50mm Telephoto
5.5° horizontal field of view - Complete coverage reference guide
About the 50mm lens
A 50mm lens delivers approximately 5.5° horizontal field of view — extreme telephoto by CCTV standards. This is specialty observation equipment, used only where identification at very long distances is the primary requirement. License plate recognition at 200+ meters is the typical use case, alongside long-range face identification on critical infrastructure perimeters.
Best for
- •License plate recognition at 150–250 meter approach distances
- •Critical infrastructure long-range perimeter (oil refineries, power plants, dams)
- •Coastguard and harbour patrol observation of approaching vessels
- •Long-range PTZ camera "zoom" presets for operator-driven target identification
Trade-offs
- •Coverage at 20 meters is barely 2 meters wide — completely unsuited for any close-range work
- •Requires extremely rigid mounting and active stabilization to deliver consistent image quality
- •Heat shimmer, atmospheric haze, and rainfall significantly degrade long-range performance
- •Single-purpose tool — should always be paired with a wide-angle overview camera at the same location
Real-world example
A 50mm lens on a stable elevated mount captures clear license plates of vehicles 200+ meters away in good conditions, making it the lens of choice for highway entry monitoring and long-driveway access control. In PTZ form, the 50mm equivalent zoom level enables operators to track distant suspicious activity in real time across large areas.
Compared to other focal lengths
50mm vs 35mm: about 30% narrower, with proportionally more reach. 50mm represents the practical limit for most installations — beyond this, specialized observation equipment with image stabilization, atmospheric correction, and dedicated optics becomes necessary.
Coverage Width at Different Distances
| Distance | Coverage Width | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| 5m | 0.5m | Entrance/POS area |
| 10m | 1.0m | Retail floor, office |
| 15m | 1.4m | Warehouse aisle, parking |
| 20m | 1.9m | Warehouse aisle, parking |
| 30m | 2.9m | Parking lot, perimeter |
| 50m | 4.8m | Parking lot, perimeter |
| 75m | 7.2m | Long-distance monitoring |
| 100m | 9.6m | Long-distance monitoring |
Other Lens Options
Calculate for Your Setup
Use our FOV calculator to experiment with different focal lengths and distances.