Stu Maschwitz has a very interesting post about creating a "Shot You Can Make Simulator" that is essentially a virtual playground in After Effects for simulating different field of view/depth of field/crop factors. More on that in a second -- first, on the same topic, Philip Bloom has a video comparing the field of view on the new Panasonic AF100 and Sony F3. As you can see below, the same lens yields a different FOV thanks to the Micro 4/3 crop factor of the AF100 (18.8 x10.6mm), compared to the Super 35 chip in the Sony (23.6 x 13.3mm):
As is aptly demonstrated in this clip, the focal length of the same lens can yield a different field of view when used with different sized sensors. Indeed, if you're curious about numbers, Barry Green has a chart for you. Going beyond the FOV demo, however, Stu has broken down one particular shot in AE, dividing up the different elements and creating a great demo of how a lens can affect the visuals. I don't want to jack his post, so just head on over to his site -- pay attention to the bokeh on the gun, the size of the gun/hand relative to the subject's face, and the size of the subject relative to the background. Now if only Stu could make the After Effects project file into something releasable...
