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70mm vs 135mm portrait comparison
Interactive side-by-side simulation at the same subject size: see how 70mm and 135mm 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 135mm camera stands about 1.9 times farther back than the 70mm camera. From closer in, 70mm shows more of the room around the person. 135mm 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/2.8 and f/1.8. 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, 70mm stands 112 cm from the subject. At f/2.8 the sharp zone runs from 109 cm to 115 cm. 135mm stands 2.2 m away, and at f/2.8 the sharp zone runs from 2.1 m to 2.2 m.
Questions
How far from the subject do you stand with 70mm and 135mm?
In the face framing, 70mm stands 112 cm from the subject and 135mm stands 2.2 m. For the same head size, the 135mm camera stands about 1.9 times farther back than the 70mm camera.
Which blurs the background more, 70mm or 135mm?
At the same framing, a distant background blurs in proportion to the aperture opening, focal length divided by f-number. 70mm at f/2.8 opens 25.0 mm and 135mm at f/2.8 opens 48.2 mm, so 135mm blurs it about 1.9 times as much. Close behind the person, the focal length matters less and the f-number more.
Does 135mm compress the background compared with 70mm?
Compression comes from camera distance, not from the focal length itself. For the same framing, 135mm stands about 1.9 times farther back than 70mm, so the background looks larger and closer behind the person and less of it fits in the frame.
Related comparisons
- 35mm vs 135mm portrait comparison
- 50mm vs 70mm portrait comparison
- 50mm vs 135mm portrait comparison
- 70mm vs 85mm portrait comparison
- 70mm vs 200mm portrait comparison
- 85mm vs 105mm portrait comparison
Also see: depth of field, bokeh, crop factor, lens compression.