Depth of field · APS-C

50 mm f/1.2 depth of field on APS-C

Exactly how much is sharp with a 50 mm lens at f/1.2 on an APS-C camera, from 30.0 cm to 100 m.

104 m
Hyperfocal distance
52.1 m
Sharp from (focused at hyperfocal)
77 mm f/1.8
Full-frame equivalent
32°
Diagonal angle of view

Depth of field by subject distance#

50 mm at f/1.2 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 distanceNear limitFar limitTotal DoFFront / behindBackground blur
30.0 cm (0.98 ft)29.9 cm30.1 cm0.1 cm50% / 50%35.46%
50.0 cm (1.64 ft)49.8 cm50.2 cm0.4 cm50% / 50%19.70%
75.0 cm (2.46 ft)74.5 cm75.5 cm1.0 cm50% / 50%12.66%
1.00 m (3.28 ft)99.1 cm1.01 m1.8 cm50% / 50%9.33%
1.50 m (4.92 ft)1.48 m1.52 m4.2 cm49% / 51%6.11%
2.00 m (6.56 ft)1.96 m2.04 m7.5 cm49% / 51%4.55%
3.00 m (9.84 ft)2.92 m3.09 m17.0 cm49% / 51%3.01%
4.00 m (13.1 ft)3.85 m4.16 m30.4 cm48% / 52%2.24%
5.00 m (16.4 ft)4.77 m5.25 m47.6 cm48% / 52%1.79%
7.00 m (23.0 ft)6.56 m7.50 m93.8 cm47% / 53%1.28%
10.0 m (32.8 ft)9.13 m11.1 m1.93 m45% / 55%0.89%
15.0 m (49.2 ft)13.1 m17.5 m4.40 m43% / 57%0.59%
20.0 m (65.6 ft)16.8 m24.7 m7.95 m40% / 60%0.44%
30.0 m (98.4 ft)23.3 m42.1 m18.8 m36% / 64%0.30%
50.0 m (164 ft)33.8 m96.1 m62.3 m26% / 74%0.18%
100 m (328 ft)51.0 m2.5 km2.4 km2% / 98%0.09%

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/1.2#

Focal lengthSubject atTotal DoF
24 mm3.00 m75.6 cm
35 mm3.00 m35.0 cm
40 mm3.00 m26.7 cm
50 mm3.00 m17.0 cm
85 mm3.00 m5.8 cm

Same lens settings on other formats#

When to use it#

At f/1.2, a 50 mm lens on APS-C is a natural choice for portraits and subject isolation. Focused at 3 m you get 17.0 cm of sharp zone; for maximum front-to-back sharpness focus at 104 m and everything from 52.1 m to infinity will be acceptably sharp.

See also the f/1.2 aperture guide.

Frequently asked questions#

What is the depth of field of a 50mm lens at f/1.2?

On APS-C, focused at 3 m, it is 17.0 cm; at 1 m it is 1.8 cm.

What is the hyperfocal distance for 50mm f/1.2?

104 m (342 ft) on APS-C. Everything from 52.1 m to infinity is acceptably sharp.

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