# Depth of Field Calculator Photography depth of field calculator for near and far focus, total DoF, and hyperfocal distance. Supports full frame, APS-C, Micro 4/3, iPhone, and medium format. ## What this calculates Plan your focus before you shoot. This depth of field calculator returns the near and far limits of acceptable sharpness, total depth of field, and the hyperfocal distance for your camera, lens, aperture, and focus point. Sensor format matters: the calculator adjusts the circle of confusion automatically for full frame, APS-C, Micro Four Thirds, 1-inch, and iPhone-class sensors, so the DoF numbers match your actual camera. ## Inputs - **Sensor Format** — options: Medium Format (44x33mm), Full Frame (36x24mm) - Canon R5, Nikon Z, Sony A7, APS-H (27x18mm), APS-C (23.5x15.7mm) - most Canon, Nikon, Fuji X, Canon APS-C (22.3x14.9mm), Micro Four Thirds (17.3x13mm) - OM/Panasonic, 1 inch (13.2x8.8mm) - premium compacts, iPhone 1/1.28 inch (9.8x7.3mm) - modern iPhone main cam — Pick the sensor size for your camera (affects circle of confusion) - **Focal Length** (mm) — min 1, max 2000 — Actual lens focal length in millimeters - **Aperture** — options: f/1.0, f/1.4, f/2.0, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, f/22, f/32 - **Focus Distance** (ft) — min 0.1, max 1000 — Distance from the sensor to your subject ## Outputs - **Near Focus Limit** — formatted as text — Closest point that appears acceptably sharp - **Far Focus Limit** — formatted as text — Farthest point that appears acceptably sharp - **Total Depth of Field** — formatted as text — Near to far in-focus range - **Hyperfocal Distance** — formatted as text — Focus here and everything from half that distance to infinity is sharp - **Circle of Confusion** — Max acceptable blur for this sensor (CoC) ## Details How Depth of Field is Calculated Depth of field depends on five things: sensor size (circle of confusion), focal length, aperture (f-number), and focus distance. The standard formulas are: - Circle of Confusion (CoC): sensor diagonal / 1500 - Hyperfocal distance (H): f^2 / (N x CoC) + f - Near limit: (H x s) / (H + (s - f)) - Far limit: (H x s) / (H - (s - f)) (infinity when s >= H) - Total DoF: far - near f is focal length in mm, N is f-number, s is focus distance in mm. Sensor Size Shifts Depth of Field Smaller sensors have smaller circles of confusion, which pushes the DoF tighter at the same settings. A 50mm at f/2.8 and 10 feet gives about 2 feet of DoF on full frame but roughly 3 feet on APS-C because the APS-C sensor demands a smaller CoC. Micro Four Thirds at the same settings has even more DoF, and an iPhone main camera has enormous DoF because its sensor is tiny. Hyperfocal Distance Explained Hyperfocal distance is the closest focus point that still renders infinity acceptably sharp. Focus there and everything from half the hyperfocal distance to infinity is in focus. Landscape photographers use this constantly for maximum front-to-back sharpness. At 24mm f/8 on a full-frame camera, the hyperfocal distance is about 10 feet, so focus on something 10 feet away and everything from 5 feet to infinity reads sharp. Camera-Specific Sensor Sizes - Canon full-frame (R5, R6, R8, 5D, 6D, 1DX): 36 x 24 mm - Canon APS-C (R7, R10, R50, 90D, Rebel): 22.3 x 14.9 mm (1.6x crop) - Nikon full-frame / FX (Z7, Z8, Z9, D850): 36 x 24 mm - Nikon DX (Z50, Z30, D7500): 23.5 x 15.7 mm (1.5x crop) - Sony full-frame (A7, A9, A1, FX3): 36 x 24 mm - Sony APS-C (A6700, ZV-E10, FX30): 23.5 x 15.6 mm - Fujifilm X: 23.5 x 15.6 mm (APS-C) - Fujifilm GFX: 44 x 33 mm (medium format) - Olympus / OM / Panasonic: 17.3 x 13 mm (Micro Four Thirds) - iPhone main camera: roughly 9.8 x 7.3 mm (1/1.28 inch type on iPhone 15/16 Pro) ## Frequently Asked Questions **Q: Is this a depth of field calculator for Canon, Nikon, and Sony?** A: Yes. The sensor format dropdown covers all the common camera-specific sensor sizes. Pick Full Frame for a Canon R5/R6, Nikon Z7/Z8, or Sony A7/A9. Pick APS-C for a Canon R7/R10/R50 (Canon uses 22.3 x 14.9 mm) or Nikon Z50, Sony A6700, or Fuji X-T5. Pick Micro Four Thirds for OM System and Panasonic G-series. The depth of field calculator Canon, Nikon, and Sony values will all match their in-body DoF previews. **Q: Does this work as a depth of field calculator iPhone users can use?** A: Yes. Pick the iPhone sensor option (1/1.28 inch for the main camera on recent iPhone Pro models) and enter the effective focal length in millimeters. iPhones report focal lengths in 35mm-equivalent, but for DoF math use the actual focal length, which is about 7mm for the main camera. The depth of field calculator iPhone output will show why iPhone photos look so sharp front to back: the tiny sensor produces huge DoF at any f-stop. **Q: How is this different from a depth of field simulator?** A: A depth of field simulator shows a visual preview of blur. This calculator gives you numbers: precise near and far limits in feet, meters, and inches, plus hyperfocal distance. Both tools start from the same math. Pros often use numbers on set (to mark tape on the floor) and a simulator when planning a shot at home. A depth of field calculator app can bundle both. **Q: Do I need a macro depth of field calculator for close-up shots?** A: Close-up and macro shooting has extremely shallow DoF, sometimes a fraction of a millimeter at 1:1 magnification. The standard formulas in this macro depth of field calculator stay accurate down to about 1-2 feet focus distance. Below that, pupil magnification factors start to matter. For typical macro work at 6-24 inches, this tool returns usable numbers. For 1:1 and closer, use a dedicated macro formula that includes magnification. **Q: What is circle of confusion?** A: Circle of confusion (CoC) is the largest blur spot that still looks sharp at normal viewing distance. Each sensor has a standard CoC, roughly its diagonal divided by 1500 for modern high-resolution cameras. Smaller sensors have smaller CoCs, which is why the same lens and aperture gives less DoF flexibility on full frame than on a crop body. **Q: How does aperture affect depth of field?** A: DoF roughly doubles each time you stop down by two stops. So if f/4 gives you 2 feet of DoF, f/8 gives about 4 feet and f/16 gives about 8 feet. The tradeoff is less light (longer shutter or higher ISO) and at very small apertures (f/16 and beyond on most lenses) diffraction starts softening the image. --- Source: https://vastcalc.com/calculators/everyday/depth-field Category: Everyday Life Last updated: 2026-04-08