Crop Factor Cheat Sheet: Full-Frame Equivalent Focal Lengths for Super 35mm, Micro Four Thirds and Super 16mm

Here’s a simple cheat sheet to help you determine the equivalent focal length of any full-frame lens on your Super 35mm, Micro Four Thirds, or Super 16mm camera.

I wanted to put this together to provide an easy reference for anyone trying to accomplish a specific visual look without the “right” toolset.

For example, you might like 28mm lens Full frame, but shot with a Micro Four Thirds sensor. This means pairing a camera body with a 14mm lens to adjust for a 2x crop factor.

Or maybe you just picked up an old 80mm full-frame stills lens and want to pair it with your Super 35 mirrorless camera. In this case, adjusting the 1.6x crop factor will make the lens look closer to 128mm.

Whatever your technical goals are, the two charts below should serve as a simple reference to help you find the right camera/lens configuration.

Focal length guide

I’ve included two versions of the focal length chart below to help with different use cases.

The first table shows which lens you need to use in Super 35, Micro Four Thirds, and Super 16 formats to get the same field of view as a native full-frame lens. If you have a specific full-frame look and want to replicate it with a smaller sensor, you can refer to this table.

The second table can be used to easily calculate the relative focal length of any given full-frame lens when paired with a crop sensor camera. You can refer to this table if you have existing full-frame glass and want to determine the equivalent appearance when used with a smaller sensor.

Keep in mind that some of the equivalent focal lengths listed in these charts are purely theoretical. For example, replicating the look of an 8mm full-frame lens with Super 16 requires a lens smaller than 3mm, which doesn’t exist in that format.

Likewise, some of the following focal lengths may not be commercially available in the lens market. For example, the 116mm focal length (Super35 equivalent of 185mm) is not a standard lens and cannot be purchased off the shelf. Still, I’ve included these calculations in a table to help you get as close as possible.

Both tables use the following average calculation for each focal length/crop factor:

Full frame: 1x

Super 35: 1.6 times

Micro Four Thirds: 2x

Super 16: 3x

Focal Length Guide: Equivalent Lenses for Crop Sensor Cameras

This table can be used to determine the equivalent lens required to achieve a similar field of view using a crop sensor camera.

Focal Length Guide: Relative Field of View for Full Frame Lenses

This additional table can be used to predict the relative focal length produced by each full frame lens when paired with a crop sensor camera.

Hopefully this guide will be helpful to those researching the best camera/lens pairing for your project.

If I missed anything or you’d like me to add any other focal lengths, feel free to leave a comment below!

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