Depth of Field Calculator
Near and far focus limits, total depth of field and hyperfocal distance for any lens and sensor.
Presets use the customary circle of confusion values. Edit the number for stricter or looser sharpness (it's remembered).
Depth of field
– total in focus
- Near limit
- –
- Far limit
- –
- In front / behind subject
- –
- Hyperfocal distance
- –
Camera at the left edge; the shaded band is the sharp zone, the marker your subject.
About this tool
Depth of field is the stretch of the scene, from the near limit to the far limit, that looks acceptably sharp around the point you actually focused on. It grows with smaller apertures (bigger f-numbers), shorter focal lengths and longer focus distances. Pick your sensor, lens and aperture, type the distance to your subject, and the near limit, far limit, total depth of field and the front/behind split update as you type.
The hyperfocal distance is the landscape photographer's shortcut: focus there and everything from half that distance to infinity is acceptably sharp. The calculator uses the standard thin-lens formulas with the same circle of confusion convention as DOFMaster, so you can cross-check results against the tables you already trust. Everything runs in your browser and works offline in the field; your sensor and unit choices are remembered on your device.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the circle of confusion?
- It is the largest blur spot that still looks like a sharp point in the final image; everything blurred less than that counts as "acceptably sharp". The presets use the customary values (full frame 0.030 mm, APS-C 0.019–0.020 mm, Micro Four Thirds 0.015 mm, 1" 0.011 mm), the same ones DOFMaster uses. They assume a normal-size print viewed at arm's length, so if you print large or pixel-peep, pick Custom and enter a smaller value for stricter limits.
- Why does the far limit say infinity?
- Once you focus at or beyond the hyperfocal distance, the far limit of acceptable sharpness reaches infinity: distant mountains and stars are just as sharp as your subject. That is not an error, it is the trick landscape photographers rely on. Focus slightly closer than the hyperfocal distance and the far limit snaps back to a finite number.
- Does crop factor change depth of field?
- The formulas only see the circle of confusion, and that is where sensor size enters. A smaller sensor's image is enlarged more to reach the same print size, so it uses a smaller CoC (0.020 mm for APS-C vs 0.030 mm for full frame). Same lens, aperture and distance therefore give slightly less depth of field on a crop body. But to frame the same shot you would step back or use a shorter lens, and that effect dominates: for equal framing, smaller sensors give more depth of field.
- How accurate is this for macro work?
- The thin-lens formulas used here (and by DOFMaster, PhotoPills and lens markings) drift once the subject is closer than roughly ten times the focal length, because magnification and pupil ratio start to matter. For macro distances treat the results as a rough guide; for everything from portraits to landscapes they match the tables photographers have used for decades.