Depth of field · APS-C

85 mm f/2 depth of field on APS-C

Exactly how much is sharp with a 85 mm lens at f/2 on an APS-C camera, from 30.0 cm to 100 m.

181 m

Hyperfocal distance

90.4 m

Sharp from (focused at hyperfocal)

130 mm f/3.1

Full-frame equivalent

19°

Diagonal angle of view

Depth of field by subject distance#

85 mm at f/2 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)	30.0 cm	30.0 cm	0.1 cm	50% / 50%	71.50%
50.0 cm (1.64 ft)	49.9 cm	50.1 cm	0.2 cm	50% / 50%	37.04%
75.0 cm (2.46 ft)	74.7 cm	75.3 cm	0.6 cm	50% / 50%	23.12%
1.00 m (3.28 ft)	99.5 cm	1.01 m	1.0 cm	50% / 50%	16.80%
1.50 m (4.92 ft)	1.49 m	1.51 m	2.4 cm	50% / 50%	10.86%
2.00 m (6.56 ft)	1.98 m	2.02 m	4.2 cm	49% / 51%	8.03%
3.00 m (9.84 ft)	2.95 m	3.05 m	9.7 cm	49% / 51%	5.27%
4.00 m (13.1 ft)	3.92 m	4.09 m	17.3 cm	49% / 51%	3.93%
5.00 m (16.4 ft)	4.87 m	5.14 m	27.2 cm	49% / 51%	3.13%
7.00 m (23.0 ft)	6.74 m	7.28 m	53.7 cm	48% / 52%	2.22%
10.0 m (32.8 ft)	9.48 m	10.6 m	1.10 m	47% / 53%	1.55%
15.0 m (49.2 ft)	13.9 m	16.4 m	2.49 m	46% / 54%	1.03%
20.0 m (65.6 ft)	18.0 m	22.5 m	4.46 m	44% / 56%	0.77%
30.0 m (98.4 ft)	25.7 m	36.0 m	10.2 m	42% / 58%	0.51%
50.0 m (164 ft)	39.2 m	69.1 m	29.9 m	36% / 64%	0.31%
100 m (328 ft)	64.4 m	224 m	159 m	22% / 78%	0.15%

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—

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

Aperture	Total DoF	Hyperfocal
f/1.2	5.8 cm	301 m
f/1.4	6.8 cm	258 m
f/1.8	8.7 cm	201 m
f/2	9.7 cm	181 m
f/2.8	13.6 cm	129 m
f/4	19.4 cm	90.4 m
f/5.6	27.2 cm	64.6 m
f/8	38.9 cm	45.2 m
f/11	53.7 cm	32.9 m
f/16	78.8 cm	22.7 m

Other focal lengths at f/2#

Focal length	Subject at	Total DoF
14 mm	3.00 m	5.82 m
16 mm	3.00 m	3.57 m
20 mm	3.00 m	1.96 m
24 mm	3.00 m	1.30 m
28 mm	3.00 m	93.1 cm
35 mm	3.00 m	58.6 cm
40 mm	3.00 m	44.6 cm
50 mm	3.00 m	28.4 cm
85 mm	3.00 m	9.7 cm
105 mm	3.00 m	6.3 cm
135 mm	3.00 m	3.8 cm
200 mm	10.0 m	19.6 cm

Same lens settings on other formats#

85 mm f/2 on Full frame 85 mm f/2 on Micro Four Thirds

When to use it#

At f/2, a 85 mm lens on APS-C is a natural choice for portraits and subject isolation. Focused at 3 m you get 9.7 cm of sharp zone; for maximum front-to-back sharpness focus at 181 m and everything from 90.4 m to infinity will be acceptably sharp.

Frequently asked questions#

What is the depth of field of a 85mm lens at f/2?

On APS-C, focused at 3 m, it is 9.7 cm; at 1 m it is 1.0 cm.

What is the hyperfocal distance for 85mm f/2?

181 m (593 ft) on APS-C. Everything from 90.4 m to infinity is acceptably sharp.

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