LensCalc

Hyperfocal Distance Calculator

Focus here for front-to-back sharpness.

Focal Length (mm)

Aperture (f/)

Circle of Confusion (mm)

Hyperfocal Distance

2.42 m

Sharp From: 1.21 m
Sharp To: —

What you entered

Focal Length (mm): 24Aperture (f/): 8Circle of Confusion (mm): 0.03

1
Focal length squared
24^2= 576 mm^2
2
Divide by aperture x circle of confusion
576 / (8 x 0.03)= 2,400 mm
3
Add the focal length
2,400 + 24= 2.424 m
4
Everything sharp from half this distance to infinity
2.424 / 2= 1.212 m

Result

Hyperfocal Distance: 2.42 m

Hyperfocal distance by focal length and aperture

Focus at the hyperfocal distance and everything from half that distance to infinity is acceptably sharp. Rows use a 0.03 mm circle of confusion.

Focal length	Aperture	Hyperfocal distance	Sharp from
16 mm	f/8	1.08 m	0.54 m
24 mm	f/11	1.77 m	0.88 m
24 mm	f/8	2.42 m	1.21 m
35 mm	f/8	5.14 m	2.57 m
50 mm	f/11	7.63 m	3.81 m
50 mm	f/8	10.47 m	5.23 m
85 mm	f/8	30.19 m	15.09 m

This is the landscape photographer's shortcut: at 24mm and f/8, focusing 2.4 m away keeps everything from 1.2 m to the horizon sharp. Focusing at infinity instead would waste all the near depth.

Why landscape photographers use it

Focusing at the hyperfocal distance yields the largest possible depth of field for a given aperture — everything from half that distance out to infinity renders acceptably sharp. Focusing on infinity instead throws away all the near-field sharpness you could have had for free.

Circle of confusion is a judgement call

The calculation depends on how large a blur circle still reads as sharp, conventionally 0.03mm for full frame. That assumes a standard print viewed at normal distance — pixel-peeping a high-resolution file demands a smaller value and a longer hyperfocal distance.

Frequently asked questions

I'm shooting landscapes at 24mm f/11 on full frame — what's the hyperfocal distance?

Roughly 1.7 meters. Focus there and everything from about 0.85m to infinity will be acceptably sharp. This is why landscape photographers often set a wide lens to f/8-f/11 and focus about 2 meters out.

How is the hyperfocal calculator different from the depth of field calculator?

The DOF calculator shows the sharp range for any focus distance. The hyperfocal calculator finds the specific focus distance that maximizes that range — it's the optimal input to the DOF equation, not a different calculation.

Does hyperfocal distance change with sensor size?

Yes, because the circle of confusion threshold differs. A crop sensor uses a smaller CoC (e.g., 0.02mm vs 0.03mm for full frame), which pushes the hyperfocal distance farther out. The same lens and aperture on a crop sensor has a longer hyperfocal distance.

Why shouldn't I just focus at infinity for landscapes?

Focusing at infinity wastes depth of field. Everything beyond the hyperfocal distance is already sharp when you focus at the hyperfocal point — focusing at infinity sacrifices all the near-field sharpness you could have had for free, with no gain at the far end.