Calculate precision depth of field, hyperfocal distance, near & far focus limits, macro magnification depth, automated focus stacking rail steps, and lens wave diffraction limits.
Calculate near/far focus limits, hyperfocal distance, and front/rear zone ratios.
Input desired near and far boundaries to solve the exact required focus point (Harmonic Mean).
At macro reproduction ratios (0.1x to 5.0x), standard thin-lens formulas fail. This tool uses the true magnification optical equation.
Determine your automated macro rail step size and the total number of bracketed frames needed to achieve full front-to-back sharpness.
Standard permissible blur spot sizes calibrated to human visual acuity (Zeiss standard $d / 1730$):
| Sensor Format | Dimensions | Standard CoC |
|---|---|---|
| Full Frame 35mm | 36 × 24 mm | 0.029 mm |
| APS-C (Sony/Nikon/Fuji) | 23.6 × 15.6 mm | 0.020 mm |
| APS-C (Canon) | 22.4 × 15.0 mm | 0.019 mm |
| Micro Four Thirds | 17.3 × 13.0 mm | 0.015 mm |
| Medium Format 645 | 56 × 41 mm | 0.050 mm |
| 1-inch Sensor | 13.2 × 8.8 mm | 0.011 mm |
Calculate Airy disk blur diameter ($2.44 \lambda N$) and identify your sensor's Diffraction Limited Aperture (DLA):
Depth of Field (DOF) is the range of distance in a scene that appears acceptably sharp in the final photograph. While a camera lens can only optically focus at one exact mathematical plane, points slightly in front of and behind that plane project blur circles smaller than the human eye can discern — creating the zone of acceptable sharpness.
Wider physical openings (f/1.4, f/1.8) create steep light cone angles, narrowing the sharp zone to mere inches. Narrow openings (f/11, f/16) produce parallel rays with deep front-to-back sharpness.
Long telephoto lenses (135mm, 200mm) magnify blur circles and compress backgrounds, producing lush bokeh isolation. Wide-angle lenses (16mm, 24mm) produce deep depth of field.
Moving closer to your subject exponentially shrinks the depth of field. In portraiture, headshots have thin depth, whereas full-body shots at 5 meters have much deeper sharpness.
Larger sensors require longer physical focal lengths for equivalent framing, naturally yielding shallower depth of field than small smartphone sensors.
