Depth of field · APS-C

85 mm f/2.8 depth of field on APS-C

Exactly how much is sharp with a 85 mm lens at f/2.8 on an APS-C camera, from 30.0 cm to 100 m.

129 m
Hyperfocal distance
64.6 m
Sharp from (focused at hyperfocal)
130 mm f/4.3
Full-frame equivalent
19°
Diagonal angle of view

Depth of field by subject distance#

85 mm at f/2.8 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)30.0 cm30.1 cm0.1 cm50% / 50%51.07%
50.0 cm (1.64 ft)49.8 cm50.2 cm0.3 cm50% / 50%26.46%
75.0 cm (2.46 ft)74.6 cm75.4 cm0.8 cm50% / 50%16.51%
1.00 m (3.28 ft)99.3 cm1.01 m1.4 cm50% / 50%12.00%
1.50 m (4.92 ft)1.48 m1.52 m3.3 cm49% / 51%7.76%
2.00 m (6.56 ft)1.97 m2.03 m5.9 cm49% / 51%5.73%
3.00 m (9.84 ft)2.93 m3.07 m13.6 cm49% / 51%3.77%
4.00 m (13.1 ft)3.88 m4.13 m24.3 cm48% / 52%2.80%
5.00 m (16.4 ft)4.82 m5.20 m38.2 cm48% / 52%2.23%
7.00 m (23.0 ft)6.64 m7.40 m75.3 cm47% / 53%1.59%
10.0 m (32.8 ft)9.29 m10.8 m1.55 m46% / 54%1.11%
15.0 m (49.2 ft)13.4 m17.0 m3.52 m44% / 56%0.74%
20.0 m (65.6 ft)17.3 m23.7 m6.33 m42% / 58%0.55%
30.0 m (98.4 ft)24.4 m39.1 m14.7 m38% / 62%0.37%
50.0 m (164 ft)36.1 m81.6 m45.5 m31% / 69%0.22%
100 m (328 ft)56.4 m443 m387 m11% / 89%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/1.25.8 cm301 m
f/1.46.8 cm258 m
f/1.88.7 cm201 m
f/29.7 cm181 m
f/2.813.6 cm129 m
f/419.4 cm90.4 m
f/5.627.2 cm64.6 m
f/838.9 cm45.2 m
f/1153.7 cm32.9 m
f/1678.8 cm22.7 m

Other focal lengths at f/2.8#

Focal lengthSubject atTotal DoF
14 mm3.00 m18.8 m
16 mm3.00 m6.82 m
20 mm3.00 m3.03 m
24 mm3.00 m1.89 m
28 mm3.00 m1.33 m
35 mm3.00 m82.8 cm
40 mm3.00 m62.8 cm
50 mm3.00 m39.8 cm
85 mm3.00 m13.6 cm
105 mm3.00 m8.8 cm
135 mm3.00 m5.3 cm
200 mm10.0 m27.4 cm
300 mm10.0 m12.1 cm
400 mm10.0 m6.7 cm

Same lens settings on other formats#

When to use it#

At f/2.8, a 85 mm lens on APS-C is a natural choice for portraits and subject isolation. Focused at 3 m you get 13.6 cm of sharp zone; for maximum front-to-back sharpness focus at 129 m and everything from 64.6 m to infinity will be acceptably sharp.

See also the f/2.8 aperture guide.

Frequently asked questions#

What is the depth of field of a 85mm lens at f/2.8?

On APS-C, focused at 3 m, it is 13.6 cm; at 1 m it is 1.4 cm.

What is the hyperfocal distance for 85mm f/2.8?

129 m (424 ft) on APS-C. Everything from 64.6 m to infinity is acceptably sharp.

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