Camera FOV Calculator
Find the field of view of any drone camera and the patch of ground one image covers. Pick a camera or enter the sensor and lens, then set the altitude to see the coverage and crop factor.
- Runs in your browser
- No sign-up
- Free
Camera
The real focal length from the EXIF data, not the 35 mm equivalent.
Altitude
Focal length, roughly
Field of view
Enter a sensor size, a focal length and an altitude to see the field of view.
Understanding Field of View
Field of View (FOV) describes the angular extent of the observable world that a camera can capture. It is determined by the sensor size and the focal length of the lens.
Key concepts
- Horizontal FOV: the angle of view from the left to the right edge of the image
- Vertical FOV: the angle of view from top to bottom
- Diagonal FOV: corner to corner, the widest measurement
- Crop factor: the ratio of the full-frame sensor diagonal to your sensor's diagonal
FOV and drone mapping
Understanding FOV is essential for flight planning. A wider FOV means:
- larger ground coverage per image
- fewer images needed for the same area
- but potentially more distortion at the edges
- and a higher GSD (lower resolution) at the same altitude
Field of View Formula
FOV = 2 × arctan(Sensor Dimension / (2 × Focal Length))
Where
- FOV
- Field of view angle in degrees
- Sensor Dimension
- Width for HFOV, height for VFOV (mm)
- Focal Length
- Lens focal length in millimeters
Worked example
For DJI Phantom 4 Pro: HFOV = 2 × arctan(13.2 / (2 × 8.8)) = 73.7°
Frequently Asked Questions About Camera FOV
FOV = 2 × arctan(sensor dimension / (2 × focal length)). For horizontal FOV, use sensor width. For vertical FOV, use sensor height. Our calculator computes horizontal, vertical, and diagonal FOV plus ground coverage at your specified flight altitude.
For photogrammetry, 70-85° horizontal FOV is optimal. Wider FOV covers more ground but with more distortion at edges. Narrower FOV requires more flight lines but produces sharper images. Most mapping drones like DJI Phantom 4 RTK have ~84° HFOV.
Wider FOV means larger ground footprint, so you need wider line spacing for the same overlap percentage. However, wider FOV also means more edge distortion. Our FOV calculator shows footprint dimensions to help you plan overlap settings.
They're the same calculation - FOV depends on both sensor size AND focal length working together. A larger sensor with same focal length gives wider FOV. A longer focal length with same sensor gives narrower FOV. Always consider both specifications.