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Camera field-of-view calculator

Choose a KDT camera or a lens of your own and enter the distance to the target to see the area the camera covers and how far it can detect, observe, recognise and identify people.

Camera and lens

Calculate for

Distance and mounting height

Top view
Top view Identification Recognition Observation Detection

Coverage

Horizontal angle of view
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Covered width
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Covered height
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Pixel density at the target
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DORI distances

LevelNeedsUp toAt target
Identification 250 px/m — —
Recognition 125 px/m — —
Observation 62.5 px/m — —
Detection 25 px/m — —

This is an estimate: the angle of view and the resolution come from the product datasheet, and the real image quality also depends on the light, compression, focus and mounting angle.

Choosing the lens matters as much as choosing the camera: a wide lens sees a larger area but records less detail of each spot, while a longer lens shows a face or a number plate from further away but covers a smaller area. With this calculator you can see, before installation, how wide an area each camera covers at your distance and which DORI level its image is good enough for.

The figures are worked out from the angle of view and the resolution in each product's datasheet and are an estimate for planning. For a precise camera layout, KDT's sales engineers are ready to help.

How is this calculated?

The camera's horizontal angle of view (H) and horizontal resolution come from the product datasheet (for a lens of your choice, the angle is worked out from the focal length and the sensor size); d is the distance to the target:

Covered width (W)
W = 2 × d × tan(H ÷ 2)
Pixel density
px/m = N ÷ WN = the horizontal pixels of the image (for example 2560).
Farthest distance of a DORI level
d = N ÷ (px/m × 2 × tan(H ÷ 2))
Angle of a lens of your choice
H = 2 × atan(w ÷ 2f)f = the focal length; w = the sensor width, from its diagonal and the resolution's aspect ratio (the vertical and diagonal angles likewise).
With a mounting height (h)
D = √(d² + (h − 1.6)²)D is the real distance to a person's face (1.6 m above the ground); the covered width and the pixel density use it.
A panoramic image (150° or more)
px/m = N ÷ (H[rad] × D)With fisheye and panoramic lenses the pixels spread over the arc of the view, and the covered width is not a straight line.
The DORI levels of IEC 62676-4
LevelNeedsWhat you can see
Detection 25 px/m You can reliably see that a person or a vehicle is there.
Observation 62.5 px/m You can see general details, such as the colour of clothes and what the person is doing.
Recognition 125 px/m You can tell whether the person is someone you have seen before.
Identification 250 px/m The person can be identified beyond reasonable doubt.

Need help placing the cameras of your project?

KDT's sales engineers suggest the right camera and lens for each spot of your site and design the camera layout.

Ask for a project design Contact us

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