Machine Vision & Industrial Inspection AI worked example

Field of View with camera sensor width of 22 mm: a worked example

What does the result look like when camera sensor width reaches 22 mm? The full calculation is worked below with real intermediate numbers. Use it when selecting a lens for a new inspection station and you need to confirm that the chosen sensor and focal length combination produces a field of view that covers the full part width at the planned working distance.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Camera sensor width: 22 mm (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 8.8)
  • Lens focal length: 16 mm (unchanged)
  • Working distance: 400 mm (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Horizontal FOV = (sensor width / focal length) x working distance) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 550 mm for horizontal field of view (fov), the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 1.38 value for sensor-to-focal-length ratio.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 400 x for working distance.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 16 value for lens focal length.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where camera sensor width sits at 8.8 mm and the headline result is 220 mm, this scenario comes in 150% above the baseline at 550 mm.
  • A figure at this level is achievable when camera sensor width is genuinely sustained, not just peaked for a shift. It is a thin-lens paraxial approximation that ignores lens distortion, magnification at very short working distances, and the difference between the optical node and the front of the lens, so verify the final framing on the bench.

Results at a glance

  • Horizontal field of view (FOV): 550 mm (headline result)
  • Sensor-to-focal-length ratio: 1.38 value
  • Working distance: 400 x
  • Lens focal length: 16 value

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Field of View calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.