Depth of field · APS-C

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

Exactly how much is sharp with a 85 mm lens at f/1.8 on an APS-C camera, from 30.0 cm to 100 m.

201 m

Hyperfocal distance

100 m

Sharp from (focused at hyperfocal)

130 mm f/2.8

Full-frame equivalent

19°

Diagonal angle of view

Depth of field by subject distance#

85 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 distance	Near limit	Far limit	Total DoF	Front / behind	Background blur
30.0 cm (0.98 ft)	30.0 cm	30.0 cm	0.1 cm	50% / 50%	79.44%
50.0 cm (1.64 ft)	49.9 cm	50.1 cm	0.2 cm	50% / 50%	41.16%
75.0 cm (2.46 ft)	74.8 cm	75.2 cm	0.5 cm	50% / 50%	25.68%
1.00 m (3.28 ft)	99.5 cm	1.00 m	0.9 cm	50% / 50%	18.67%
1.50 m (4.92 ft)	1.49 m	1.51 m	2.1 cm	50% / 50%	12.07%
2.00 m (6.56 ft)	1.98 m	2.02 m	3.8 cm	50% / 50%	8.92%
3.00 m (9.84 ft)	2.96 m	3.04 m	8.7 cm	49% / 51%	5.86%
4.00 m (13.1 ft)	3.92 m	4.08 m	15.6 cm	49% / 51%	4.36%
5.00 m (16.4 ft)	4.88 m	5.13 m	24.5 cm	49% / 51%	3.48%
7.00 m (23.0 ft)	6.77 m	7.25 m	48.3 cm	48% / 52%	2.47%
10.0 m (32.8 ft)	9.53 m	10.5 m	99.0 cm	48% / 52%	1.72%
15.0 m (49.2 ft)	14.0 m	16.2 m	2.24 m	46% / 54%	1.15%
20.0 m (65.6 ft)	18.2 m	22.2 m	4.01 m	45% / 55%	0.86%
30.0 m (98.4 ft)	26.1 m	35.3 m	9.15 m	43% / 57%	0.57%
50.0 m (164 ft)	40.0 m	66.6 m	26.5 m	38% / 62%	0.34%
100 m (328 ft)	66.8 m	199 m	132 m	25% / 75%	0.17%

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—

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

Aperture	Total DoF	Hyperfocal
f/1.2	5.8 cm	301 m
f/1.4	6.8 cm	258 m
f/1.8	8.7 cm	201 m
f/2	9.7 cm	181 m
f/2.8	13.6 cm	129 m
f/4	19.4 cm	90.4 m
f/5.6	27.2 cm	64.6 m
f/8	38.9 cm	45.2 m
f/11	53.7 cm	32.9 m
f/16	78.8 cm	22.7 m

Other focal lengths at f/1.8#

Focal length	Subject at	Total DoF
14 mm	3.00 m	4.71 m
16 mm	3.00 m	3.06 m
20 mm	3.00 m	1.73 m
24 mm	3.00 m	1.16 m
28 mm	3.00 m	83.4 cm
35 mm	3.00 m	52.7 cm
40 mm	3.00 m	40.1 cm
50 mm	3.00 m	25.5 cm
85 mm	3.00 m	8.7 cm
105 mm	3.00 m	5.7 cm
135 mm	3.00 m	3.4 cm

Same lens settings on other formats#

85 mm f/1.8 on Full frame 85 mm f/1.8 on Micro Four Thirds

When to use it#

At f/1.8, a 85 mm lens on APS-C is a natural choice for portraits and subject isolation. Focused at 3 m you get 8.7 cm of sharp zone; for maximum front-to-back sharpness focus at 201 m and everything from 100 m to infinity will be acceptably sharp.

Frequently asked questions#

What is the depth of field of a 85mm lens at f/1.8?

On APS-C, focused at 3 m, it is 8.7 cm; at 1 m it is 0.9 cm.

What is the hyperfocal distance for 85mm f/1.8?

201 m (659 ft) on APS-C. Everything from 100 m to infinity is acceptably sharp.

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