There’s some confusion out there on what “35mm depth of field” is when it comes to all the different HD cameras currently available. The sensor size has a direct effect on field of view, which influences the depth of field (but they’re not the same thing). For example, the 1/3″ sensor in the HPX170 has an almost infinite depth of field compared to the full frame 35mm sensor in the 5D. I came across a great chart and a Field of View Comparator on Abel Cine Tech’s blog.
Click here for the Field of View Comparator
The below chart is a comparison if different 35mm sensors. It’s not a comparison of resolution, just the size of the sensor itself, which has a direct effect on the field of view. At the bottom is the Phantom 65, which is the only digital camera that approximates the 65mm/70mm film format made famous by movies such as Lawrence of Arabia and the Sound of Music. It was sometimes referred to as Super Panavision (wiki link). This chart also shows clearly why some prefer the shallower depth of field that the 5D can create, since it’s sensor is so much bigger than traditional Super 35mm. The 5D has a full 35mm still frame, which is bigger than a motion 35mm frame since the film runs vertically in motion cameras and horizontally in still cameras. This is why IMAX, which uses 65mm film, is bigger than 65mm because the film is run horizontally. IMAX is not on the chart though. Visit Abel Cine Tech’s blog for more cool info like this.
Click to enlarge