400mm f/5.6 depth of field
On a full-frame camera, a 400 mm lens at f/5.6 focused at 20 m (65.6 ft) is sharp from 19.6 m to 20.4 m (82 cm deep). Hyperfocal distance: 953 m (3,126 ft).
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Leave empty to use the standard value for the sensor. Halve it for pixel-level sharpness.
With a 400 mm lens at f/5.6 on full frame focused at 20.0 m, everything from 19.6 m to 20.4 m is acceptably sharp: 82 cm of depth of field.
- In front of subject
- 40 cm (49%)
- Behind subject
- 42 cm (51%)
- Hyperfocal distance
- 953 m
- Circle of confusion
- 0.030 mm
Wildlife and birds
Super-telephotos have very little depth of field even stopped down. A bird at 10 m with a 400 mm f/5.6 lens has about 20 cm in focus — the bird is sharp, the branches behind are not.
That is a feature: it separates wildlife from busy habitats. Focus on the eye and keep your shutter speed at 1/1000 s or faster.
400mm f/5.6 depth of field table (full frame)
| Focus distance | Near limit | Far limit | Depth of field |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.00 m16.4 ft | 4.98 m16.3 ft | 5.02 m16.5 ft | 4.8 cm1.9 in |
| 10.0 m32.8 ft | 9.90 m32.5 ft | 10.1 m33.1 ft | 20 cm7.9 in |
| 15.0 m49.2 ft | 14.8 m48.5 ft | 15.2 m50.0 ft | 46 cm1.51 ft |
| 20.0 m65.6 ft | 19.6 m64.3 ft | 20.4 m67.0 ft | 82 cm2.70 ft |
| 30.0 m98.4 ft | 29.1 m95.5 ft | 31.0 m102 ft | 1.87 m6.12 ft |
| 50.0 m164 ft | 47.5 m156 ft | 52.7 m173 ft | 5.22 m17.1 ft |
The same lens on other sensors (focused at 20 m)
Same lens, same distance — smaller sensors frame tighter and use a smaller circle of confusion.
| Sensor | Frames like | Near limit | Far limit | Depth of field |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full frame | 400 mm | 19.6 m | 20.4 m | 82 cm |
| APS-C (1.5×) | 612 mm | 19.7 m | 20.3 m | 55 cm |
| Canon APS-C (1.6×) | 644 mm | 19.7 m | 20.3 m | 52 cm |
| Micro Four Thirds | 800 mm | 19.8 m | 20.2 m | 41 cm |
| 1-inch | 1092 mm | 19.9 m | 20.2 m | 30 cm |
| Medium format (44×33) | 316 mm | 19.5 m | 20.5 m | 1.04 m |
Hyperfocal distance at other apertures
| Aperture | Full frame | APS-C (1.5×) | Micro Four Thirds |
|---|---|---|---|
| f/5.6 | 953 m | 1,429 m | 1,905 m |
| f/8 | 667 m | 1,000 m | 1,334 m |
| f/11 | 485 m | 728 m | 970 m |
| f/16 | 334 m | 500 m | 667 m |
FAQ
How much depth of field does a 400mm f/5.6 lens have?
On full frame, focused at 20 m, the sharp zone runs from 19.6 m to 20.4 m (82 cm deep). At 10 m it is 20 cm. Depth of field grows roughly with the square of the distance.
What is the hyperfocal distance of a 400mm lens at f/5.6?
953 m (3,126 ft) on full frame (c = 0.030 mm) and 1,429 m (4,688 ft) on APS-C. Focus there and everything from half that distance to infinity is acceptably sharp.
Is depth of field different with 400mm f/5.6 on an APS-C camera?
With the same lens at the same distance, APS-C gives slightly less depth of field (55 cm at 20 m) because of its smaller circle of confusion — but it frames like a 612 mm lens. To match the full-frame framing you would step back, which increases depth of field.
Learn how aperture, distance and focal length interact in depth of field explained.