Understanding viewing angles

[Hillman 0]

Am I correct in understanding the 1/4 will have the widest viewing angle and the 1/2 the smallest viewing angle?

 

I grabbed this information from

http://www.networkcamerareviews.com/articles/viewingangles.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

The focal length combined with the sensor size will give you're the viewing angle. A small focal length will give a wide-angle view and a large focal length will give a narrow telephoto view. Wide-angle lenses have a better depth of field than telephoto lenses. This means you can focus close up to the cameras as well as at a distance. Telephoto lenses require a more precise focus adjustment. The calculation for focal length is:

 

f=h x D/H

 

Where h = Image Sensor value

 

1/4" Sensor: h=3.6mm

1/3" Sensor: h=4.8mm

1/2" Sensor: h=6.4mm

 

Where f = Focal Length

Where D = Distance

 

 

Also, if you wish to find the width of objects that you can see after a certain distance you can use this formula:

 

H=D x h/f

 

Example: What can I see at 10ft distance if I have a camera with 1/4" sensor and 4mm lens (fixed focal length)?

 

H=D x h/f

H=10 x 3.6/4

H=9ft

[Thomas 0]

For the same size lens yes. But the same viewing angles can be achived with using a differant lens size for each CCD type.

[rory 0]

Am I correct in understanding the 1/4 will have the widest viewing angle and the 1/2 the smallest viewing angle?

 

No .. using the correct lens for each camera ...

basically a 6mm 1/4" Camera is equivelant to an 8mm 1/3" ...

 

This simply means that if you had a 4mm 1/3" it would be a wider angle than a 4mm 1/4".

[Hillman 0]

Thanks folks. From what you are saying and DUH the formula shows ...it is the combination of the sensor size and the focal length of the lens that determines the final viewing angle.

 

I have a garden that is about 100 feet wide and 100 feet deep that I would like to see as much at possible at night, so I plan to find a good night camera (BW of true Day/night) that can cover as much as possible. I understand seeing all the garden with one camera is impossible. If I can find two cameras I can afford I may go that way.

 

Thanks again for the assistance and guidance.

[Soundy 1]

Any given lens will produce a specific field of view. The smaller the sensor you put within that area, the smaller the portion of the image you will get, and thus the narrower the field of view.