.gif\&quot;" alt=\"Animated GIF - Find &amp; Share on GIPHY\" width=\"480\" height=\"270\" \ /><\/div>\n<p>If you\u2019re planning on using a tracking shot in a scene, the focal length you use with it\u2013as well as the speed and direction of movement\u2013will change how it feels. If you\u2019re not sure, test it out!<\/p>\n<div class=\"mceNonEditable embeditem\" data-embed-url=\"https:\/\/media.giphy.com\/media\/RxBNVBpzb0zLSc3avL\/giphy.gif\" data-embed-height=\"384\" data-embed-width=\"800\" data-embed-constrain=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2891 size-full\" src="\&quot;https:\/\/artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/giphy-8.gif\&quot;" alt=\"Animated GIF - Find &amp; Share on GIPHY\" width=\"480\" height=\"270\" \ /><\/div>\n<h2>Prime or zoom?<\/h2>\n<p>There are pros and cons to both prime and zoom lenses. The biggest benefit of a zoom lens is the versatility that it provides you with a range of focal lengths. But prime lenses are usually much sharper and have wider apertures that can be very useful when<a href="\&quot;https:\/\/artlist.io\/blog\/how-to-shoot-video-in-low-light\/\&quot;" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u00a0shooting in low light<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0<a href="\&quot;https:\/\/artlist.io\/blog\/tips-for-shooting-videos-in-natural-light\/\&quot;" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">natural light<\/a>\u00a0situations so that you don\u2019t have to select too high a\u00a0<a href="\&quot;https:\/\/artlist.io\/blog\/camera-iso\/\&quot;">camera ISO<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Which focal length should I use?<\/h2>\n<p>There\u2019s no right or wrong answer to this question. The focal length you should use depends upon how close you want the audience to feel to the characters; how close you want the subjects to appear to each other; how you want the background to come across; and how much of a feeling of space you want in a scene. In addition, many of your focal length choices are determined by how you see the world. Do you like to look at the big picture or the finer details? These preferences might determine your lens choices, too.<\/p>\n<p>This then is focal length explained.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Choosing a focal length for every scene that you shoot is a huge creative decision. It determines how much of the scene will make it into the shot, how close the audience will feel to the subjects and what sort of background blur you\u2019ll be able to achieve.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2893,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[139,231],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Essential Guide to Video Camera Focal Length | Artlist<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Just as much as light, color and audio, your lens\u2019 focal length will have a huge impact on your storytelling. From wide-angle to telephoto, this is your focal length explainer.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/focal-length\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Essential Guide to Video Camera Focal Length | Artlist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Just as much as light, color and audio, your lens\u2019 focal length will have a huge impact on your storytelling. From wide-angle to telephoto, this is your focal length explainer.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/focal-length\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Artlist Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-07-21T08:24:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-06-09T10:58:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/ce85f7d2fae96c96e4ebb7586ea51d4eca4867d9.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"750\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Daniela Bowker\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/SmallAperture\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Daniela Bowker\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/focal-length\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/focal-length\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Daniela Bowker\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0482f62ddfb2bf09294104350c1c07eb\"},\"headline\":\"What is Focal Length and How to Use It in Your Videos\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-07-21T08:24:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-06-09T10:58:41+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/focal-length\/\"},\"wordCount\":1333,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"Camera Lenses\",\"Focus\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Production &amp; Filmmaking\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/focal-length\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/focal-length\/\",\"name\":\"The Essential Guide to Video Camera Focal Length | Artlist\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2021-07-21T08:24:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-06-09T10:58:41+00:00\",\"description\":\"Just as much as light, color and audio, your lens\u2019 focal length will have a huge impact on your storytelling. From wide-angle to telephoto, this is your focal length explainer.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/focal-length\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/focal-length\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/focal-length\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Production &amp; Filmmaking\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/production-filmmaking\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"What is Focal Length and How to Use It in Your Videos\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Artlist Blog\",\"description\":\"Just artlist blog website\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Artlist Blog\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/artlist-blog-logo.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/artlist-blog-logo.svg\",\"width\":143,\"height\":28,\"caption\":\"Artlist Blog\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0482f62ddfb2bf09294104350c1c07eb\",\"name\":\"Daniela Bowker\",\"description\":\"Daniela is a writer and editor based in the UK. Since 2010 she has focused on the photography sector. In this time, she has written three books and contributed to many more, served as the editor for two websites, written thousands of articles for numerous publications, both in print and online and runs the Photocritic Photography School.