Depth of Field Calculator

Pick sensor, focal length, aperture and focus distance — get the total depth of field, the near and far limits and the hyperfocal distance, instantly.

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Your camera & lens

Sensor
Units
Total depth of field
0
0near limit
0far limit
0hyperfocal
0in front
Quick combos
In-focus zone · Circle of confusion: —
Blurred Near limit — You focus here — Far limit —

How depth of field is calculated

Depth of field is derived from the hyperfocal distance (H) and the focus distance (s):

H=focal²aperture × circle of confusion+ focal

From the hyperfocal you get the near limit and the far limit, and their difference is the total depth. The circle of confusion depends on the sensor (diagonal ÷ 1500). A narrower aperture, shorter focal length, farther subject and smaller sensor all increase depth.

Depth of field example at f/2.8

A 50 mm f/1.8 on full frame, focused at 2 m:

  • Hyperfocal ≈ 48 m; total depth ≈ 16 cm.
  • Sharp roughly from 1.92 m to 2.08 m — nicely blurred background.

Stop down to f/8 and the depth jumps to over 0.7 m.

Depth of field FAQ

What is depth of field?
It is the zone of the scene that looks sharp, from the nearest in-focus point to the farthest. A shallow depth isolates the subject (blurred background); a deep one keeps everything sharp.
What affects depth of field?
Four factors: aperture (narrower f = more depth), focal length (more mm = less depth), focus distance (farther = more depth) and sensor size (bigger sensors = less depth at the same framing).
How do I get a very blurred background?
Use a wide aperture (f/1.4-f/2.8), a long focal length (85 mm+), get close to the subject and move it away from the background. The calculator shows the exact depth in centimetres.
Why is there more depth behind the subject?
It is optics: the far limit extends more than the near one. As a rough rule, about 1/3 of the depth falls in front of the subject and 2/3 behind (it varies with distance).
What is the circle of confusion?
It is the largest a blurred point can be while still looking sharp. It depends on the sensor; we compute it as the sensor diagonal divided by 1500.