See your focus before the shoot
Depth of Field & Hyperfocal Calculator
Set your sensor, focal length, aperture and focus distance to see exactly where sharpness begins and ends — near and far limits, total depth of field, hyperfocal distance, angle of view and the full-frame equivalent. Built for photographers by Nakada Design, with a visual focus map so you can compose before you leave the studio.
Three Dials Decide Your Depth of Field
Depth of field — the band of your scene that reads as sharp — is set by three things and one hidden fourth. Aperture: stop down and the zone deepens. Focal length: go wider and it deepens; go longer and it collapses. Focus distance: the closer you focus, the thinner it gets, which is why macro is measured in millimetres. The hidden fourth is your sensor — a smaller one needs a shorter lens to frame the same shot, and shorter lenses hold more in focus, so a phone keeps everything sharp while medium format melts a background at the same aperture.
This tool runs the real optical formula, not a rule of thumb, so the near and far limits match what your lens actually delivers. Change one field and watch the focus map redraw — the fastest way to learn how your gear behaves before you are standing in front of the subject.
Shoot the Hyperfocal Distance for Front-to-Back Sharpness
For a landscape where the foreground rocks and the far ridge must both be sharp, do not just close the aperture to f/22 — diffraction will soften the whole frame. Instead focus at the hyperfocal distance: the nearest point you can focus while still holding infinity sharp. Everything from half that distance to the horizon falls inside your depth of field. The Hyperfocal tab gives you the number for your exact lens, plus a table across apertures so you can pick the setting that reaches your foreground without over-stopping.
Circle of Confusion & Full-Frame Equivalence by Format
Every depth-of-field figure rests on the
circle of confusion — the largest blur spot that still looks like a sharp point in the final print. It scales with sensor size, so the same lens settings give different results on different cameras. These are the standard values this calculator uses, alongside the crop factor you multiply focal length and aperture by to translate a look to full-frame terms.
| Format | Sensor size | Crop factor | Circle of confusion |
|---|
| Medium format (44×33) | 44 × 33 mm | 0.79× | 0.039 mm |
| Full frame (35mm) | 36 × 24 mm | 1.0× | 0.030 mm |
| APS-C — Nikon / Sony / Fuji | 23.6 × 15.7 mm | 1.5× | 0.020 mm |
| APS-C — Canon | 22.3 × 14.9 mm | 1.6× | 0.019 mm |
| Micro Four Thirds | 17.3 × 13.0 mm | 2.0× | 0.015 mm |
| 1-inch | 13.2 × 8.8 mm | 2.7× | 0.011 mm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How is depth of field calculated?
From the hyperfocal distance H = f²/(N·c) + f, where f is focal length, N the f-number and c the circle of confusion. The near limit is s(H−f)/(H+s−2f) and the far limit is s(H−f)/(H−s), with s the focus distance. Once s reaches H, the far limit is infinity.
What is hyperfocal distance?
The closest distance you can focus while keeping everything to infinity sharp. Focus there and depth of field runs from half the hyperfocal distance to the horizon — the landscape photographer's trick for maximum sharpness.
Does sensor size affect depth of field?
Yes. Smaller sensors need shorter lenses to frame the same shot, and shorter lenses hold more in focus, so they give more depth of field at the same aperture. Multiply focal length and f-number by the crop factor to translate a look to full-frame terms.
What is the circle of confusion?
The largest blur spot that still reads as a sharp point in the final image — about 0.030 mm on full frame, 0.020 mm on APS-C, 0.015 mm on Micro Four Thirds. Every depth-of-field number depends on it.
What aperture gives the most depth of field?
Stopping down deepens it, but past about f/11–f/16 on full frame diffraction softens the whole frame. For maximum front-to-back sharpness, focus at the hyperfocal distance at f/8–f/11 rather than closing all the way to f/22.
