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56mm APS-C vs 85mm full frame portrait comparison
Interactive side-by-side simulation at the same subject size: see how 56mm APS-C 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 56mm APS-C and 85mm full frame have a similar field of view. From closer in, 85mm full frame shows more of the room around the person. 56mm APS-C has a narrower field of view, so the background looks larger and closer and is easier to simplify.
Start at f/1.2 on the left and f/1.8 on the right. Then try f/1.8 vs f/1.8, or open both to f/1.2 and f/1.2. Match depth of field sets the right-hand aperture so the background is as blurred as on the left. The smaller APS-C sensor needs a wider aperture to reach the same background blur as full frame.
At the face framing, 56mm APS-C stands 137 cm from the subject. At f/1.2 the sharp zone runs from 135 cm to 139 cm. 85mm full frame stands 136 cm away, and at f/1.8 the sharp zone runs from 134 cm to 138 cm.
Questions
How far from the subject do you stand with 56mm APS-C and 85mm full frame?
In the face framing, 56mm APS-C stands 137 cm from the subject and 85mm full frame stands 136 cm. Both cameras stand at almost the same distance, because 56mm APS-C and 85mm full frame have a similar field of view.
Which blurs the background more, 56mm APS-C or 85mm full frame?
At the same framing, a distant background blurs in proportion to the aperture opening, focal length divided by f-number. 56mm APS-C at f/1.2 opens 46.7 mm and 85mm full frame at f/1.8 opens 47.2 mm, so both blur it about the same. Close behind the person, the focal length matters less and the f-number more.
Do 56mm APS-C 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.
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Also see: depth of field, bokeh, crop factor, lens compression.