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50mm vs 200mm portrait comparison
Interactive side-by-side simulation at the same subject size: see how 50mm and 200mm 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 200mm camera stands about 4.0 times farther back than the 50mm camera. From closer in, 50mm shows more of the room around the person. 200mm 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. 200mm stands 3.2 m away, and at f/2.8 the sharp zone runs from 3.2 m to 3.2 m.
Questions
How far from the subject do you stand with 50mm and 200mm?
In the face framing, 50mm stands 80 cm from the subject and 200mm stands 3.2 m. For the same head size, the 200mm camera stands about 4.0 times farther back than the 50mm camera.
Which blurs the background more, 50mm or 200mm?
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 200mm at f/2.8 opens 71.4 mm, so 200mm blurs it about 4.0 times as much. Close behind the person, the focal length matters less and the f-number more.
Does 200mm compress the background compared with 50mm?
Compression comes from camera distance, not from the focal length itself. For the same framing, 200mm stands about 4.0 times farther back than 50mm, so the background looks larger and closer behind the person and less of it fits in the frame.
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Also see: depth of field, bokeh, crop factor, lens compression.