Depth of field · Full frame

85 mm f/1.8 depth of field on full frame

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

134 m
Hyperfocal distance
66.9 m
Sharp from (focused at hyperfocal)
85 mm f/1.8
Full-frame equivalent
29°
Diagonal angle of view

Depth of field by subject distance#

85 mm at f/1.8 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%51.86%
50.0 cm (1.64 ft)49.8 cm50.2 cm0.3 cm50% / 50%26.87%
75.0 cm (2.46 ft)74.6 cm75.4 cm0.7 cm50% / 50%16.77%
1.00 m (3.28 ft)99.3 cm1.01 m1.4 cm50% / 50%12.19%
1.50 m (4.92 ft)1.48 m1.52 m3.2 cm49% / 51%7.88%
2.00 m (6.56 ft)1.97 m2.03 m5.7 cm49% / 51%5.82%
3.00 m (9.84 ft)2.94 m3.07 m13.1 cm49% / 51%3.82%
4.00 m (13.1 ft)3.89 m4.12 m23.4 cm49% / 51%2.85%
5.00 m (16.4 ft)4.82 m5.19 m36.8 cm48% / 52%2.27%
7.00 m (23.0 ft)6.66 m7.38 m72.6 cm47% / 53%1.61%
10.0 m (32.8 ft)9.31 m10.8 m1.49 m46% / 54%1.12%
15.0 m (49.2 ft)13.5 m16.9 m3.39 m44% / 56%0.75%
20.0 m (65.6 ft)17.4 m23.5 m6.09 m43% / 57%0.56%
30.0 m (98.4 ft)24.5 m38.6 m14.1 m39% / 61%0.37%
50.0 m (164 ft)36.4 m79.8 m43.3 m31% / 69%0.22%
100 m (328 ft)57.2 m395 m338 m13% / 87%0.11%

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/1.8#

Focal lengthSubject atTotal DoF
14 mm3.00 m15.3 m
16 mm3.00 m6.25 m
20 mm3.00 m2.88 m
24 mm3.00 m1.82 m
28 mm3.00 m1.28 m
35 mm3.00 m79.8 cm
40 mm3.00 m60.5 cm
50 mm3.00 m38.4 cm
85 mm3.00 m13.1 cm
105 mm3.00 m8.5 cm
135 mm3.00 m5.1 cm

Same lens settings on other formats#

When to use it#

At f/1.8, a 85 mm lens on full frame is a natural choice for portraits and subject isolation. Focused at 3 m you get 13.1 cm of sharp zone; for maximum front-to-back sharpness focus at 134 m and everything from 66.9 m to infinity will be acceptably sharp.

See also the f/1.8 aperture guide.

Frequently asked questions#

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

On full frame, focused at 3 m, it is 13.1 cm; at 1 m it is 1.4 cm.

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

134 m (439 ft) on full frame. Everything from 66.9 m to infinity is acceptably sharp.

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

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