Best focal length for 16mm portraiture

[Ira Ratner]

When I used to do 35mm still work, I think I always used an 85mm or 100mm for the most flattering facial lines.

 

Would this focal range also apply for 16mm cine, regardless of the difference in angle of view, or do the rules change?

[Adrian Sierkowski]

For a quick approximation I normally 1/2 the lens when going from 35mm to 16mm. So that 100 becomes a 50. This is of course talking 35mm motion picture film, not stills which are larger "film area" than 35 motion picture. I think it's a 1.3x crop factor from 35mm Stills to Super 35mm, so you'd have to factor that in but i'd say on 16mm 50mm would be a good starting point for portraits.

[Alfeo Dixon]

pCam yeilded the following results by keeping the distance and vertical height consistent:

 

Standard 35mm still photo 85mm -> 27mm 16mm full aperture 1.37 / 25mm 16mm HDTV 1.78 / 23mm super 16mm 1.85 & 41mm 35mm 1.85

 

Standard 35mm still photo 100mm -> 32mm 16mm full aperture 1.37 / 29mm 1.78 16mm HDTV / 27mm super 16mm 1.85 & 48mm 35mm 1.85

 

Hope this helps

[Alfeo Dixon]

also...

 

85mm still -> 49mm super 35 HTDV 1.78

 

100mm still -> 57mm super 35 HTDV 1.78

 

Hope this helps... can't wait for the iPhone version

Edited December 11, 2008 by Alfeo Dixon