Introduction
The purpose of this lensPrep tool is to assist in selecting focal lengths for industry standard shots. I'll add the caveat that these are approximate suggestions. In practice this tool is incredibly useful however.

Basic usage is selecting a camera, model, and format then entering a lens focal length or focal lengths. lensPrep will then give you a subject distance summary of 9 industry standard and common framing conventions.

Adding a subject size into the mix allows you to know what approximate distance you'll need to be with the given focal length to fully frame that subject. You can enter a single measurement or a width and height in WxH format as well as selecting your desired unit of measurement.

Sometimes Cinematographers and Directors of Photography have a fixed vantage point or specific working distance due to location obsticle and size limitations. By entering this it will override the focal length mode and will come up with focal lengths to hit those 9 framing conventions.

Lastly, you can also combine working distance with subject size to figure out what lenses you'll need to have that subject in frame at that working distance.

Using lensPrep in combination with my other tools like depthOfFieldCalc, exposureTable, and panSpeedCalc can help you fully plan lens selection, exposure, lighting, and camera movement logistics ahead of the filming day.

© phil holland 1999-