I search the Web quite often to see if some clever person has worked out the relation between MSFS Zoom level and FOV.  Not found anything new - has anyone worked this out?

Not a direct answer, but I made some tests. The old 1.0 setting I used in FSX/P3D (wiedeview enabled) roughly has the same FOV (on the base of comparison screenshots) as 0.8 of MSFS.

I would acknowledge more detailed data, too.

Kind regards, Michael

11 minutes ago, pmb said:

Not a direct answer, but I made some tests. The old 1.0 setting I used in FSX/P3D (wiedeview enabled) roughly has the same FOV (on the base of comparison screenshots) as 0.8 of MSFS.

I would acknowledge more detailed data, too.

Kind regards, Michael

What size monitor are you using?  

Was easy with FSX with some good videos available to explain the FOV.  

Would love to get a better understanding as well. 

For now I understand that for standard front view from cockpit, I think the pilot's view zoom, the default value in cameras.cfg in the line initialzoom is 0.35, like it is in all MSFS stock planes that I find it good and balanced, However I'm lost why is 0.35, that value should give a fish eye look if we consider 1 as normal zoom. For example the DC-6 have a initialzoom value of 0.50 in cameras.cfg giving more fish eye look, I changed to 0.35 and works well like all the other stock planes. Anyway is like inversely proportional, maybe I should refer to 1.00 - 0.35 = 0.65 zoom value? I'm a bit lost.

Edited October 1, 20214 yr by alexcolka

1 hour ago, MrBitstFlyer said:

What size monitor are you using?  

Was easy with FSX with some good videos available to explain the FOV.  

I use a 3440x1440 Monitor 830mm x 380 mm. Yes, I know those three FSX vidoes, they're excellent. It would be a mercy if someone able would produce something similar for MSFS.

The default MSFS zoom setting of 0.5 gives an extreme fisheye effect on my monitor. 0.8 is much better, but has a certain performance impact, notably with PG.

Kind regards, Michael

I'm jumping into this thread as I'm also interested.

On my 3440x1440 34" monitor, there is a bit of a fisheye effect at the default Asobo zoom level. 

I've noticed some addon airplanes have a bit closer view which I like better.

Back in the FSX days I had 3 x 1920x1200 monitors set up, and I had to go to 100 zoom to get the most realistic view. 

6 minutes ago, pmb said:

I use a 3440x1440 Monitor 830mm x 380 mm. Yes, I know those three FSX vidoes, they're excellent. It would be a mercy if someone able would produce something similar for MSFS.

The default MSFS zoom setting of 0.5 gives an extreme fisheye effect on my monitor. 0.8 is much better, but has a certain performance impact, notably with PG.

Kind regards, Michael

Yes, the scaling at the edges is quite distracting sometimes.

9 minutes ago, Republic3D said:

Back in the FSX days I had 3 x 1920x1200 monitors set up, and I had to go to 100 zoom to get the most realistic view. 

For FSX/P3D it's important to add if wideview was activated. The effect of  a numerical zoom value differs drastically between both settings (as the named three videos elucidate). 

Kind regards, Michael

1 hour ago, pmb said:

I use a 3440x1440 Monitor 830mm x 380 mm. Yes, I know those three FSX vidoes, they're excellent. It would be a mercy if someone able would produce something similar for MSFS.

The default MSFS zoom setting of 0.5 gives an extreme fisheye effect on my monitor. 0.8 is much better, but has a certain performance impact, notably with PG.

Kind regards, Michael

Ah, the same resolution as my monitor.

I gradually increased the zoom level upto 0.75 where the view felt more natural. However it almost felt like movement past the aircraft on finals was too slow, but that may be being used to 0.60.  

I tried several values between 0,7 and 0.8 and settled with 0.8 some time ago, but it's certainly worth trying smaller values (I woldn't suggest greater ones). In any case the default 0.5 don't look well for our monitors.

It's again worth mentioning, zoom has quite an effect on performance (in any sim, btw.), even though this may be not so much an issue after the latest optimisations. I have seen screenshots of completely molten PG buildings where I am sure they have been taken with ~1.0.

Kind regards, Michael

2 hours ago, pmb said:

I tried several values between 0,7 and 0.8 and settled with 0.8 some time ago, but it's certainly worth trying smaller values (I woldn't suggest greater ones). In any case the default 0.5 don't look well for our monitors.

It's again worth mentioning, zoom has quite an effect on performance (in any sim, btw.), even though this may be not so much an issue after the latest optimisations. I have seen screenshots of completely molten PG buildings where I am sure they have been taken with ~1.0.

Kind regards, Michael

I had been using 0.6 but your 0.8 is far more natural.  I settled on around 0.77 just to get a little more feeling of speed nearer the ground while keeping perspective about right.

I used a couple of online FOV calculators that all gave 67 degrees for my monitor using XPlane.  I loaded XPlane and MSFS and 0.8 gave a similar perspective.  My 0.60 in MSFS was definitely zoomed out too far.

22 hours ago, MrBitstFlyer said:

I had been using 0.6 but your 0.8 is far more natural.  I settled on around 0.77 just to get a little more feeling of speed nearer the ground while keeping perspective about right.

I used a couple of online FOV calculators that all gave 67 degrees for my monitor using XPlane.  I loaded XPlane and MSFS and 0.8 gave a similar perspective.  My 0.60 in MSFS was definitely zoomed out too far.

I suspect many are zoomed out too far like I was.  I used an online tool to get the correct FOV for XPlane, then parked on an airfield.  I parked at the same airfield in exactly the same place in MSFS and changed the zoom to match - 0.80.  I had been using 0.60, so the view initially looked zoomed in too far at 0.80.  after a few hours I got used to it and the view is now far more life sized.  An extra bonus in setting the zoom to a realistic setting is the shimmering has all but disappeared!

Thanks to PMB for the initial suggestion!

On 10/2/2021 at 3:10 AM, MrBitstFlyer said:

I had been using 0.6 but your 0.8 is far more natural.  I settled on around 0.77 just to get a little more feeling of speed nearer the ground while keeping perspective about right.

There are 3 zoom-settings which can be adjusted:

1. Zoom in the camera settings in the main menu which goes frim 0 - 100%

2. Zoom in the camera settings in the toolbar which also goes from 0 - 100%

3. InitialZoom in the camera.cfg which goes from 0.0 - 1.0

Since you are using a float number of 0.8 I guess you are using that in initialZoom, right?