Camera Basics - Focal Length

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Through animation, I explain various aspects of focal length, from the principle of the subject, to crop factor, and finally the different classifications of lenses.
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I am releasing animations once every month. This animation was a bit late, because I decided to compose in 8K and then scale it down for some reason, and After Effects threw me a loop so it ended up only in 1080p anyway. These videos take me about 20-30 hours to make, from start to finish. If you have any constructive criticism, put it in the comments, and leave suggestions as to what subjects you would like me to cover in the future.
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Credits:
Animation, Vector Design: Vincent Ledvina
Voiceover: contracted from Fiverr
Music: In That Smile - Mattia Cupelli
Sound Effects: Created by myself and sourced online
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Thank you for watching! Don't forget to subscribe!

[@TheAVP2010]

I never saw any photography video on KZbin could explain so much information in such simple clear efficient way with such fantastic stunning animation! Thank you!

[@Apalapse]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jessecraft1199]

@@ApalapseI’m very grateful as well. The information is delivered so efficiently I had to pause several times and go back. There’s no fluff, I love it!

[@justoalejandrogonzalez5097]

Continuing what I've said in the Aperture video... DUDE: on 0:34 can you please explain how is that nobody use such clear and obvious image to explain the angle of view? You just rock, man.

[@GraceCutie_]

Justo Alejandro Gonzalez THAT WAS MY FAVORITE PART!!

[@The_Mend]

I walked away with a good understanding and without the headache of feeling overwhelmed. Many thanks.

[@Apalapse]

Thank you sir.

[@Sinistration]

Your animation art is absolutely beautiful, coupling that with the detailed yet understandable explanations and your videos are amazing. Thank you for your hard work!

[@Apalapse]

Thanks man!

[@Th3Abel]

Couldn't agree more! Very helpful and easy to understand.

[@Apalapse]

@@Th3Abel Thanks!

[@aronnathan6767]

i guess im randomly asking but does anybody know a trick to log back into an instagram account? I was dumb forgot the login password. I would love any tips you can give me!

[@darrenvincenzo1198]

@Aron Nathan instablaster =)

[@johnd5398]

I've looked all over for this answer. Every video promises to "explain" camera lenses, but NONE of them explain exactly what the numbers mean - except this one. I'm not one of those people who takes words on faith - I want to KNOW what things mean so that I know how they work. Thanks for giving me that info.

[@Apalapse]

Thanks, John. What you said sums up exactly what I thought when I started out in photography; everyone was telling me to believe this or that, but I wanted to know the hard science and truth behind things; that's what led me to create this channel. Thanks for the feedback and I'm glad I am delivering on my promise to provide straightforward and factual content. Take care.

[@nathanielbermas5079]

This is the best photography lesson you will find on KZbin!!!

[@Apalapse]

Thank you for the kind words!

[@captainfluffyz6283]

This animation is so helpful I cannot express that enough. I always come back to this video when I get confused about focal lengths. 0:38 is by far the best graphic for describing this!

[@Apalapse]

Thank you so much for your feedback. I am genuinely uplifted when I hear stories like your's. Stay tuned for more videos coming soon.

[@ardentdfender4116]

New to Photography and just found your channel. The graphics and animation is amazing along with the demystifying explanation. Absolutely well done. That Focal Length and Field Of View animation at 0:36 and its explanation has hands down got to be the most concise explanation I’ve ever seem represented. So good I decided to subscribe.

[@Apalapse]

That's awesome to hear, man. I really appreciate the kind words and feedback. Happy to have you on board and stay tuned for more coming soon.

[@andrewriley4990]

This was AWESOME well explained and illustrated.......THANK YOU !

[@BaghaShams]

This was the only video I could find on KZbin that actually explained how lenses and their numbers work technically. One nitpick: in the list of drawbacks of zoom lenses it didn't mention that zoom lenses lose aperture stops with increased zoom.

[@Apalapse]

Thank you for the kind words and the feedback. The only thing about zoom lenses is that not all zoom lenses have variable apertures, but many do.

