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50mm vs 70mm portrait comparison
Interactive side-by-side simulation at the same subject size: see how 50mm and 70mm change camera distance, perspective, depth of field and background blur.
What this comparison shows
Both images show the same portrait at the same size. For the same head size, the 70mm camera stands about 1.4 times farther back than the 50mm camera. From closer in, 50mm shows more of the room around the person. 70mm has a narrower field of view, so the background looks larger and closer and is easier to simplify.
Start at f/2.8 on the left and f/2.8 on the right. Then try f/2.8 vs f/2.8, or open both to f/1.2 and f/2.8. Match depth of field sets the right-hand aperture so the background is as blurred as on the left. Both cameras use the same sensor, so equal f-numbers give a similar depth of field.
At the face framing, 50mm stands 80 cm from the subject. At f/2.8 the sharp zone runs from 78 cm to 84 cm. 70mm stands 112 cm away, and at f/2.8 the sharp zone runs from 109 cm to 115 cm.
Questions
How far from the subject do you stand with 50mm and 70mm?
In the face framing, 50mm stands 80 cm from the subject and 70mm stands 112 cm. For the same head size, the 70mm camera stands about 1.4 times farther back than the 50mm camera.
Which blurs the background more, 50mm or 70mm?
At the same framing, a distant background blurs in proportion to the aperture opening, focal length divided by f-number. 50mm at f/2.8 opens 17.9 mm and 70mm at f/2.8 opens 25.0 mm, so 70mm blurs it about 1.4 times as much. Close behind the person, the focal length matters less and the f-number more.
Does 70mm compress the background compared with 50mm?
Compression comes from camera distance, not from the focal length itself. For the same framing, 70mm stands about 1.4 times farther back than 50mm, so the background looks larger and closer behind the person and less of it fits in the frame.
Related comparisons
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Also see: depth of field, bokeh, crop factor, lens compression.