Depth of field · APS-C

50 mm f/2.8 depth of field on APS-C

Exactly how much is sharp with a 50 mm lens at f/2.8 on an APS-C camera, from 30.0 cm to 100 m.

44.7 m

Hyperfocal distance

22.3 m

Sharp from (focused at hyperfocal)

77 mm f/4.3

Full-frame equivalent

32°

Diagonal angle of view

Depth of field by subject distance#

50 mm at f/2.8 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 distance	Near limit	Far limit	Total DoF	Front / behind	Background blur
30.0 cm (0.98 ft)	29.8 cm	30.2 cm	0.3 cm	50% / 50%	15.20%
50.0 cm (1.64 ft)	49.5 cm	50.5 cm	1.0 cm	49% / 51%	8.44%
75.0 cm (2.46 ft)	73.8 cm	76.2 cm	2.4 cm	49% / 51%	5.43%
1.00 m (3.28 ft)	97.9 cm	1.02 m	4.3 cm	49% / 51%	4.00%
1.50 m (4.92 ft)	1.45 m	1.55 m	9.8 cm	48% / 52%	2.62%
2.00 m (6.56 ft)	1.92 m	2.09 m	17.5 cm	48% / 52%	1.95%
3.00 m (9.84 ft)	2.81 m	3.21 m	39.8 cm	47% / 53%	1.29%
4.00 m (13.1 ft)	3.67 m	4.39 m	71.3 cm	46% / 54%	0.96%
5.00 m (16.4 ft)	4.50 m	5.62 m	1.12 m	44% / 56%	0.77%
7.00 m (23.0 ft)	6.06 m	8.29 m	2.23 m	42% / 58%	0.55%
10.0 m (32.8 ft)	8.18 m	12.9 m	4.69 m	39% / 61%	0.38%
15.0 m (49.2 ft)	11.2 m	22.6 m	11.3 m	33% / 67%	0.25%
20.0 m (65.6 ft)	13.8 m	36.2 m	22.3 m	28% / 72%	0.19%
30.0 m (98.4 ft)	18.0 m	91.2 m	73.2 m	16% / 84%	0.13%
50.0 m (164 ft)	23.6 m	∞	∞	—	0.08%
100 m (328 ft)	30.9 m	∞	∞	—	0.04%

Try other settings#

Sensor / format Focal length mm Aperture f/ Subject distance m

Near limit—

Far limit—

Depth of field—

Hyperfocal distance—

In front / behind—

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

Aperture	Total DoF	Hyperfocal
f/1.2	17.0 cm	104 m
f/1.4	19.8 cm	89.3 m
f/1.8	25.5 cm	69.5 m
f/2	28.4 cm	62.5 m
f/2.8	39.8 cm	44.7 m
f/4	57.1 cm	31.3 m
f/5.6	80.7 cm	22.4 m
f/8	1.17 m	15.7 m
f/11	1.67 m	11.4 m
f/16	2.64 m	7.86 m

Other focal lengths at f/2.8#

Focal length	Subject at	Total DoF
14 mm	3.00 m	18.8 m
16 mm	3.00 m	6.82 m
20 mm	3.00 m	3.03 m
24 mm	3.00 m	1.89 m
28 mm	3.00 m	1.33 m
35 mm	3.00 m	82.8 cm
40 mm	3.00 m	62.8 cm
50 mm	3.00 m	39.8 cm
85 mm	3.00 m	13.6 cm
105 mm	3.00 m	8.8 cm
135 mm	3.00 m	5.3 cm
200 mm	10.0 m	27.4 cm
300 mm	10.0 m	12.1 cm
400 mm	10.0 m	6.7 cm

Same lens settings on other formats#

50 mm f/2.8 on Full frame 50 mm f/2.8 on Micro Four Thirds

When to use it#

At f/2.8, a 50 mm lens on APS-C is a natural choice for portraits and subject isolation. Focused at 3 m you get 39.8 cm of sharp zone; for maximum front-to-back sharpness focus at 44.7 m and everything from 22.3 m to infinity will be acceptably sharp.

Frequently asked questions#

What is the depth of field of a 50mm lens at f/2.8?

On APS-C, focused at 3 m, it is 39.8 cm; at 1 m it is 4.3 cm.

What is the hyperfocal distance for 50mm f/2.8?

44.7 m (147 ft) on APS-C. Everything from 22.3 m to infinity is acceptably sharp.

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