[@markm.9597]

Why am I only coming across these videos now!?? They're amazing! Definitely recommending them to friends and family

[@Apalapse]

Mark, that's great to hear. Stay tuned for more in the coming months.

[@vinr]

Excellent explanation without showing a single shot or camera lens like many other channels do, yet very informative and easy to understand

[@MohsenDhafer]

love the hard work, it's elegant, informative and time-sparing. every sentence is important, no fill here. thanks for the effort.

[@Apalapse]

thanks, appreciate the kind words!

[@peksn]

Honestly the best explanation I've found on the topic as I'm just beginning, other just start throwing the numbers around without really explaining too much about it, also the physics interpretation at the start really helped me understand why longer focal lengths would look the furthest and make objects look close together (rays are almost parallel at that point it's like isometric view)

[@Apalapse]

Thank you for the praise, I really appreciate it!

[@katelyngallagher321]

This is one of the best intro-to-photography-concepts I’ve seen yet. Thank you.

[@Apalapse]

Thank you so much!

[@rogerd9150]

I just watched a video from a guy with 900k subscribers. He scribbled on an electronic drawing screen to explain these concepts but his explanation couldn't have been more confusing! Then I come here and watch an extremely SIMPLE to understand explanation with VERY good diagrams. Your video was ten times as good as his! Thank you! Liked and Subscribed!!!

[@Apalapse]

Thanks so much, I really appreciate that! I try to be as simple and straightforward as possible so I don't waste anyone's time and so only the necessary information is communicated.

[@vault_hunter23]

Thanks a lot for the extremely intuitive and very simple explanations for the focal length. This is the first time I have got the actual impact of focal length

[@Eristhenes]

I've been exhausting myself trying to find videos (and books) i could understand.You are heaven sent, you have answered my prayers!

[@claytonnoble568]

First video ive seen that tackles this is a clear understandable method.

[@duzy87]

What a great way to explain these concepts! Love this tutorial 👏

[@davidepaula]

You are a PRO! Please keep these coming!

[@Fauxtag]

I watched a dozen videos, but did not fully understand until I saw this. Thanks!

[@Apalapse]

Glad you found it helpful, thanks for watching!

[@OnizukaSenseSay]

Honestly this is one of the best videos i have seen on this topic and explained this in a while understood. I had multiple aha moments of now i understsnd that.

[@patricklebrun4399]

This channel is going to blow up

[@Apalapse]

:O

[@saahilshaik9024]

this helped me so much. ive been trying to understand these aspects of photography for so long and this is the best video ive ever seen. it taught me about more than just focal length. thakns for going in detail about them and making it easy to understand. thank you.

[@mangatsinghdeol2941]

Awesome video.....very easy to understand. Thank you for taking the time to make this video and sharing with us. learned several things from it. Once again thank you.

[@marijavujicic6102]

Great video!Simple and on point. And with the animation is much much easier to remember💯

[@seanc.5310]

You sir have the most informative channel for aspiring photography buffs. Thank you!

[@Apalapse]

Thank YOU. Your kind words really inspire me to keep making videos. I am glad I could help you and others. Sorry for just responding to this comment now.

[@cluxseltoot]

Thank you for making and sharing an explicit and easy to understand photographic lens video.

[@Apalapse]

You are very welcome. I enjoy explaining these photography concepts so to hear your kind words really means a lot.

[@MuhammadRafikBakhtshiren]

Totally agreed with this video... I learned most of basic and advance information's... I can't get it clearly from my friends.. But with your help.. I get more n more.. Thanks!

[@Apalapse]

I'm glad I can help!

[@tmahajan1990]

Amazingly explained video about 'Focal Length'. Cleared some basic concepts with this video!

[@Apalapse]

Thank you for the feedback. I'm glad I could help.

[@madebyut]

Thank you! You are a amazing teacher and your have designed this video so well. Brilliant work!

