Depth of field · APS-C

50 mm f/1.4 depth of field on APS-C

Exactly how much is sharp with a 50 mm lens at f/1.4 on an APS-C camera, from 30.0 cm to 100 m.

89.3 m

Hyperfocal distance

44.7 m

Sharp from (focused at hyperfocal)

77 mm f/2.1

Full-frame equivalent

32°

Diagonal angle of view

Depth of field by subject distance#

50 mm at f/1.4 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%	30.40%
50.0 cm (1.64 ft)	49.7 cm	50.3 cm	0.5 cm	50% / 50%	16.89%
75.0 cm (2.46 ft)	74.4 cm	75.6 cm	1.2 cm	50% / 50%	10.86%
1.00 m (3.28 ft)	98.9 cm	1.01 m	2.1 cm	49% / 51%	8.00%
1.50 m (4.92 ft)	1.48 m	1.52 m	4.9 cm	49% / 51%	5.24%
2.00 m (6.56 ft)	1.96 m	2.04 m	8.7 cm	49% / 51%	3.90%
3.00 m (9.84 ft)	2.90 m	3.10 m	19.8 cm	48% / 52%	2.58%
4.00 m (13.1 ft)	3.83 m	4.19 m	35.5 cm	48% / 52%	1.92%
5.00 m (16.4 ft)	4.74 m	5.29 m	55.6 cm	47% / 53%	1.54%
7.00 m (23.0 ft)	6.49 m	7.59 m	1.10 m	46% / 54%	1.09%
10.0 m (32.8 ft)	9.00 m	11.3 m	2.26 m	44% / 56%	0.76%
15.0 m (49.2 ft)	12.8 m	18.0 m	5.17 m	42% / 58%	0.51%
20.0 m (65.6 ft)	16.3 m	25.8 m	9.41 m	39% / 61%	0.38%
30.0 m (98.4 ft)	22.5 m	45.1 m	22.7 m	33% / 67%	0.25%
50.0 m (164 ft)	32.1 m	113 m	81.4 m	22% / 78%	0.15%
100 m (328 ft)	47.2 m	∞	∞	—	0.08%

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/1.4#

Focal length	Subject at	Total DoF
16 mm	3.00 m	2.19 m
20 mm	3.00 m	1.31 m
24 mm	3.00 m	88.7 cm
28 mm	3.00 m	64.4 cm
35 mm	3.00 m	40.9 cm
40 mm	3.00 m	31.2 cm
50 mm	3.00 m	19.8 cm
85 mm	3.00 m	6.8 cm
105 mm	3.00 m	4.4 cm

Same lens settings on other formats#

50 mm f/1.4 on Full frame 50 mm f/1.4 on Micro Four Thirds

When to use it#

At f/1.4, a 50 mm lens on APS-C is a natural choice for portraits and subject isolation. Focused at 3 m you get 19.8 cm of sharp zone; for maximum front-to-back sharpness focus at 89.3 m and everything from 44.7 m to infinity will be acceptably sharp.

Frequently asked questions#

What is the depth of field of a 50mm lens at f/1.4?

On APS-C, focused at 3 m, it is 19.8 cm; at 1 m it is 2.1 cm.

What is the hyperfocal distance for 50mm f/1.4?

89.3 m (293 ft) on APS-C. Everything from 44.7 m to infinity is acceptably sharp.

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