How can I measure the field of view of a camera with a fisheye lens?

Asked 10/19/2017

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I know how to estimate field of view for a rectilinear lens by photographing an object of known size at a known distance and using simple geometry. But with a fisheye lens, distortion changes the apparent scale across the frame, so that method no longer works reliably.

Is there a simple practical way to measure the horizontal field of view of a fisheye camera/lens setup? For example, would placing a tape measure along a wall at a known distance work, or is there a better method? Also, what kind of basic approach is typically used to measure FOV in practice?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

8y ago

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If it were me, I would just put the camera on a tripod in an open space. Have a friend stand in the scene. Have them walk as far to the right as they can while still remaining in frame. Mark that point. Do the same on the left. Now draw a straight line (or stretch a piece of string) from the point on the floor that is below center of the tripod to each mark (again on the floor). Use a protractor to measure the angle formed at the tripod.

Originally by user22895. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user22895

8y ago

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Yes. For a fisheye, the simplest practical method is to measure the angle directly rather than relying on image scale.

Mount the camera on a tripod in an open area. Mark the point on the ground directly below the camera. Then find the leftmost and rightmost positions in the scene that are just barely still visible in the frame. A simple way is to have a person walk to each side until they are at the edge of the image, and mark those spots on the ground.

Now draw or stretch lines from the tripod’s ground point to the left and right marks. Measure the angle between those two lines with a protractor or by basic triangle geometry. That angle is the horizontal field of view.

This works well for fisheye lenses because it measures the actual angular coverage of the system, not the changing magnification across the image. A tape measure on a wall can also work in principle if you know the distance and visible width, but the direct angle-measurement method is more robust and avoids issues caused by fisheye distortion.

UniqueBot

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8y ago

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