[@AbhishekMadhu_online]

Really appreciate this sir. Thank you so much for sharing both the physics and the actual real behaviour. ❤

[@jessemcelroy5266]

These are some of the best basic photography videos I have seen. Real clear and easy to follow. It doesn't do much good to study shooting techniques and advanced features if your not clear on the basic concepts; these videos really cleared up some misconceptions and some confusion for me so I now can move on to more advanced concepts. Thank you very much.

[@Apalapse]

Thank you, Jesse. I'm glad I could help.

[@GeorgeMadden33]

Your video's are awesome - have always left camera on Auto - Now retired with time on my hands so trying to do a little better. Read a few things, saw some videos but after seeing this channel, the fog is really lifting. Thanks so much !

[@Apalapse]

I'm really glad that you found this video helpful. I hope you are able to find the time to learn manual mode, the process of shooting manual is a great way to really learn how your camera works. Let me know if you need any more help or have any suggestions for future videos. Take care!

[@TL.Audio.and.Video.Studio]

Apalapse, I would like to thank you for this video of yours. I love the section about your explanation of the APS-C and the Full-frame camera. Now I know how to calculate the focal length of my lens when I mount them on my APS-C camera.

[@Apalapse]

I'm glad you liked it! The only thing I should say is that when you switch from full frame to APS-C, the focal length itself does not change, it's only the field of view. This is just a semantics issue mostly but it's important to remember since a lot of people think that when they switch bodies the focal length of the lens also changes, making it a different lens... When you multiply the focal length by the crop factor you are just saying that on the smaller-sensor camera the lens has a new field of view of ____, since focal length is the distance from nodal point to the sensor it will never change regardless of the camera you attach it to. I just wanted to articulate this in case it helps you or anyone else. Thanks for commenting and take care!

[@behindtheglosss]

Simply fantastic. So well put and well explained. The best that I have come across, on the given topic.

[@Apalapse]

Thanks!

[@baconbrofro860]

This was an easy to understand, informative video on focal length that i'm glad i found so i can understand all of this camera mumbo jumbo

[@Apalapse]

I'm glad it was helpful! I try and make the videos striaght to the point with simple terms so that everyone can understand. Thanks for the feedback and good luck with your photography.

[@leopotrek]

Short, brief, and clear. I love the way you present this. Thank you for your share.

[@artyomca]

Masterfully edited animations, clear and concise explanations. Good job!

[@Apalapse]

Thank you so much. Sorry for the late reply. I am making pretty big changes to the channel right now, so stay tuned for more.

[@piyushpatel2836]

Every teacher should teach anything like this only!!! Then no doubt that a student has understood the topic!!! Amazing channel

[@Apalapse]

Wow, I am flattered! Thanks for the kind words and compliment. I hope you found this video helpful and I encourage you to stay tuned for more videos.

[@subhashgoragund6470]

Thank you very much for brief and wonderful expansion, it was easy to understand this confusing matter.

[@Apalapse]

You're very welcome!

[@golosbezdoka]

The voice is cool. :) Older than on previous videos I've seen on the channel :) Kinda more relaxed

[@Apalapse]

Thanks. Now I am using my own voice just to keep things consistent but it is sometimes nice to have a professional do the voiceovers.

[@golosbezdoka]

@@Apalapse you're right, it makes sense to use your own one. That's why I learn how to make it more professional. One day you won't hear a difference anymore))

[@Apalapse]

@@golosbezdoka Exactly!

[@mtnmotoadv]

What I find most interesting about all this is how complex light is and makes me realize the image of the world that I myself perceive is shaped by the shape of my eyes, and not a 100% accurate representation of what reality actually looks like.

[@Apalapse]

This is true. Our reality is how we perceive it, and light is one of the most fundamental aspects of how we interpret our surroundings. Cameras are interesting because they perceive light in a purely unbiased way, capturing light the way it exists naturally, not the way our brains think it does.

[@dancu9271]

Thanks for making and sharing your video!!

[@TheAhanin]

This guy is an amazing visual teacher.

[@heppylifestyle]

gosh -- someone broke this down in simple terms and made it easy to watch. thank u!! ur living HEPPily ;)

[@Apalapse]

Haha! Thanks for the kind words. My goal is always to try and break complicated concepts down into easy-to-understand tidbits. I'm glad you found that in this video, thanks for watching, friend! Take care and live HEPPily.

