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Matching lenses from each maker's lineup, plus some classic medium and large format lenses. Email me if something is wrong or missing.
Depth of field and bokeh simulator
Lens Simulator is a free, interactive lens comparison, depth-of-field and bokeh simulator for photographers. Compare focal lengths, apertures and sensor sizes side by side on a 3D portrait.
What Lens Simulator does
- Two lenses side by side at the same subject size
- Camera distance and perspective for each focal length
- Depth of field with near and far limits and hyperfocal distance
- Background blur from f/0.95 to f/32
- Micro Four Thirds, APS-C, full frame, medium and large format
- Real lenses that match the focal length and aperture
How the simulator works and where it stops
How to read the simulator
Every image keeps the subject the same size. A longer lens stands farther back, so the background looks larger and closer. A lower f-number blurs the background more. The side view shows camera distance and the sharp zone. Compare two lenses to see the difference side by side.
Bokeh and background blur
Blur is how far out of focus the background is. Bokeh is how that blur looks. The simulator shows how much blur you get from focal length, aperture and sensor size. It does not show the character of one particular lens.
Choosing a portrait lens
Frame the person the same way and step back as the lens gets longer. 35mm keeps more of the room. 50mm sits in the middle. 85mm and 135mm stand farther off and soften the background. A smaller f-number blurs that same background more. That is the choice between these lenses.
DSLR and mirrorless
A DSLR and a mirrorless camera with the same sensor frame a portrait the same way. What changes the picture is the sensor size, not the mirror. The same focal length frames tighter on APS-C than on full frame, and the blur is not the same either. A 56mm on APS-C is the usual stand-in for an 85mm on full frame.
Depth of field, bokeh and crop factor
Depth of field explains the sharp zone beside the picture. Bokeh separates the amount of blur from the look of one lens. Crop factor compares the same framing on APS-C, full frame and medium format. Lens compression shows why a longer lens makes the background look closer.
Compare two lenses
- 35mm vs 50mm: more of the place, or a slightly tighter view.
- 50mm vs 85mm: closer, with more surroundings, or farther back and a calmer background.
- 85mm vs 135mm: a classic portrait distance, or a longer one with stronger background blur.
- 50mm vs 200mm: a normal working distance against a long lens and a compressed background.
- 35mm vs 85mm: an environmental portrait against a short telephoto.
- 56mm APS-C vs 85mm full frame: a similar framing on a smaller sensor and on full frame, with different blur.
- 80mm medium format vs 85mm full frame: a closer view on the larger sensor, which still blurs the background more easily.