Focal lenght equivalent

[bwphoto]

I am considering a H4D-50 and am trying to compare focal lengths to a D300.  I will be shooting landscape as well as interiors.  With the larger sensor of the H4D-50 what would be the equivalent focal length of the 28 HCD and the 35 HC in a Nikon system for a D300.  I have the 12-24 nikkor and wondering where these 2 lens would be in that range, keeping in mind the DX size sensor.

Appreciate any help, thanks,
Brian

[Jack Flesher]

I am considering a H4D-50 and am trying to compare focal lengths to a D300.  I will be shooting landscape as well as interiors.  With the larger sensor of the H4D-50 what would be the equivalent focal length of the 28 HCD and the 35 HC in a Nikon system for a D300.  I have the 12-24 nikkor and wondering where these 2 lens would be in that range, keeping in mind the DX size sensor.

Appreciate any help, thanks,
Brian

Your DX sensor is a 1.5 crop, right? The HD50 is ~~ a 0.7 crop.  1.5/0.7 = ~~2.14, so you'd multiply your D300 focal by 2.14 to get the equivalent HD50 focal.  So a 50 on your D300 would be roughly equivalent to a 107 on the HD50.

[bwphoto]

Your DX sensor is a 1.5 crop, right? The HD50 is ~~ a 0.7 crop.  1.5/0.7 = ~~2.14, so you'd multiply your D300 focal by 2.14 to get the equivalent HD50 focal.  So a 50 on your D300 would be roughly equivalent to a 107 on the HD50.

Thanks Jack, so by your formula, 14mm on my D300 would be close to the 28mm on the H4D-50 and 16mm on my D300 would be close to the 35mm on the H4D-50.  Great info, can anyone else confirm this before I make a decision?......Thanks!

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

I am considering a H4D-50 and am trying to compare focal lengths to a D300.

Hi Brian,

You can calculate the difference by comparing the sensor size, i.e. 36.8 × 49.1mm versus  15.8 x 23.6mm, so the relative FL multiplier is 36.8/15.8=2.33x for the short dimension and 49.1/23.6=2.08 for the long dimension. So a 14mm on the D300 is equal to a 29 - 33mm (depending on the orientation) on the 'blad', thus a 28mm on the Hasselblad is slightly wider than 14mm on the D300.

Cheers,
Bart

[Jack Flesher]

Thanks Jack, so by your formula, 14mm on my D300 would be close to the 28mm on the H4D-50 and 16mm on my D300 would be close to the 35mm on the H4D-50.  Great info, can anyone else confirm this before I make a decision?......Thanks!

Yes, aside from the difference in aspect ratios, which make a direct comparison difficult. Here's some more math:  14mm on your D300 x 1.5 = 21mm equivalent on full frame 35.  28 on HD50 x .7 = approx 19.5mm equivalent on full frame 35, so they'd be pretty close.  HOWEVER -- and I don't shoot Hassy so perhaps somebody else can confirm -- IIRC the hassy 28 gets trimmed to a 30 due to software corrections.  So in reality, it will also appear an effective 21mm after coming out of Hassy's converter.

Likewise, 16mm x 1.5 = 24, while 35mm x .7 = 24.5, so again very close -- or at least as close as the respective aspect ratios allow.

Cheers,

[bwphoto]

That's great info Jack, I appreciate the responses.  I am thinking the 35 is plenty wide as 28 seems to be extreme wide angle.

Thanks for the help!
Brian

[Doug Peterson]

http://www.captureintegration.com/2009/02/...ent-calculator/

Doug Peterson
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[elf]

I am considering a H4D-50 and am trying to compare focal lengths to a D300.  I will be shooting landscape as well as interiors.  With the larger sensor of the H4D-50 what would be the equivalent focal length of the 28 HCD and the 35 HC in a Nikon system for a D300.  I have the 12-24 nikkor and wondering where these 2 lens would be in that range, keeping in mind the DX size sensor.

Appreciate any help, thanks,
Brian

It depends on what you're comparing. A 28mm focal length lens on a D300 will still be a 28mm focal length lens on an H4D-50.  The FOV will be different, with the D300 having a smaller FOV.  Fortunately moving to a larger sensor allows you to use  a longer focal length for the same FOV which means you'll also get more detail.  Going from a large sensor to a small sensor is where most people get it wrong and think they're getting a longer focal length lens.