[@heppylifestyle]

@@Apalapse as a sincere thank you, i subscribed. the comments below properly recognize ur excellent content and presentation.

[@brentonwithers4508]

Very straightforward and succinct description and explanation. Well done!

[@Apalapse]

Thank you.

[@jrchannel7405]

Nice video!! just a point, the distortion or compression is not created by te lens itself, they are created by the physical distance between the camera and the subject.

[@Apalapse]

Correct, someone else pointed this out, too. I made that error when writing the script for this video.

[@CaptainCory]

This was easily the best video I’ve seen on this topic.

[@Apalapse]

Thanks!

[@metacity75]

Clear illustrations and well explained. Good job !

[@Apalapse]

thanks!

[@motivateLAB]

You deserve more than 10 million subscribers, your explanation is easy to understand which corresponds well with animation

[@fyisic]

Perfect video. Simple but yet very informative. Soothing voice and great animation.

[@Apalapse]

Thanks!

[@PieOnPot]

Easy to understand explanation - thank you for putting this together!

[@Apalapse]

Thank you for the kind words and you are very welcome. I enjoy putting together these videos and helping other photographers understand important concepts.

[@joek5637]

Thank you! Fundamental understanding is such an important thing for everyone. Great job.

[@Apalapse]

I totally agree, and thank you for watching.

[@AlexIr99]

This was really informative. And to think I knew exactly what focal length was and how it affected photos...

[@Apalapse]

Glad to hear it was helpful. Thanks for watching and for the feedback.

[@JeffJansen53]

Unless I'm mistaken, at 0:28, the illustration is incorrect. It depicts focal length as the distance between the point at which light rays converge and the sensor, but it depicts the sensor as being out in the camera lens itself, instead of at the back of the camera body, where the sensor actually sits.

[@Apalapse]

You are correct, technically. This is something I looked over in the illustration phase of making this video and I just noticed it now with your comment. Thanks for pointing this out.

[@TolisDokianos]

Very good explanation of the basics on focal length. Thank you!

[@Apalapse]

You're very welcome!

[@fearfacts755]

Perfect explanation with great animations.

[@Raviiii776]

Thank you for teaching in easy way

[@sourabhlahoti7466]

Very nice video. Thanks for clearing my concepts

[@randomtux1234]

SUPERB!! 0;20 the image plane is actually more inside the camera body, no?

[@pablok2854]

what a great video! a 5 minutes masterclass... congratulations!!

[@Apalapse]

Thanks so much!

[@natecooper9457]

Great video, really well explained. Only thing is telephoto lenses do not cause compression. It's the backing up of the camera and therefore the increase in distance that causes compression. You can see this with your eyes when you look out the car window on a long drive, all the objects on the horizon seem close together. Telephoto compression is a myth, it's the distance of the camera to subject that increases/decreases compression, the telephoto lenses are just able to zoom in to see it better. You can also see this if you back up a wide angle lens a whole bunch and then digital crop in, it will also have compression (albeit the quality will likely be awful but it does demonstrate this phenomenon).

[@Apalapse]

Correct explanation. That was one of the mistakes I made with this video. Thanks for pointing that out and sorry for responding so late, I do appreciate your feedback.

[@supersonik76]

Best explanation of focal length yet.

[@Apalapse]

Thanks!

[@haody_hao]

in case anyone got confused about the wording of "where light converges" to image sensor (like me), so I looked up the physics. Where the light converges should be the focal point, which is on the image sensor to form a clear image. focal length should be defined as the distance between the optical center to focal point instead, optical center being the place where ray light passes without any deflection

[@roxx7148]

I'm interested in photography but Due to family force doing something else but I always watch vedios and get knowledge about Photography ❤️ love this Channel

[@Apalapse]

Thank you! Best of luck to you and your family.

[@dhananandanikulathunga6845]

This is the best video I've ever watched.

