Depth of Field Calculator
This depth of field calculator shows exactly how much of your scene will be sharp for any lens, aperture, sensor and focus distance — or works backwards from the depth of field you need to the aperture and distance to use. It also makes printable hyperfocal distance charts and plans focus stacks.
Depth of Field Results
Focus Range
Depth of Field
Hyperfocal Distance
Saved Calculations
A printable chart of hyperfocal distances for your lenses: focus there and everything from half that distance to infinity is sharp.
When one frame can't hold the whole scene sharp, shoot several at different focus distances and merge them. This works out how many frames, and where to focus each one.
How to Use the Depth of Field Calculator
This calculator has two modes. Use Plan the Shot when you’re on location and need to achieve a specific depth of field. Use Preview Depth of Field to explore what your current settings will produce.
Plan the Shot
Start here when you know how much depth of field you need and want to know how to get it:
- Select your camera sensor: Choose from Full Frame, APS-C, Micro 4/3, or Medium Format options
- Enter focal length: The lens you’re shooting with in millimeters
- Enter your desired depth of field: How much of the scene needs to be sharp, in your preferred units (inches is the default — useful for macro and close-up work)
- Choose what to find:
- Find my distance — enter the aperture you want to use; the calculator tells you how far to stand from your subject
- Find my aperture — enter your distance to the subject; the calculator tells you what aperture to set
- Show all combinations — see every aperture/distance pair that achieves your target depth of field
Preview Depth of Field
Use this mode to explore or confirm what your settings will produce before you shoot:
- Select your camera sensor
- Enter focal length
- Set aperture: Choose your f-stop value (wider apertures = shallower DOF)
- Enter distance to subject: In your preferred units
- View results: See near/far focus limits, total DOF, hyperfocal distance, and a visual diagram of your focus range
Use the hyperfocal distance result to maximise depth of field for landscape photography. Save calculations you want to refer back to using the Save button. When the subject is close enough to magnify (0.1× or more), a close-up panel adds the magnification, the effective aperture and a diffraction warning.
Hyperfocal Chart
- Select your camera sensor
- List your lenses: Type up to six focal lengths, or tap the buttons to add and remove them
- Make the chart: Read off the hyperfocal distance for every aperture, and where sharpness starts. Print it for your camera bag
Focus Stacking
- Enter your sensor, lens and aperture
- Set the nearest and farthest points you need sharp — the farthest can be infinity
- Choose an overlap between frames (20% suits most stacking software)
- Follow the plan: Focus at each listed distance in turn, nearest first, then merge the frames
Every result can be shared as a link that reopens the calculator with the same settings, or printed on its own.
How to Calculate Depth of Field
Depth of field depends on four things: the focal length of the lens, the aperture (f-number), the distance you focus at, and the circle of confusion — the largest blur spot that still looks sharp, set by the sensor size. The calculator uses the exact thin-lens formulas that follow from them.
The depth of field formula
First find the hyperfocal distance H, then the near and far limits of sharpness for a subject at distance S:
H = f² / (N × c) + f
Near = S × (H − f) / (H + S − 2f)
Far = S × (H − f) / (H − S) (infinity once S ≥ H)
Depth of field = Far − Near
Here f is the focal length, N the f-number and c the circle of confusion, all in millimetres. Many calculators drop the small “+ f” and “− f” terms; this one keeps them, so its results match the exact formula even at close focusing distances.
Worked example: 50mm at f/8, focused at 3 m
On a full-frame camera (circle of confusion 0.029mm):
- Hyperfocal distance: 50² / (8 × 0.029) + 50 = 10,826 mm, or 10.83 m
- Near limit: 2.36 m; far limit: 4.13 m
- Total depth of field: 1.78 m — 0.64 m in front of the subject and 1.13 m behind it
Depth of field chart for a 50mm lens
Total depth of field on full frame at common apertures and focus distances. Where the far limit reaches infinity, the chart shows where sharpness begins instead.
| Aperture | Focused at 1 m | Focused at 2 m | Focused at 3 m | Focused at 5 m | Focused at 10 m |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| f/1.8 | 4 cm | 16 cm | 37 cm | 1 m | 4.3 m |
| f/2.8 | 6 cm | 25 cm | 58 cm | 1.7 m | 7.2 m |
| f/4 | 9 cm | 36 cm | 84 cm | 2.4 m | 11.7 m |
| f/5.6 | 12 cm | 51 cm | 1.2 m | 3.6 m | 22.2 m |
| f/8 | 18 cm | 75 cm | 1.8 m | 5.8 m | 125.3 m |
| f/11 | 25 cm | 1.1 m | 2.6 m | 10.5 m | ∞ (from 4.41 m) |
| f/16 | 36 cm | 1.7 m | 4.7 m | 58.9 m | ∞ (from 3.51 m) |
Shutter speed and ISO do not change depth of field; only aperture, focal length, distance and sensor size (through the circle of confusion) do.
Understanding Depth of Field Concepts
Mastering depth of field is essential for creative photography. Understanding these concepts will help you make informed decisions about focus and sharpness:
What is Depth of Field?
