Lightroom metadata puzzle.

[Bob Pringle]

I have a Sony Rx 100 Mark 3 compact camera. 1 inch sensor. 24 -70mm zoom Lens. While looking at metadata in Lightroom Library it shows the lens as 24-70mmn but then it shows focal lengths as sometimes 8.8mm or 12.06mm. How can the focal lengths be smaller than the lens allows? Is it relating to the crop factor of the lens? Even allowing for that the maths does not add up. Am I missing something?

 

[AlphaWorld]

Check the name of the EXIF data element you are looking at - there is one element which records the ACTUAL focal length, and another which records the "35mm equivalent" focal length. If you are sometimes looking at one, and sometimes looking at the other, it's easy to get confused.

 

[Bob Pringle]

Check the name of the EXIF data element you are looking at - there is one element which records the ACTUAL focal length, and another which records the "35mm equivalent" focal length. If you are sometimes looking at one, and sometimes looking at the other, it's easy to get confused.

Thanks for speedy reply. I changed the drop down menu from "default" to Exif and now it shows "Focal Length" 12.06. And it also shows "Focal Length 35mm" 33mm. It does not make any sense.

 

[Richard A]

I have a Sony Rx 100 Mark 3. It is a great little camera. I bought a Mark 7 (used) almost 18 months ago but I still can't decide if I should keep it or sell it. I have taken some good photos with that little camera.

 

[AlphaWorld]

Thanks for speedy reply. I changed the drop down menu from "default" to Exif and now it shows "Focal Length" 12.06. And it also shows "Focal Length 35mm" 33mm. It does not make any sense.

That's what I was expecting.

What that is telling you is that the real focal length of the lens is about 12mm (focal length is independent of sensor size). But the field of view that you get from it in the images is equivalent to a 33mm lens on a full frame camera.

If you stand in one place, and use that camera, then take an image using a full frame camera with a 35mm lens (closest prime to 33mm focal length), then you will see pretty much the same field of view. Things on the edges of image in one will be on the edges of the image from the other.

Does that make more sense?

It's the same as the difference between APS-C and full frame (just more so, because the sensor in this camera is much smaller than APS-C). If you put a 50mm lens on an APS-C camera, and look at the EXIF data, it will say "Focal Length = 50mm" and "Focal Length (35mm) = 75mm".