[@GreySectoid]

Having the same effective focal length and actual focal length does not mean the focal lengths are equal, only that the image they produce has similar dimensions. Having 50mm lens on a cropped sensor still obeys the lens equation physics of 50mm lens, it just gets cropped down.

[@deelister1349]

Excellent clear explanation and video. Thanks!

[@Apalapse]

Glad it was helpful!

[@nblanca67]

Very good explanation..this is 'focal length for dummies' like me...

[@mohamedgamal-gi5ws]

Best explanation on KZbin

35mm is not the lenght of diagonal (obvisously cannot be, because the diagonal must be longer than any other side, so it should be bigger than 36mm). It is a naming from film era. It comes from fact, that the film with the holes was 35mm wide. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/135_film

[@TheDisruptiveYouTuber]

There's loads of similar misinformation in this video bud. Judging by the comments, people are just eating it up like it's all fact.

[@dxkaiyuan4177]

please do note that film for still photography and film for motion pictures are different. Still image film is run through the camera horizontally, and the exposed area is what we call "full frame" today. motion picture 35mm film is run through the camera vertically, leading to a smaller exposed area, which is very roughly aps-c today

[@LuizCarlosMontanari]

Congratulations ! Fantastic slides.

[@Apalapse]

Thank you, Luiz. I am glad that you liked the video!

[@mathieuponcet5541]

Finally someone explaining it so clearly! Thanks

[@Apalapse]

Thanks for watching, glad it was helpful!

[@eddwingregg6999]

Protect this man by ALL means!!

[@Apalapse]

Hahahaha

[@AlexandarHullRichter]

Slight error. That 35 mm is not a diagonal measurement, it is the total width of the film, including the edges that have holes for manipulating the film's position. 35 mm camera film is exposed over an area that is 36 mm x 24 mm. There are also a number of APS-C lenses that will go down to 11 or 12mm without fish-eye distortion.

[@AgnostosGnostos]

The focal length is a relic from the film era. When nearly all cameras were using 35mm film or 135 as is its official name. Focal length corresponds to different angle of view with different sizes of digital sensors or films. The angle of should be indicated with lenses instead of focal length but older photographers were accustomed with focal lengths and the standard 35mm films. Cameras with larger sensor have an advantage with wide angle lenses. On the other hand cameras with smaller sensor can have easily super telephoto lenses.

[@AnnaHebel]

exactly what I needed! thank you!!!!

[@Apalapse]

You are very welcome.

[@evilwarlock]

Excellent video, very clear explanation! Great job.

[@Apalapse]

Thank you for watching and for your kind words.

[@dollg44]

Superb detailed video.Great work

[@83jbbentley]

The narrator’s voice always changes. I love the videos though.

[@Apalapse]

In the past I contracted my voiceover work but going forward I am using my own voice. To be completely honest with you my voice was still changing when I was creating this videos so I felt a little insecure about it but I'm narrating my own stuff now so that inconsistency should be removed.

[@snehalgaikwad4812]

That's not problematic though...ur videos are quite useful

[@Apalapse]

@@snehalgaikwad4812 Thank you. I'll be producing more soon, I am just setting up a studio currently, and it's more expensive than I thought originally.

[@PhysicsOfParkour]

The larger the focal length, the More satisfied the subjects!!!

[@BGPsychology]

Best video for camera basics!!! Thanks!

[@Apalapse]

Thanks for watching. Glad you liked the video.

[@murdahorse]

Great video but most importantly, thank you for the compelling visual depiction of why ultra wide lenses are not suitable for portraits

[@alanelesstravelled8218]

Ignore the term "crop factor" The focal length of a lens does not ever change. It still stays the same whether you use it on a 35mm or APS-C camera. A 50mm lens is a 50mm lens. Ignore phrases that state that a 50mm lens suddenly becomes a 75mm just because you are using it on an APS-C camera. Lenses that have been specifically designed for APS=C cameras have a smaller imaging circle so there is no "crop". So what about large and medium format cameras ?

