What do “F:2.6” and “f=3.8mm” on a lens mean?
Asked 8/16/2018
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I see a lens marked “F:2.6 f=3.8mm”. What do these numbers mean? Does “f=3.8mm” refer to the focal length, and is “F:2.6” the maximum aperture or f-number?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
7y ago
2 Answers
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The F 2.6 is the f-stop, "speed" or how light sensitive the lens is. A lower number means more light can hit the sensor.
A lower number also means you can easier get the background out of focus.
The f=3.8 mm is the focal length of the lens. This is the number that describes if it's a wide angle lens (like a GoPro) or a telephoto lens (like sports and wildlife photographers use).
In this case 3.8 mm needs to be multiplied with the crop factor of the sensor if you want to get the "35 mm equivalent". After googling I see that the 35mm equivalent is a 37 mm lens.
Also note that the camera only has digital zoom. The result will be, let's just say, not what you hoped for if you use the digital zoom.
My advice is to look for something with optical zoom. It's a massive difference. Even a used old camera is probably better, if you ever need the zoom. If you never ever need the zoom than this is probably fine.
It seems their marketing department needs to learn how the focal length works, since this diagram shows a longer focal length as wider. That is backwards.
Originally by user75423. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user75423
7y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes. On a lens, these markings usually mean:
- F:2.6 = the lens’s maximum aperture (also called the f-number or f-stop). A smaller f-number lets in more light and can make it easier to blur the background.
- f=3.8mm = the lens’s focal length. Focal length affects the lens’s field of view—whether it looks wider or more zoomed-in.
So your interpretation is close: 3.8mm is the focal length, and 2.6 is the aperture ratio, commonly written as f/2.6.
A few notes:
- On some lenses, aperture may also be written as 1:2.6.
- On zoom lenses, you may see a range like f/3.5–5.6, meaning the maximum aperture changes as you zoom.
- Focal length by itself doesn’t tell the whole story; the sensor size also affects how wide or narrow the view appears.
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