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Matching lenses from each maker's lineup, plus some classic medium and large format lenses. Email me if something is wrong or missing.
135mm medium format vs 105mm full frame focal length comparison
Interactive side-by-side simulation at the same subject size: see how 135mm medium format and 105mm full frame change camera distance, perspective, depth of field and background blur.
What this comparison shows
Both images show the same portrait at the same size. Both cameras stand at almost the same distance, because 135mm medium format and 105mm full frame have a similar field of view. The room around the person looks about the same in both frames, and the background stays a similar size. What changes is how much that background blurs at a given f-number.
Start at f/2.8 on the left and f/1.4 on the right. Match depth of field sets the right-hand aperture so the background is as blurred as on the left. The larger medium-format sensor reaches full-frame background blur at a slower f-number.
At the face framing, 135mm medium format stands 178 cm from the subject. At f/2.8 the sharp zone runs from 175 cm to 180 cm. 105mm full frame stands 168 cm away, and at f/1.4 the sharp zone runs from 167 cm to 170 cm.
Questions
How far from the subject do you stand with 135mm medium format and 105mm full frame?
In the face framing, 135mm medium format stands 178 cm from the subject and 105mm full frame stands 168 cm. Both cameras stand at almost the same distance, because 135mm medium format and 105mm full frame have a similar field of view.
Which blurs the background more, 135mm medium format or 105mm full frame?
At the same framing, a distant background blurs in proportion to the aperture opening, focal length divided by f-number. 135mm medium format at f/2.8 opens 48.2 mm and 105mm full frame at f/1.4 opens 75.0 mm, so 105mm full frame blurs it about 1.6 times as much. Close behind the person, the focal length matters less and the f-number more.
Do 135mm medium format and 105mm full frame give a different perspective?
Hardly. Both frame the face from almost the same distance, so perspective and background size match. What changes is how much the background blurs at a given f-number.
Lenses at these focal lengths
- Fujifilm GF 80mm F1.7 R WR
- Fujifilm GF 110mm F2 R LM WR
- Hasselblad XCD 2.5/90V
- Fujifilm GF 120mm F4 R LM OIS WR Macro
- Fujifilm GF 250mm F4 R LM OIS WR
- Fujifilm GF 500mm F5.6 R LM OIS WR
- Nikon 105mm f/1.4 FX
- Sigma 105mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art
- Nikon 105mm f/1.8 AI-s
- Nikon AF Micro 105mm f/2.8D
Related comparisons
- Nikon NIKKOR Z 58mm f/0.95 S Noct vs. Nikon NIKKOR Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena
- Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 vs. Sony FE 135mm F1.8 GM
- Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM II vs. Sony FE 135mm F1.8 GM
- Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM vs. Canon RF 135mm F1.8 L IS USM
- 35mm vs 135mm focal length comparison
- 50mm vs 105mm focal length comparison
- 50mm vs 135mm focal length comparison
- 58mm vs 105mm focal length comparison
- 70mm vs 135mm focal length comparison
- 85mm vs 105mm focal length comparison
Also see: depth of field, bokeh, crop factor, lens compression.