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Hyperfocal Distance Calculator

Focus at the hyperfocal distance and everything from half that distance to infinity is acceptably sharp — the deepest depth of field you can get at a given aperture. The same engine the Viewpoint app uses, in your browser.

Hyperfocal distance—
Sharp from (near limit)—
Sharp to∞
In the app

Set it once, shoot the whole vista

In Viewpoint you focus to the hyperfocal distance and plan the rest of the shot on top — the light window, the sun and moon positions, GPS auto-stamped, all offline in the field. The calculator here is the same math the app runs.

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What is hyperfocal distance?

The hyperfocal distance is the closest focus distance at which the far limit of depth of field reaches infinity. Focus there and the sharp zone runs from roughly half the hyperfocal distance all the way to the horizon — the maximum depth of field for that focal length and aperture. It's the landscape photographer's trick for front-to-back sharpness.

How this calculator works

It scales the acceptable blur (circle of confusion) from your sensor width, then combines it with the focal length and aperture to solve for the hyperfocal distance, and reports the near limit (half of it) where sharpness begins.

Tips

  • Smaller apertures (larger f-numbers) and wider lenses bring the hyperfocal distance closer — more in focus.
  • Focus at the hyperfocal distance, not at infinity, to avoid wasting near sharpness.

Related

See also the Depth of Field calculator. Both are in the Viewpoint app.

For why this matters in the field, read Foreground interest: giving a landscape depth.

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