What is Hyperfocal Distance? Definition and How to Calculate it.

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Published: June 14, 2024 | Last Updated: September 8, 2025

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hyperfocal distance Definition & Meaning

The hyperfocal distance is the closest distance a lens can be focused while keeping objects at infinity, acceptably sharp. When a lens is focused at the hyperfocal distance, everything from half that distance to infinity will be in acceptable focus.

How to Calculate the Hyperfocal Distance

Now, let’s look at how to calculate the hyperfocal distance. To calculate the hyperfocal distance, you can use the following formula:

$H = \frac{f^2}{N c} + f$

where

– $H$

is the hyperfocal distance, – $f$

is the focal length of the lens, – $N$

is the f-number (aperture), – $c$

is the circle of confusion.

How to Calculate the Circle of Confusion

The circle of confusion (CoC) is how blurry or sharp an image appears. It’s also a way to measure how much a point of light spreads out on your camera’s sensor or film.

The Circle of Confusion is usually calculated using a print size of 8”×10” (20cm×25cm) and a viewing distance of 10″ (25cm) at the normal human viewing angle of 60 degrees. At this distance, a circle with a diameter of 0.2mm or less appeared to be just a point. However, if the circle is 0.25mm, most people will perceive it as a circle.

You can quickly calculate the CoC for any sensor size using this formula:

$\text{CoC} = \frac{d}{1500}$

where $d$

is the diameter of the sensor.

A smaller sensor size results in a smaller circle of confusion. A smaller circle of confusion value leads to a shallower depth of field when shooting with the same focal length at the same distance.

Example Calculation

The hyperfocal distance formula is derived from the lens equation and the depth of field calculations. Suppose you use a 50mm lens on a full-frame camera with an aperture of f/8 and a circle of confusion value of 0.029mm (typical Full-Frame sensor CoC):

– Focal length $f = 50 \, \text{mm}$

, – Aperture $N = 8$

, – Circle of confusion $c = 0.029 \, \text{mm}$

. Plugging these values into the formula:

$H = \frac{(50 \, \text{mm})^2}{8 \cdot 0.029 \, \text{mm}} + 50 \, \text{mm}$

$H = \frac{2500}{0.232} + 50$

$H \approx 10775.86 \, \text{mm} + 50 \, \text{mm}$

$H \approx 10825.86 \, \text{mm}$

$H \approx 10.83 \, \text{m}$

Therefore, the hyperfocal distance is approximately $10.47 \, \text{m}$

Why the Hyperfocal Distance Matters

The hyperfocal distance is a key concept in photography and optics, particularly important for achieving maximum depth of field, and is used widely by professional landscape photographers.

Suppose a photographer uses a 24mm lens on a full-frame camera at an aperture of f/11. They calculate the hyperfocal distance to be around 2 meters. By focusing the lens at 2 meters, everything from 1 meter to infinity will be in focus. This is particularly useful for capturing a landscape where a nearby flower and distant mountains must be sharp – for example, for an extreme long shot (ECU) or an establishing shot.

Here’s a chart showing the hyperfocal distance for a lens with a focal length of 50mm on different sensor sizes. Notice that the circle of confusion (CoC) changes with the sensor size (I’ll cover CoC in a minute).

Depth of Field and Hyperfocal Distance 50mm chart for various sensor sizes

Videographers and filmmakers can benefit from this knowledge, especially when shooting scenes outside in a beautiful landscape.

Read Next: Want to explore how lenses affect your shot?

Browse all lens-related articles, from focal length and bokeh to distortion, compression, and more.

Looking for a broader context? Visit the Cinematography section for composition, movement, and lighting techniques.

By Jan Sørup

Jan Sørup is an indie filmmaker, videographer, and photographer from Denmark. He owns FilmDaft.com and the Danish company Apertura, which produces video content for big companies in Denmark and Scandinavia. Jan has a background in music, has drawn webcomics, and is a former lecturer at the University of Copenhagen.

View all of Jan Sørup's posts.