Cinema Lens & Action Sensor Framing Lab

Simulate field of view, crop equivalence, depth of field, and anamorphic de-squeeze when pairing cinema glass with compact action sensors.

ILS VIEWFINDER 4K CINE 24fps
16mm f/2.8 H-FOV 34.0°
Crop Factor
2.70×
Relative to 35mm FF
Full Frame Eq.
43.2 mm
Equivalent field of view
Field of View (H / V)
34.0° × 25.7°
Diag FOV: 41.7°
Depth of Field
1.94 m
Near: 1.54m / Far: 3.48m
Ready. Adjust optics or drag focus distance.

Interchangeable Optics on Compact Action Sensors

Traditional action cameras use fixed, ultra-wide rectilinear or fisheye lenses (typically 12mm–15mm full-frame equivalent) with tiny aperture discs to keep everything in focus from 30cm to infinity.

When GoPro or boutique cine camera makers introduce interchangeable lens systems (such as M-mount, C-mount, or custom ILS bays), cinematographers can mount specialized glass: fast cine primes, vintage glass, macro, and anamorphic lenses.

Why Crop Factor Matters for Cine Action

On a 1/1.3" action sensor, the diagonal crop factor is approximately 2.70× compared to Full Frame 35mm. A classic 16mm lens delivers the framing equivalent of a 43.2mm normal lens. To get true ultra-wide 18mm equivalent framing, you need a 6.5mm physical focal length.

Anamorphic De-squeeze Mechanics

Anamorphic glass compresses the horizontal axis onto the sensor by the squeeze ratio (1.33×, 1.5×, or 2.0×). In post-production, horizontal pixels are expanded by that factor, producing cinematic oval bokeh, horizontal flares, and ultra-wide scope framing (such as 2.39:1).

Depth of Field & Circle of Confusion

Because smaller sensors have tighter pixel pitches, the acceptable Circle of Confusion (CoC) must be significantly smaller (e.g., 0.011mm for 1/1.3" vs 0.030mm for Full Frame) to appear sharp at 4K resolution.

Use the optical controls above to see the precise near focus limit, far focus limit, and hyperfocal distance at your chosen T-stop. The live viewfinder simulates shallow depth of field, background blur, and subject separation.

Hyperfocal Distance Calculation

Hyperfocal distance is computed as H = (f²) / (N × CoC) + f, where f is focal length and N is f-number. Focusing at the hyperfocal distance keeps everything from half that distance to infinity acceptably sharp.

Exporting Shot Specifications

Click "Export Spec Sheet" to download a JSON and text camera department report including sensor dimensions, physical focal length, 35mm equivalencies, depth of field boundaries, and anamorphic squeeze ratios.

Trace the saved lens rules with numerical geometry and explicit assumptions

Read the explanation

The saved camera planner computes horizontal field of view as twice the arctangent of effective sensor width divided by twice focal length. For an illustrative thirty-six-millimeter-wide sensor with squeeze one, focal length fifty millimeters gives about thirty-nine point six degrees. One hundred millimeters gives about twenty point four one degrees. Both bars use twelve pixels per degree. A change in field of view here is a geometry calculation, not a claim that changing focal length from a fixed camera position changes perspective. Anamorphic squeeze multiplies the effective horizontal sensor width in this source, while its vertical sensor dimension remains unchanged. For the same thirty-six-millimeter sensor and fifty-millimeter lens, squeeze one gives about thirty-nine point six horizontal degrees. Squeeze two gives about seventy-one point five one. Both bars depict horizontal angles on one seven-pixel-per-degree scale. This is the saved planner convention for desqueezed framing, not a measured lens distortion or manufacturer specification. Hyperfocal distance is focal length squared divided by aperture number times circle of confusion, plus focal length, all in millimeters and then divided by one thousand. At fifty millimeters, aperture two point eight, and circle of confusion point zero three millimeters, this is about twenty-nine point eight one meters. At twenty-five millimeters it is about seven point four six five. Both bars show meters at eighteen pixels per meter. The original report preserves all sensor, optics, field-of-view and focus quantities, including explicit infinity branches.

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