Hyperfocal Distance Calculator

Powered by Photopills, this Hyperfocal Distance calculator will allow you work out distance at which to focus your lens in order to achieve the deepest possible depth of field. If you focus at or beyond the Hyperfocal Distance at the aperture selected, you will achieve acceptable sharpness from half that distance through to infinity.

How To Use

Select your camera model (should your model not be listed, choose a model with the same size sensor from the same manufacturer) and your units of measurement using the drop down boxes above the calculator.

Scroll down the calculator to find your required focal length listed on the left. Then scroll to the right to find the desired aperture listed along the top. The cross reference box will display the distance at which to focus your lens in order to achieve the Hyperfocal Distance.

If you intend to use more than one aperture for your shoot, select the widest aperture you will use. The hyperfocal distance will then be usable for every smaller aperture.

Example

Selecting a Canon 6d mark ii as my camera and a unit of measurement in meters:

28mm focal length at f/5.6 has a hyperfocal distance of 4.65 meters. Everything from 2.32 meters in front of the camera through to infintity will now be acceptably sharp.

35mm focal length at f/11 has a hyperfocal distance of 3.64 meters. Everything from 1.82 meters in front of the camera through to infinity will now be acceptably sharp.

Important: Where you are guessing distances it is always best to focus just beyond the guessed hyperfocal distance as even a small miscalculation focussing nearer will result in lost sharpness at infinity. Any distance beyond the suggested Hyperfocal distance will retain infinity and you will have acceptable sharpness from half the focus distance.

Example

Canon 6dii 28mm focal length at f/5.6 has a hyperfocal distance of 4.65 meters. Everything from 2.32 meters in front of the camera to infintity will now be acceptably sharp

However…..

Setting the focus just 20cm shorter than the H-D at 4.45 meters will reduce the acceptable sharpness. Now it extends from 2.27 meters to 104 meters in front of the camera, no longer to infinity.

On the flip of that

Setting the focus 20cm further than the H-D at 4.85 meters will also reduce the acceptable sharpness. But this time from the nearest point to the camera, reducing the depth of field by just 5cm. acceptable sharpness is now from 2.37 meters to infinity.