The better the performance of a lens, the better it can reproduce these fine lines. On a standard full-frame camera body, the distance from the center to the edge of the sensor is around 21.6mm. Understanding focal length is key to understanding how your camera works. EV stands for Exposure Value, and technically this image is underexposed by three stops. The focal length of a lens determines what your camera can … Read on to find out what an MTF chart is, and how to use an MTF chart to understand the optimal performance of your glass. This refers to the focal length of your lens. When you zoom your lens in, you’re zooming between 18mm and 55mm. By the end of this lesson you will know how to view your camera’s histogram and, more importantly, interpret the information it gives you so that you can make decisions about exposure. The ‘mm’ stands for millimeter, and this is the distance between your camera’s sensor, and the point of convergence in the lens. Focal length is the distance in millimetres from the imaging surface (film or sensor) and the optical centre of the lens when it is focused at infinity. What Is MTF Testing? DIL (digital interchangeable lens) cameras, which are mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras (ILC), also use lenses that are listed by their focal length, rather than an X zoom number. The focal length of a lens determines what your camera can focus on, and how your images are going to turn out. Instead, the focal length will only be listed, often as part of the name of the DSLR lens. The camera’s viewfinder displays this information along with the light meter, and note how the triangle has moved all the way over to -3 EV. You can still use an MTF chart for a full frame lens to make a comparison to an APS-C only lens. The non-technical definition of the focal length of a digital camera lens is the distance between the lens surface and the image sensor. Numbers and Letters on Lenses What does 18-55mm mean? Camera lenses explained: Focal length. Here you can see that the shutter speed is 1/1000 of a second, the aperture of the lens is f/4, and the ISO is 200. If you plan on shooting with an APS-C camera for the foreseeable future, there’s a good chance that you won’t just be looking at lenses that only work on crop cameras. Most DSLR lenses will not include an "X" number for a zoom measurement. When a lens is measured for a … The larger the distance, the stronger the magnification factor of the lens. Camera manufacturers use MTF charts to see how their lenses capture and reproduce patterns, such as repeating fine lines. Focal length is measured in millimeters (mm), and as we mentioned, typically rated to a 35 mm equivalent. Reading the camera histogram is an important skill to learn as it gives you complete control over exposure. 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