Depth of field (DOF) is the range of distance in a scene that appears acceptably sharp. A wide aperture (f/1.4) creates shallow DOF with subject isolation. A narrow aperture (f/11) creates deep DOF keeping near and far objects sharp. This calculator shows exact DOF limits for any combination of focal length, aperture, and focus distance.
Lens & Camera Settings
Depth of Field Results
How to Use the Depth of Field Calculator
The depth of field calculator answers the practical question: "At this aperture and focus distance, will my subject's face be sharp while the background blurs?" For portrait work, typical settings are 85mm f/1.8 at 3 meters — giving about 15cm of sharp zone. A shallow DOF is flattering for portraits; the subject is crisp while the background becomes a soft wash of color.
Landscape Photography: The Hyperfocal Distance
Hyperfocal distance tells landscape photographers where to focus to get maximum sharpness from the near foreground to infinity. With an 18mm lens at f/11 on a full-frame camera, hyperfocal distance is approximately 1.1 meters. Focusing at 1.1 meters keeps everything from 0.55 meters to infinity acceptably sharp — ideal for front-to-back landscape sharpness.
DOF Behind vs In Front of Focus Point
Depth of field is not symmetric around the focus point — more of the DOF extends behind the focus point than in front of it. For close-focus distances, this ratio can be significant. Macro photographers use this asymmetry deliberately: focusing slightly in front of the most important detail ensures more of it falls within the DOF zone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this calculator free?
Yes, completely free with no signup required.
What is depth of field in photography?
Depth of field (DOF) is the range of distances in a scene that appear acceptably sharp in a photograph. A wide depth of field (small aperture like f/11) keeps objects from near to far in focus. A shallow depth of field (large aperture like f/1.4) creates a sharp subject against a blurred background — the 'bokeh' effect popular in portraits.
How does aperture affect depth of field?
Larger apertures (smaller f-numbers like f/1.8) produce shallower depth of field with more background blur. Smaller apertures (larger f-numbers like f/16) produce deeper depth of field with objects sharp from foreground to background. Each full stop of aperture roughly doubles or halves the depth of field.
What is hyperfocal distance?
Hyperfocal distance is the focus distance at which everything from half that distance to infinity is acceptably sharp. When you focus at the hyperfocal distance, you maximize depth of field for a given aperture and focal length. Landscape photographers use hyperfocal distance to ensure near foreground elements and distant horizon are both sharp.
What is circle of confusion?
Circle of confusion (CoC) is the size of an out-of-focus point at which it still appears sharp to the human eye at normal viewing distance. The commonly used value for full-frame cameras is 0.03mm. Smaller sensors use smaller CoC values because the image is enlarged more during viewing. CoC is the fundamental parameter that makes depth of field calculations sensor-dependent.
How does sensor size affect depth of field?
Smaller sensors have shallower apparent depth of field for the same framing because you need shorter focal lengths to achieve the same field of view. A 25mm f/1.8 lens on Micro 4/3 has similar framing to a 50mm f/1.8 on full-frame, but the 50mm produces shallower DOF. This is why portrait photographers often prefer larger sensors — more subject isolation at the same framing.