Depth of Field Calculator

Sensor

Focal length, mm

Aperture f/

Focus distance, m

Result

Depth of field0.6 m
Near limit, m2.73
Far limit, m3.33
Hyperfocal distance, m29.81
Sensorfull frame 36×24
Circle of confusion, mm0.03

Sharpness is a tolerance, not a fact

Works out the near and far limits of sharpness and the hyperfocal distance from focal length, aperture, subject distance and sensor size.

Only the plane of focus is strictly sharp. Everything else is blurred, but up to a point the blur goes unnoticed — that point is the circle of confusion, taken as 0.03 mm on full frame and 0.02 on APS-C.

Everything else follows from that: the smaller the sensor, the tighter the tolerance and the greater the apparent depth of field at the same field of view. A phone renders everything sharp not because its optics are good but because its focal lengths are tiny.

What this calculator shows

The near and far limits of acceptably sharp space
Depth of field in metres
The hyperfocal distance — where focusing keeps everything sharp to infinity

What to keep in mind

Circles of confusion are the standard ones for each format; large prints or pixel-peeping demand a tighter tolerance.
The formula ignores diffraction: past about f/11 overall sharpness starts falling even as the calculated depth grows.

FAQs

What sets depth of field?

Focal length, aperture, subject distance and sensor size. Distance matters most of all — it enters the formula squared.

What is hyperfocal distance?

The distance at which focusing renders everything from half of it to infinity acceptably sharp. The classic landscape technique.

How do I get more background blur?

Open the aperture, move closer, use a longer lens, or shoot a larger sensor. The first two make the most visible difference.

Why is everything sharp on a phone?

Because the real focal length is tiny — around 5 to 7 mm. Portrait mode blur there is computed by software, not produced by the lens.

Worked example

A fifty on a portrait

Input: Full frame, 50 mm, f/2.8, 3 m away

Output: Sharp from 2.73 to 3.33 m — 0.6 m deep

Note: Sixty centimetres covers a head and shoulders but not two people at different distances. The hyperfocal here is 29.8 m: focus there and everything from fifteen metres to infinity holds up.

Useful links

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Depth of Field Calculator

Result

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