[@Apalapse]

Crop factor is a term that is helpful for beginning photographers to understand. To some people it may be misleading but when explained correctly it is simply he amount of crop that occurs when a certain focal length lens is attached to any type of image sensor other than full frame. Large and medium format cameras have a crop factor of less than one (

[@alanelesstravelled8218]

@@Apalapse I disagree with everything you have just said. Why reference a camera / lens system that a beginner to photography may have never seen or used ? An APS-C lens doesn't "crop" anything. APS-C lenses have an imaging circle that matches the size of an APS-C sized sensor. Similarly, 35mm sized film/digital cameras use lenses that match the larger size of the frame. No-one ever talked about "crop factor" when comparing 35mm and medium format cameras, it wasn't required, so why should we use it now ?

[@Apalapse]

@@alanelesstravelled8218 Whether or not APS-C is a term a beginner will know is not something you nor I can comment on. I like to think that APS-C and full frame are both terms that will ring a bell to most photographers, even if they are a total beginner, so I feel comfortable using them in my camera basics videos. While you're right in that an APS-C lens will produce an image circle large enough to cover an APS-C sensor camera, the focal length measurement is still in reference to a 35mm sensor format. Why is crop factor such a bad term? When I put a full frame lens on my full frame camera, the field of view equates to what is written on the lens body, but when I put it on my APS-C camera, the field of view is NOT the same in the files, it is increased by a factor known as the crop factor. I never said the lens itself crops anything, that's obvious; glass is glass and the physicality of the lens does not alter based on the camera it is attached to. Just because it is a new term doesn't mean it can be used effectively.

[@okaro6595]

Crop factor is real and it has nothing to do with the image circle.

[@okaro6595]

@@alanelesstravelled8218 The 35 mm just happens to be the standard.

[@princebanini]

this video was very informative. it explained all i needed to know. love it

[@Apalapse]

Thank you sir. Stay tuned for more videos coming soon. I took a bit of a hiatus from KZbin but now I'm back!

[@zeeshaann]

Thank you. Very good video. I am impressed. This helped my knowledge. I have also subscribed. Thanks again.

[@Apalapse]

Thanks for subscribing and look forward to more videos.

[@danbold5459]

Forgot to mention that zoom lenses have a higher minimum F number, which is why primes are preferable

[@Apalapse]

Yep!

[@TheDisruptiveYouTuber]

Not in all cases

[@TheMetalButcher]

Sigma 18-35 would like a word.

[@akhileshap9439]

The presentation was great... I loved it.

[@Apalapse]

Glad you liked it!

[@tamapra57]

This is so well explained. Thanks man

[@Apalapse]

Thank you for the kind words. Stay tuned for more videos!

[@jonathanl2757]

Wow, NAILED it.

[@Apalapse]

Thanks man.

[@SwissplWatches]

Great video! Thank you!

[@nomadproductions8964]

this was a great video, very informative. Thanks for the lesson

[@Apalapse]

You are very welcome. Thank you for watching.

[@SMWhizKid]

This video was very helpful, thank you so much ☺

[@Apalapse]

You're so welcome!

[@JeremiahStringer]

Very great info and video! Appreciate it!!

[@Apalapse]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@vitorkock4847]

Thanks for the explanation

[@PhysicsOfParkour]

The larger the focal length, the More satisfied the subjects!!!

[@Apalapse]

potentially

[@matthieuzglurg6015]

at 1:18 : the 35mm film does not have a 35mm diagonal. It has a 35mm height, the actual image size is 24x36mm (the height is not 35 because you need spece for the holes allowing the film to move) same goes for a full frame sensor that has the same size as 35mm film : it has a 24x36mm size, therefore it isn't its diagonal that is 35mm also for crop factor, the APS-C sensors used by Sony, Nikon, Fujifilm etc actually have a crop factor of about 1.52, but people just use 1.5 and 1.6 for canon as it is easier. If you use "1.50" you actually use a wrong number

[@Apalapse]

correct, I addressed this in a previous comment I think :)

[@galaxycreativenotl]

Phenomenal job explaining this 👏

[@Apalapse]

Thanks for watching!