slammerag said:
In the process is learned that the higher the objective, the smaller the field of view, but the higher the optical magnification. 35mm starts at ~ 2X with wider field of view that 50mm that starts at ~2.5X. This is counter to what I believed.
This applies to every optic, not just thermal. As magnification increases, field of view decreases. It has to; it has no choice. Now you could compare two different optical designs where the FOV on a slightly higher mag optic could also have a wider FOV than some other optic at lower mag, but when comparing optics of the same design, FOV always decreases as mag increases.
Magnification and objective lens size aren't directly related however, even though in the thermal world, larger objective lenses are typically used with higher base magnification. Magnification is a function of focal length, not the size of the objective lens. Objective lens size is also not directly related to FOV; as the entire optical design determines FOV.