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/smallaperture\/\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/https:\/\/twitter.com\/SmallAperture\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/author\/danielab\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Essential Guide to Video Camera Focal Length | Artlist","description":"Just as much as light, color and audio, your lens\u2019 focal length will have a huge impact on your storytelling. From wide-angle to telephoto, this is your focal length explainer.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/focal-length\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Essential Guide to Video Camera Focal Length | Artlist","og_description":"Just as much as light, color and audio, your lens\u2019 focal length will have a huge impact on your storytelling. From wide-angle to telephoto, this is your focal length explainer.","og_url":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/focal-length\/","og_site_name":"Artlist Blog","article_published_time":"2021-07-21T08:24:49+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-06-09T10:58:41+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":750,"url":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/ce85f7d2fae96c96e4ebb7586ea51d4eca4867d9.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Daniela Bowker","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/SmallAperture","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Daniela Bowker","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/focal-length\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/focal-length\/"},"author":{"name":"Daniela Bowker","@id":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0482f62ddfb2bf09294104350c1c07eb"},"headline":"What is Focal Length and How to Use It in Your Videos","datePublished":"2021-07-21T08:24:49+00:00","dateModified":"2022-06-09T10:58:41+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/focal-length\/"},"wordCount":1333,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/#organization"},"keywords":["Camera Lenses","Focus"],"articleSection":["Production &amp; Filmmaking"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/focal-length\/","url":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/focal-length\/","name":"The Essential Guide to Video Camera Focal Length | Artlist","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2021-07-21T08:24:49+00:00","dateModified":"2022-06-09T10:58:41+00:00","description":"Just as much as light, color and audio, your lens\u2019 focal length will have a huge impact on your storytelling. From wide-angle to telephoto, this is your focal length explainer.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/focal-length\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/focal-length\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/focal-length\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Production &amp; Filmmaking","item":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/production-filmmaking\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"What is Focal Length and How to Use It in Your Videos"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/","name":"Artlist Blog","description":"Just artlist blog website","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/#organization","name":"Artlist Blog","url":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/artlist-blog-logo.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/artlist-blog-logo.svg","width":143,"height":28,"caption":"Artlist Blog"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0482f62ddfb2bf09294104350c1c07eb","name":"Daniela Bowker","description":"Daniela is a writer and editor based in the UK. Since 2010 she has focused on the photography sector. In this time, she has written three books and contributed to many more, served as the editor for two websites, written thousands of articles for numerous publications, both in print and online and runs the Photocritic Photography School.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/smallaperture\/","https:\/\/twitter.com\/https:\/\/twitter.com\/SmallAperture"],"url":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/author\/danielab\/"}]}},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/ce85f7d2fae96c96e4ebb7586ea51d4eca4867d9.jpg",1920,750,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/ce85f7d2fae96c96e4ebb7586ea51d4eca4867d9-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/ce85f7d2fae96c96e4ebb7586ea51d4eca4867d9-300x117.jpg",300,117,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/ce85f7d2fae96c96e4ebb7586ea51d4eca4867d9-768x300.jpg",768,300,true],"large":["https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/ce85f7d2fae96c96e4ebb7586ea51d4eca4867d9-1024x400.jpg",1024,400,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/ce85f7d2fae96c96e4ebb7586ea51d4eca4867d9-1536x600.jpg",1536,600,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/ce85f7d2fae96c96e4ebb7586ea51d4eca4867d9.jpg",1920,750,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Daniela Bowker","author_link":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/author\/danielab\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Choosing a focal length for every scene that you shoot is a huge creative decision. It determines how much of the scene will make it into the shot, how close the audience will feel to the subjects and what sort of background blur you\u2019ll be able to achieve.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2879"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2879"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2879\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7391,"href":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2879\/revisions\/7391"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2893"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2879"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2879"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2879"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}