Depth of field · Micro Four Thirds

50 mm f/1.4 depth of field on Micro Four Thirds

Exactly how much is sharp with a 50 mm lens at f/1.4 on a Micro Four Thirds camera, from 30.0 cm to 100 m.

119 m
Hyperfocal distance
59.5 m
Sharp from (focused at hyperfocal)
100 mm f/2.8
Full-frame equivalent
24°
Diagonal angle of view

Depth of field by subject distance#

50 mm at f/1.4 on Micro Four Thirds (17.3×13 mm), circle of confusion 15 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%41.29%
50.0 cm (1.64 ft)49.8 cm50.2 cm0.4 cm50% / 50%22.94%
75.0 cm (2.46 ft)74.6 cm75.4 cm0.9 cm50% / 50%14.75%
1.00 m (3.28 ft)99.2 cm1.01 m1.6 cm50% / 50%10.87%
1.50 m (4.92 ft)1.48 m1.52 m3.7 cm49% / 51%7.12%
2.00 m (6.56 ft)1.97 m2.03 m6.6 cm49% / 51%5.29%
3.00 m (9.84 ft)2.93 m3.08 m14.9 cm49% / 51%3.50%
4.00 m (13.1 ft)3.87 m4.14 m26.6 cm48% / 52%2.61%
5.00 m (16.4 ft)4.80 m5.22 m41.7 cm48% / 52%2.09%
7.00 m (23.0 ft)6.61 m7.43 m82.0 cm47% / 53%1.49%
10.0 m (32.8 ft)9.23 m10.9 m1.68 m46% / 54%1.04%
15.0 m (49.2 ft)13.3 m17.2 m3.83 m44% / 56%0.69%
20.0 m (65.6 ft)17.1 m24.0 m6.90 m42% / 58%0.52%
30.0 m (98.4 ft)24.0 m40.1 m16.1 m37% / 63%0.34%
50.0 m (164 ft)35.2 m86.1 m50.9 m29% / 71%0.21%
100 m (328 ft)54.4 m623 m569 m8% / 92%0.10%

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/1.212.7 cm139 m
f/1.414.9 cm119 m
f/1.819.1 cm92.6 m
f/221.3 cm83.4 m
f/2.829.8 cm59.6 m
f/442.7 cm41.7 m
f/5.660.1 cm29.8 m
f/886.7 cm20.9 m
f/111.21 m15.2 m
f/161.85 m10.5 m

Other focal lengths at f/1.4#

Focal lengthSubject atTotal DoF
16 mm3.00 m1.56 m
20 mm3.00 m96.2 cm
24 mm3.00 m65.9 cm
28 mm3.00 m48.1 cm
35 mm3.00 m30.6 cm
40 mm3.00 m23.3 cm
50 mm3.00 m14.9 cm
85 mm3.00 m5.1 cm
105 mm3.00 m3.3 cm

Same lens settings on other formats#

When to use it#

At f/1.4, a 50 mm lens on Micro Four Thirds is a natural choice for portraits and subject isolation. Focused at 3 m you get 14.9 cm of sharp zone; for maximum front-to-back sharpness focus at 119 m and everything from 59.5 m to infinity will be acceptably sharp.

See also the f/1.4 aperture guide.

Frequently asked questions#

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

On Micro Four Thirds, focused at 3 m, it is 14.9 cm; at 1 m it is 1.6 cm.

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

119 m (391 ft) on Micro Four Thirds. Everything from 59.5 m to infinity is acceptably sharp.

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