Depth of field · Full frame

85 mm f/1.2 depth of field on full frame

Exactly how much is sharp with a 85 mm lens at f/1.2 on a full-frame camera, from 30.0 cm to 100 m.

201 m
Hyperfocal distance
100 m
Sharp from (focused at hyperfocal)
85 mm f/1.2
Full-frame equivalent
29°
Diagonal angle of view

Depth of field by subject distance#

85 mm at f/1.2 on full frame (36×24 mm), circle of confusion 30 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)30.0 cm30.0 cm0.1 cm50% / 50%77.79%
50.0 cm (1.64 ft)49.9 cm50.1 cm0.2 cm50% / 50%40.30%
75.0 cm (2.46 ft)74.8 cm75.2 cm0.5 cm50% / 50%25.15%
1.00 m (3.28 ft)99.5 cm1.00 m0.9 cm50% / 50%18.28%
1.50 m (4.92 ft)1.49 m1.51 m2.1 cm50% / 50%11.82%
2.00 m (6.56 ft)1.98 m2.02 m3.8 cm50% / 50%8.73%
3.00 m (9.84 ft)2.96 m3.04 m8.7 cm49% / 51%5.74%
4.00 m (13.1 ft)3.92 m4.08 m15.6 cm49% / 51%4.27%
5.00 m (16.4 ft)4.88 m5.13 m24.5 cm49% / 51%3.40%
7.00 m (23.0 ft)6.77 m7.25 m48.3 cm48% / 52%2.42%
10.0 m (32.8 ft)9.53 m10.5 m99.0 cm48% / 52%1.69%
15.0 m (49.2 ft)14.0 m16.2 m2.24 m46% / 54%1.12%
20.0 m (65.6 ft)18.2 m22.2 m4.01 m45% / 55%0.84%
30.0 m (98.4 ft)26.1 m35.3 m9.15 m43% / 57%0.56%
50.0 m (164 ft)40.0 m66.6 m26.5 m38% / 62%0.34%
100 m (328 ft)66.8 m199 m132 m25% / 75%0.17%

Try other settings#

Near limit—
Far limit—
Depth of field—
Hyperfocal distance—
In front / behind—

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

ApertureTotal DoFHyperfocal
f/1.28.7 cm201 m
f/1.410.2 cm172 m
f/1.813.1 cm134 m
f/214.5 cm121 m
f/2.820.4 cm86.1 m
f/429.1 cm60.3 m
f/5.640.9 cm43.1 m
f/858.6 cm30.2 m
f/1181.3 cm22.0 m
f/161.21 m15.1 m

Other focal lengths at f/1.2#

Focal lengthSubject atTotal DoF
24 mm3.00 m1.16 m
35 mm3.00 m52.7 cm
40 mm3.00 m40.1 cm
50 mm3.00 m25.5 cm
85 mm3.00 m8.7 cm

Same lens settings on other formats#

When to use it#

At f/1.2, a 85 mm lens on full frame 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.

See also the f/1.2 aperture guide.

Frequently asked questions#

What is the depth of field of a 85mm lens at f/1.2?

On full frame, 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/1.2?

201 m (659 ft) on full frame. Everything from 100 m to infinity is acceptably sharp.

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