Sensor & Lens Tools
Professional-Grade Sensor & Lens Analysis Built for the Modern Cinematographer
A suite of precision tools for cinematographers and camera assistants. Select your camera body and lens from my self-curated database of sensors and lenses to compare sensor sizes side by side, visualize image circle coverage, simulate realistic gaussian depth of field and focus pulls with real lens data, and map your exact field of view at any distance.
This toolset is designed to give you a reference of what to expect from certain cameras and lenses to guide you through the pre-planning process for shoots. Results may differ slightly from real-world applications.
HOW TO USE
Compare any two camera sensors side by side — or against the 4-perf Super35 reference — to understand the real-world size relationship between formats. The visualiser scales both sensors proportionally so you can immediately see how much of the frame you gain or lose when switching bodies.
- Select your primary camera (e.g. ARRI, Blackmagic, Canon, Panavision, RED, Sony, etc.) To see the sensor area of the ARRI ALEXA LF 4.5K 3:2, use the Brand → Camera → Resolution → Gate dropdowns. The sensor rectangle appears in the visualiser immediately.
- Apply a focal reducer or expander if you're using one. The effective sensor dimensions update in real time and the rect resizes accordingly.
- Add an optional compare camera by filling out the Comparison Camera fields. The Super 35 reference disappears and both sensors are shown to scale against each other.
- Read the crop factor in the stats below. Use the Switch button to flip the direction — from primary to compare, or compare to primary.
- Enter a focal length in the converter to see the equivalent focal length on the other body for the same field of view.
- Crop Factor
- The diagonal of the compare sensor divided by the diagonal of the primary. A crop factor above 1.0 means the compare sensor is smaller.
- Focal Multiplier
- Multiply a lens focal length on the compare body by this number to get the equivalent field of view on the primary body.
- Converter
- Enter any focal length to instantly see its equivalent on the other sensor.
Verify whether a lens's image circle covers your sensor gate before you get on set. The tool shows the measured image circle, an estimated illumination circle, and your sensor gate — all scaled relative to each other so you can see immediately whether you have full coverage, partial coverage, or vignetting.
- Select your camera sensor using the Brand → Camera → Resolution → Gate cascade.
- Select your lens using the Brand → Series → Focal Length cascade. This database features data for many of the most popular lenses from brands like ARRI, Cooke, Zeiss, BLAZAR, Leitz, Atlas, and more. For zoom lenses, drag the focal length slider to any position in the range.
- Check the coverage badge at the bottom of the visualiser. Green means full coverage; amber means the sensor exits the image circle; red means the sensor exits the illumination circle entirely.
- Toggle Fit: Lens / Fit: Sensor to change whether the visualiser scales to fit the image circle or your sensor gate.
- For anamorphic lenses, toggle between Squeezed and Desqueezed view to see how the image circle maps to your sensor in both modes.
- Gold rectangle
- Your sensor gate — the area your camera actually records.
- Green circle
- The measured image circle — the area the lens can resolve at acceptable quality.
- Amber dashed
- The estimated illumination circle — beyond this the image falls off entirely.
A real-time composite viewer that simulates what your camera and lens will actually see. The background image scales to match the lens field of view, the subject figure scales to its real-world height at the set distance, and depth of field blur is applied to both layers independently — using measured blur amounts where available.
- Select your camera and lens in the drawer below the viewer.
- Set Subject Distance — the slider uses diopter spacing, which matches the feel of a real follow-focus. Close distances are expanded; far distances are compressed.
- Set Background Distance to control how far the background plate is from the camera. This drives both the background scale and the background blur amount.
- Use the Focus Pull slider below the viewer to rack focus between near and far. Watch the blur shift between subject and background in real time.
- Expand the gate using the icon in the focus/aperture badge to fill the full viewer for a better view.
- Change the background using the Change Background button. You can also upload your own plate and enter the horizontal FOV and distance it was captured at.
- Near / Far
- The near and far limits of the depth of field zone at the current focus distance and aperture.
- DOF
- Total depth of field — the distance between the near and far limits.
- Hyper
- Hyperfocal distance. Focus here and everything from half this distance to infinity is acceptably sharp.
- H. / V. FOV
- Horizontal and vertical angle of view for the current sensor and focal length.
Visualize your exact field of view at any subject distance in two modes: a top-down diagram showing the FOV cone and a camera view showing the frame at the subject plane with a 1.75m reference figure. For the purposes of this tool, the object is always percieved as in-focus.1 Use this to plan shots, communicate framing to your team, or confirm a lens choice before the day.
- Select your camera sensor from the database. The sensor syncs from other tabs if already selected.
- Select your lens from the database. Anamorphic lenses default to desqueezed view.
- Set subject distance with the slider. Frame width and height update instantly.
- Switch between Top-down and Camera view using the toggle above the visualizer. Top-down shows the FOV cone; Camera view shows the frame boundary with the reference figure at subject distance.
- H. AOV
- Horizontal angle of view — the width of what the lens sees, in degrees.
- V. AOV
- Vertical angle of view — the height of what the lens sees, in degrees.
- Frame Width
- The physical width of the scene captured at the subject distance.
- Frame Height
- The physical height of the scene captured at the subject distance.
Assemble a complete camera package and get an accurate picture of what it demands before you get on set. Add your camera body, accessories, and power source — the builder calculates max rig weight, draw, and estimated battery runtime so there are no surprises on the day.
When you're happy with the build, export a digital or print-ready PDF summary to share with your AC, rental house, or producer.
- Select your camera body using the Brand → Camera cascade. The body's base power draw and weight are loaded automatically.
- Add accessories — monitors, wireless systems, follow focus motors, a matte box, and any other items from the accessory list that will be on the camera at any point. Each addition updates the running weight and power draw totals in real time.
- Select your battery type and capacity. The builder uses the total draw figure to calculate estimated runtime.
- Review the summary panel — check max rig weight, total power draw, and estimated battery runtime before committing to a build.
- Export to PDF using the Export button. The document includes your full component list, all weight and power figures, and battery runtime estimates — ready to hand off or file.
- Rig Weight
- Max weight of the camera package at any point. Use this against your operator's comfort threshold and any crane or gimbal payload limits.
- Power Draw
- Max draw of all active accessories plus the camera body, expressed in watts. Calculated based upon continuous max-load. Compare this against your battery's rated output.
- Runtime
- Estimated battery life at the max draw rate. Treat this as a planning figure — real-world runtime varies with temperature, cell-quality, battery age, and usage loads.
- Export PDF
- A printable one-page summary of the full build: component list, weight, draw, and runtime. Useful for rental orders, camera reports, and pre-production sign-off.