Filmmaking
Depth of Field Calculator
Enter your sensor size, focal length, aperture, and subject distance to get near/far focus limits, total DOF, and hyperfocal distance.
Knowledge Base
How to Use the DOF Calculator
The Depth of Field (DOF) Calculator shows how much of your frame will be in focus based on lens, aperture, distance, and sensor size. Essential for choosing the right camera settings before shooting to ensure your subject is sharp while background is blurred.
What Is Depth of Field?
DOF is the zone of sharp focus in front of and behind your subject. Shallow DOF (blurry background) isolates subjects and looks cinematic. Deep DOF (everything sharp) works for wide landscapes and documentary work.
Factors That Affect DOF
- Aperture (f-stop): Lower f-numbers (f/1.4) = shallower DOF. Higher f-numbers (f/16) = deeper DOF.
- Focal Length: Longer lenses (70mm, 200mm) = shallower DOF. Wider lenses (24mm, 35mm) = deeper DOF.
- Distance to Subject: Closer focus distance = shallower DOF. Farther distance = deeper DOF.
- Sensor Size: Full-frame cameras = shallower DOF. APS-C, phones = deeper DOF at the same aperture.
Practical Application
For a talking-head interview, use a 85mm lens at f/2.8 from 6 feet away to blur the background. For an establishing shot where you want everything sharp, use a 24mm at f/8 or higher from 10 feet away.
FAQ
Q: How do I get the blurriest possible background (bokeh)?
A: Use the widest aperture available, longest focal length possible, and get as close to your subject as the lens allows.
Q: Can phone cameras achieve shallow DOF?
A: Phone cameras have small sensors and short focal lengths, making shallow DOF nearly impossible. Computational portrait modes simulate this.
Worked examples: depth of field at three metres
Focus limits for common lens and aperture combinations, with the subject three metres away. Hyperfocal distance is the focus setting where everything from half that distance to infinity stays acceptably sharp.
| Sensor | Focal length | Aperture | Hyperfocal | Near limit | Far limit | Depth at 3 m |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full frame | 24mm | f/1.8 | 11.0 m | 2.36 m | 4.12 m | 1.76 m |
| Full frame | 24mm | f/2.8 | 7.1 m | 2.11 m | 5.20 m | 3.09 m |
| Full frame | 24mm | f/5.6 | 3.5 m | 1.63 m | 19.46 m | 17.83 m |
| Full frame | 35mm | f/1.8 | 23.5 m | 2.66 m | 3.44 m | 0.78 m |
| Full frame | 35mm | f/2.8 | 15.1 m | 2.50 m | 3.74 m | 1.24 m |
| Full frame | 35mm | f/5.6 | 7.5 m | 2.15 m | 4.98 m | 2.83 m |
| Full frame | 50mm | f/1.8 | 47.9 m | 2.82 m | 3.20 m | 0.38 m |
| Full frame | 50mm | f/2.8 | 30.8 m | 2.73 m | 3.32 m | 0.59 m |
| Full frame | 50mm | f/5.6 | 15.4 m | 2.51 m | 3.73 m | 1.22 m |
| Full frame | 85mm | f/1.8 | 138.4 m | 2.94 m | 3.07 m | 0.13 m |
| Full frame | 85mm | f/2.8 | 89.0 m | 2.90 m | 3.10 m | 0.20 m |
| Full frame | 85mm | f/5.6 | 44.5 m | 2.81 m | 3.22 m | 0.41 m |
| APS-C | 24mm | f/1.8 | 16.8 m | 2.55 m | 3.65 m | 1.10 m |
| APS-C | 24mm | f/2.8 | 10.8 m | 2.35 m | 4.15 m | 1.80 m |
| APS-C | 24mm | f/5.6 | 5.4 m | 1.93 m | 6.73 m | 4.80 m |
| APS-C | 35mm | f/1.8 | 35.8 m | 2.77 m | 3.27 m | 0.51 m |
| APS-C | 35mm | f/2.8 | 23.0 m | 2.65 m | 3.45 m | 0.80 m |
| APS-C | 35mm | f/5.6 | 11.5 m | 2.38 m | 4.06 m | 1.68 m |
| APS-C | 50mm | f/1.8 | 73.1 m | 2.88 m | 3.13 m | 0.25 m |
| APS-C | 50mm | f/2.8 | 47.0 m | 2.82 m | 3.20 m | 0.38 m |
| APS-C | 50mm | f/5.6 | 23.5 m | 2.66 m | 3.44 m | 0.78 m |
| APS-C | 85mm | f/1.8 | 211.3 m | 2.96 m | 3.04 m | 0.09 m |
| APS-C | 85mm | f/2.8 | 135.8 m | 2.94 m | 3.07 m | 0.13 m |
| APS-C | 85mm | f/5.6 | 67.9 m | 2.87 m | 3.14 m | 0.27 m |
Aperture moves depth of field faster than focal length does. Stopping a 50mm lens from f/1.8 to f/5.6 roughly triples the depth at the same distance. This is why a focus puller asks what stop you are shooting before asking anything else.
Vocabulary
Depth of field. The distance between the nearest and furthest points that look acceptably sharp. Everything outside it is blurred. Controlled by aperture, focal length, and how far the subject sits from the camera.
Aperture. The size of the opening letting light through the lens, written as an f-number. Smaller numbers mean a wider opening, more light, and shallower depth of field. f/1.8 is wide, f/16 is narrow.
Hyperfocal distance. The closest distance you can focus at while still keeping infinity acceptably sharp. Focus there and everything from half that distance outward stays sharp, which is the standard trick for landscape work.
Circle of confusion. The largest blur spot still read as a point by a viewer, measured in millimetres on the sensor. It sets the threshold for acceptably sharp, and it is smaller on smaller sensors, which is why crop cameras show less depth of field advantage than expected.