Find a lens for this look
eBay links may earn us a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Matching lenses from each maker's lineup, plus some classic medium and large format lenses. Email me if something is wrong or missing.
110mm medium format vs 85mm full frame portrait comparison
Interactive side-by-side simulation at the same subject size: see how 110mm medium format and 85mm full frame change camera distance, perspective, depth of field and background blur.
What this comparison shows
Both images show the same portrait at the same size. Both cameras stand at almost the same distance, because 110mm medium format and 85mm full frame have a similar field of view. From closer in, 110mm medium format shows more of the room around the person. 85mm full frame has a narrower field of view, so the background looks larger and closer and is easier to simplify.
Start at f/2 on the left and f/1.4 on the right. Then try f/1.8 vs f/1.8, or open both to f/2 and f/1.2. Match depth of field sets the right-hand aperture so the background is as blurred as on the left. The larger medium-format sensor reaches full-frame background blur at a slower f-number.
At the face framing, 110mm medium format stands 145 cm from the subject. At f/2 the sharp zone runs from 143 cm to 147 cm. 85mm full frame stands 136 cm away, and at f/1.4 the sharp zone runs from 135 cm to 138 cm.
Questions
How far from the subject do you stand with 110mm medium format and 85mm full frame?
In the face framing, 110mm medium format stands 145 cm from the subject and 85mm full frame stands 136 cm. Both cameras stand at almost the same distance, because 110mm medium format and 85mm full frame have a similar field of view.
Which blurs the background more, 110mm medium format or 85mm full frame?
At the same framing, a distant background blurs in proportion to the aperture opening, focal length divided by f-number. 110mm medium format at f/2 opens 55.0 mm and 85mm full frame at f/1.4 opens 60.7 mm, so 85mm full frame blurs it about 1.1 times as much. Close behind the person, the focal length matters less and the f-number more.
Do 110mm medium format and 85mm full frame give a different perspective?
Hardly. Both frame the face from almost the same distance, so perspective and background size match. What changes is how much the background blurs at a given f-number.
Related comparisons
- 35mm vs 85mm portrait comparison
- 40mm vs 85mm portrait comparison
- 50mm vs 85mm portrait comparison
- 58mm vs 85mm portrait comparison
- 70mm vs 85mm portrait comparison
- 85mm vs 105mm portrait comparison
Also see: depth of field, bokeh, crop factor, lens compression.