Depth of field · APS-C

50 mm f/1.8 depth of field on APS-C

Exactly how much is sharp with a 50 mm lens at f/1.8 on an APS-C camera, from 30.0 cm to 100 m.

69.5 m
Hyperfocal distance
34.7 m
Sharp from (focused at hyperfocal)
77 mm f/2.8
Full-frame equivalent
32°
Diagonal angle of view

Depth of field by subject distance#

50 mm at f/1.8 on APS-C (23.5×15.6 mm), circle of confusion 20 µm. “Background blur” is the size of an out-of-focus light at infinity as a percentage of frame width.

Focus distanceNear limitFar limitTotal DoFFront / behindBackground blur
30.0 cm (0.98 ft)29.9 cm30.1 cm0.2 cm50% / 50%23.64%
50.0 cm (1.64 ft)49.7 cm50.3 cm0.6 cm50% / 50%13.13%
75.0 cm (2.46 ft)74.3 cm75.8 cm1.5 cm49% / 51%8.44%
1.00 m (3.28 ft)98.7 cm1.01 m2.7 cm49% / 51%6.22%
1.50 m (4.92 ft)1.47 m1.53 m6.3 cm49% / 51%4.08%
2.00 m (6.56 ft)1.95 m2.06 m11.2 cm49% / 51%3.03%
3.00 m (9.84 ft)2.88 m3.13 m25.5 cm48% / 52%2.00%
4.00 m (13.1 ft)3.78 m4.24 m45.7 cm47% / 53%1.50%
5.00 m (16.4 ft)4.67 m5.38 m71.6 cm46% / 54%1.19%
7.00 m (23.0 ft)6.36 m7.78 m1.42 m45% / 55%0.85%
10.0 m (32.8 ft)8.75 m11.7 m2.93 m43% / 57%0.59%
15.0 m (49.2 ft)12.3 m19.1 m6.77 m39% / 61%0.40%
20.0 m (65.6 ft)15.5 m28.1 m12.5 m36% / 64%0.30%
30.0 m (98.4 ft)21.0 m52.8 m31.8 m28% / 72%0.20%
50.0 m (164 ft)29.1 m178 m149 m14% / 86%0.12%
100 m (328 ft)41.0 m∞∞—0.06%

Try other settings#

Near limit—
Far limit—
Depth of field—
Hyperfocal distance—
In front / behind—

50 mm at other apertures (subject at 3 m)#

ApertureTotal DoFHyperfocal
f/1.217.0 cm104 m
f/1.419.8 cm89.3 m
f/1.825.5 cm69.5 m
f/228.4 cm62.5 m
f/2.839.8 cm44.7 m
f/457.1 cm31.3 m
f/5.680.7 cm22.4 m
f/81.17 m15.7 m
f/111.67 m11.4 m
f/162.64 m7.86 m

Other focal lengths at f/1.8#

Focal lengthSubject atTotal DoF
14 mm3.00 m4.71 m
16 mm3.00 m3.06 m
20 mm3.00 m1.73 m
24 mm3.00 m1.16 m
28 mm3.00 m83.4 cm
35 mm3.00 m52.7 cm
40 mm3.00 m40.1 cm
50 mm3.00 m25.5 cm
85 mm3.00 m8.7 cm
105 mm3.00 m5.7 cm
135 mm3.00 m3.4 cm

Same lens settings on other formats#

When to use it#

At f/1.8, a 50 mm lens on APS-C is a natural choice for portraits and subject isolation. Focused at 3 m you get 25.5 cm of sharp zone; for maximum front-to-back sharpness focus at 69.5 m and everything from 34.7 m to infinity will be acceptably sharp.

See also the f/1.8 aperture guide.

Frequently asked questions#

What is the depth of field of a 50mm lens at f/1.8?

On APS-C, focused at 3 m, it is 25.5 cm; at 1 m it is 2.7 cm.

What is the hyperfocal distance for 50mm f/1.8?

69.5 m (228 ft) on APS-C. Everything from 34.7 m to infinity is acceptably sharp.

Last updated October 03, 2026 · How we calculate · Sources