How to Change Viewport Camera Focal Length in Blender

Changing the focal length of the viewport camera in Blender allows you to adjust your perspective, control visual distortion, and better preview how your 3D models will look under different lens sizes. This guide provides clear, step-by-step instructions for modifying the focal length of the standard 3D Viewport perspective camera as well as dedicated scene cameras.

How to Change the 3D Viewport Focal Length

The 3D Viewport has its own temporary camera lens setting that operates independently of any active scene cameras.

  1. Open the Sidebar: Hover your mouse inside the 3D Viewport and press N on your keyboard. Alternatively, click the small arrow icon in the top-right corner of the 3D Viewport.
  2. Navigate to the View Tab: In the sidebar that appears, click on the View tab.
  3. Adjust the Focal Length: Locate the Focal Length field near the top of the panel. Click and drag left or right to change the value, or double-click to type a specific millimeter value (e.g., 50mm, 85mm, or 35mm).

Default viewport focal length is set to 50mm. Lower values (e.g., 18mm) create a wider field of view with more distortion, while higher values (e.g., 100mm) create a narrower, flatter perspective.

How to Change a Scene Camera's Focal Length

If you are looking through a designated scene camera (by pressing Numpad 0), you must change the lens properties of that specific camera object to affect final renders.

  1. Select the Camera: Click on your camera object in the 3D Viewport or select it from the Outliner panel.
  2. Open Object Data Properties: Look at the Properties panel (usually on the bottom right) and click the green Camera Icon tab.
  3. Change Lens Settings:
    • Under the Lens dropdown menu, ensure the Type is set to Perspective.
    • Adjust the Focal Length slider to your desired value in millimeters.