Depth of Field (DOF) is the zone of acceptable sharpness in front of and behind your focus point. Objects within this zone appear sharp, while those outside gradually become blurry.
DOF is not a hard boundary - sharpness gradually decreases as you move away from the exact focus point. What we call “in focus” is actually “acceptably sharp” to the human eye.
Creative control: Shallow DOF (blurred background) isolates subjects. Deep DOF (everything sharp) works for landscapes.
Circle of Confusion (CoC)
The Circle of Confusion is the maximum blur spot that still appears sharp to the human eye. It’s the technical definition of “acceptably sharp” and depends on sensor size and intended viewing distance.
Smaller sensors have smaller CoC values, which is why they appear to have more depth of field at equivalent focal lengths compared to larger sensors.
Example: Full frame CoC ≈ 0.030mm, APS-C ≈ 0.019mm. This affects how much of your image appears sharp.
Hyperfocal Distance
The hyperfocal distance is the closest focus distance where everything from half that distance to infinity appears acceptably sharp. It’s the secret to maximum depth of field.
When you focus at the hyperfocal distance, you maximize the area of sharpness in your image - perfect for landscape photography where you want both foreground and background sharp.
Landscape tip: Focus at the hyperfocal distance to get everything sharp from near to far without increasing your aperture.
How Aperture Affects DOF
Aperture (f-stop) is one of the most powerful controls over depth of field:
- Wide apertures (f/1.4, f/2.8): Shallow DOF, blurred backgrounds, subject isolation
- Medium apertures (f/5.6, f/8): Moderate DOF, sharp subject with some background blur
- Narrow apertures (f/16, f/22): Deep DOF, most of scene sharp
Each stop change (f/8 to f/11) significantly increases depth of field, but reduces light by half.
How Focal Length Affects DOF
Longer focal lengths create shallower depth of field at the same aperture and subject distance. This is why telephoto lenses excel at background blur.
- Wide-angle (24mm, 35mm): Extensive DOF, ideal for landscapes
- Standard (50mm): Natural perspective, moderate DOF
- Telephoto (85mm, 200mm): Shallow DOF, beautiful background blur
Portrait tip: 85mm at f/1.8 creates beautiful subject separation with creamy background blur.
How Sensor Size Affects DOF
Larger sensors produce shallower depth of field at equivalent framing. This is why full frame cameras are prized for portraits with blurred backgrounds.
To get the same field of view, smaller sensors need shorter focal lengths, which naturally increases depth of field. This is why smartphone cameras struggle to blur backgrounds despite wide apertures.
Key insight: Full frame at 50mm f/2.8 gives much shallower DOF than APS-C at 35mm f/2.8, even though both produce similar framing.
Depth of Field Calculator FAQs
What circle of confusion does this calculator use?
The sensor diagonal divided by 1,500, the standard photographic convention. That gives 0.029mm for full frame and about 0.019mm for Nikon or Sony APS-C. The same rule is applied to custom sensor sizes, so a preset and the same dimensions typed in by hand always agree.
Is depth of field split evenly in front of and behind the subject?
Only at close distances. At normal shooting distances roughly a third of the sharp zone falls in front of the subject and two thirds behind it. Up close, as in macro work, it approaches an even split; as you approach the hyperfocal distance, the zone behind the subject stretches to infinity.
Does focusing at the hyperfocal distance really make everything sharp?
Everything from half the hyperfocal distance to infinity is acceptably sharp by the circle of confusion standard, which assumes a normal-sized print seen from a normal distance. For large prints or close inspection, focus a little beyond the hyperfocal distance or use a smaller circle of confusion.
How can I get more depth of field without stopping down further?
Step back from the subject, use a shorter focal length, or focus stack several frames. Stopping down past about f/16 on full frame (a little wider on smaller sensors) softens the whole image through diffraction, so extra depth of field can cost you overall sharpness.
Why does my phone seem to have so much more depth of field than my camera?
Its tiny sensor needs a very short focal length for the same framing, and a short focal length gives deep depth of field at any practical aperture. That is why phones simulate background blur in software.
What controls depth of field?
Four things: aperture, focal length, the distance you focus at, and sensor size (through the circle of confusion). A wider aperture, a longer lens, a closer subject or a larger sensor all make depth of field shallower.
Does shutter speed affect depth of field?
No. Shutter speed changes how much light reaches the sensor and how motion is recorded, but not which distances are in focus. Only aperture, focal length, focus distance and sensor size change depth of field.
What is the depth of field of a 50mm lens?
It depends on the aperture and distance. On full frame at f/8, focused at 3 metres, a 50mm lens is sharp from about 2.36 m to 4.13 m — around 1.8 m in total. At f/1.8 and the same distance it is only about 37 cm. The chart above lists other settings.
Why does Plan the Shot say my depth of field isn't achievable?
The depth you asked for would need a subject distance or aperture outside the physical range for that lens and sensor, for example a sharp zone thinner than the circle of confusion. Try a shorter focal length, a different aperture, or a larger target depth.