Depth of field · APS-C

50 mm f/2 depth of field on APS-C

Exactly how much is sharp with a 50 mm lens at f/2 on an APS-C camera, from 30.0 cm to 100 m.

62.5 m

Hyperfocal distance

31.3 m

Sharp from (focused at hyperfocal)

77 mm f/3.1

Full-frame equivalent

32°

Diagonal angle of view

Depth of field by subject distance#

50 mm at f/2 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)	29.9 cm	30.1 cm	0.2 cm	50% / 50%	21.28%
50.0 cm (1.64 ft)	49.6 cm	50.4 cm	0.7 cm	50% / 50%	11.82%
75.0 cm (2.46 ft)	74.2 cm	75.8 cm	1.7 cm	49% / 51%	7.60%
1.00 m (3.28 ft)	98.5 cm	1.02 m	3.0 cm	49% / 51%	5.60%
1.50 m (4.92 ft)	1.47 m	1.54 m	7.0 cm	49% / 51%	3.67%
2.00 m (6.56 ft)	1.94 m	2.06 m	12.5 cm	48% / 52%	2.73%
3.00 m (9.84 ft)	2.86 m	3.15 m	28.4 cm	48% / 52%	1.80%
4.00 m (13.1 ft)	3.76 m	4.27 m	50.8 cm	47% / 53%	1.35%
5.00 m (16.4 ft)	4.63 m	5.43 m	79.7 cm	46% / 54%	1.07%
7.00 m (23.0 ft)	6.30 m	7.88 m	1.58 m	44% / 56%	0.77%
10.0 m (32.8 ft)	8.63 m	11.9 m	3.27 m	42% / 58%	0.53%
15.0 m (49.2 ft)	12.1 m	19.7 m	7.61 m	38% / 62%	0.36%
20.0 m (65.6 ft)	15.2 m	29.4 m	14.2 m	34% / 66%	0.27%
30.0 m (98.4 ft)	20.3 m	57.6 m	37.3 m	26% / 74%	0.18%
50.0 m (164 ft)	27.8 m	249 m	221 m	10% / 90%	0.11%
100 m (328 ft)	38.5 m	∞	∞	—	0.05%

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#

Focal length	Subject at	Total DoF
14 mm	3.00 m	5.82 m
16 mm	3.00 m	3.57 m
20 mm	3.00 m	1.96 m
24 mm	3.00 m	1.30 m
28 mm	3.00 m	93.1 cm
35 mm	3.00 m	58.6 cm
40 mm	3.00 m	44.6 cm
50 mm	3.00 m	28.4 cm
85 mm	3.00 m	9.7 cm
105 mm	3.00 m	6.3 cm
135 mm	3.00 m	3.8 cm
200 mm	10.0 m	19.6 cm

Same lens settings on other formats#

50 mm f/2 on Full frame 50 mm f/2 on Micro Four Thirds

When to use it#

At f/2, a 50 mm lens on APS-C is a natural choice for portraits and subject isolation. Focused at 3 m you get 28.4 cm of sharp zone; for maximum front-to-back sharpness focus at 62.5 m and everything from 31.3 m to infinity will be acceptably sharp.

Frequently asked questions#

What is the depth of field of a 50mm lens at f/2?

On APS-C, focused at 3 m, it is 28.4 cm; at 1 m it is 3.0 cm.

What is the hyperfocal distance for 50mm f/2?

62.5 m (205 ft) on APS-C. Everything from 31.3 m to infinity is acceptably sharp.

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