Depth of Field (Hyperfocal, Limits of Sharpness)

Depth of Field (DOF) is the range of distance in a photo that appears to be in sharp focus ... Depth of field is a creative decision and one of your most important choices when composing nature photographs.

This Depth of Field calculator allows you to calculate :

• Near limit of acceptable sharpness
• Far limit of acceptable sharpness
• Total depth of field length
• Hyperfocal distance

The calculation relies on :

• Camera model or Circle of Confusion
• Lens focal length (ex: 50mm)
• Aperture / f-stop (ex: f/1.8)
• Distance to Subject

Depth of Field definition :

Given a critical focus achieved for the plane located at the Subject distance, the Depth of Field is the extended area in front of and behind that plane that will appear reasonably sharp. It could be considered as a region of adequat focus.

Hyperfocal Distance definition :

Hyperfocal distance is the lowest Subject distance for a given camera setting (aperture, focal length) for which Depth of Field extends to infinity.