APS-C (1.5×) depth of field & hyperfocal charts
APS-C (about 23.5 × 15.6 mm) is used by Fujifilm X, Sony a6000-series, Nikon DX and Pentax cameras, with a crop factor of about 1.5×. It uses a 0.020 mm circle of confusion for depth of field.
Advanced
Leave empty to use the standard value for the sensor. Halve it for pixel-level sharpness.
With a 35 mm lens at f/2.8 on APS-C focused at 3.00 m, everything from 2.64 m to 3.47 m is acceptably sharp: 83 cm of depth of field.
- In front of subject
- 36 cm (43%)
- Behind subject
- 47 cm (57%)
- Hyperfocal distance
- 21.9 m
- Circle of confusion
- 0.020 mm
About the APS-C format
Multiply focal lengths by 1.5 for the full-frame equivalent: Fujifilm’s 23 mm frames like 35 mm, the 33–35 mm like 50 mm and the 56 mm like 85 mm. For the same framing and f-number you get roughly one stop more depth of field than full frame — handy for landscapes and street, a little harder for creamy portrait backgrounds.
The circle of confusion is 0.020 mm. Diffraction starts to soften images from about f/8–f/11, so most APS-C landscape shooters stay around f/5.6–f/8 and use hyperfocal focusing.
Specifications
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Sensor size | 23.5 × 15.6 mm |
| Diagonal | 28.2 mm |
| Crop factor | 1.53× |
| Circle of confusion | 0.020 mm |
| Area vs full frame | 42% |
| Typical cameras | Fujifilm X series, Sony a6000 series, Nikon Z50 / Zfc, Ricoh GR |
Hyperfocal distance chart
Focus at the distance shown and everything from half of it to infinity is acceptably sharp (c = 0.020 mm).
| Focal length | f/2.8 | f/4 | f/5.6 | f/8 | f/11 | f/16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 mm | 1.80 m5.89 ft | 1.26 m4.13 ft | 90 cm2.96 ft | 64 cm2.08 ft | 46 cm1.52 ft | 32 cm1.06 ft |
| 12 mm | 2.58 m8.48 ft | 1.81 m5.94 ft | 1.30 m4.26 ft | 91 cm2.99 ft | 67 cm2.19 ft | 46 cm1.52 ft |
| 16 mm | 4.59 m15.1 ft | 3.22 m10.6 ft | 2.30 m7.55 ft | 1.62 m5.30 ft | 1.18 m3.87 ft | 82 cm2.68 ft |
| 18 mm | 5.80 m19.0 ft | 4.07 m13.3 ft | 2.91 m9.55 ft | 2.04 m6.70 ft | 1.49 m4.89 ft | 1.03 m3.38 ft |
| 23 mm | 9.47 m31.1 ft | 6.64 m21.8 ft | 4.75 m15.6 ft | 3.33 m10.9 ft | 2.43 m7.96 ft | 1.68 m5.50 ft |
| 27 mm | 13.0 m42.8 ft | 9.14 m30.0 ft | 6.54 m21.4 ft | 4.58 m15.0 ft | 3.34 m11.0 ft | 2.31 m7.56 ft |
| 35 mm | 21.9 m71.9 ft | 15.3 m50.4 ft | 11.0 m36.0 ft | 7.69 m25.2 ft | 5.60 m18.4 ft | 3.86 m12.7 ft |
| 56 mm | 56.1 m184 ft | 39.3 m129 ft | 28.1 m92.0 ft | 19.7 m64.5 ft | 14.3 m47.0 ft | 9.86 m32.3 ft |
| 90 mm | 145 m475 ft | 101 m332 ft | 72.4 m238 ft | 50.7 m166 ft | 36.9 m121 ft | 25.4 m83.3 ft |
Equivalent focal length and aperture
Multiply by 1.53 to compare with full frame. The aperture equivalent describes depth of field and total light; exposure settings do not change.
| Lens on this sensor | Full-frame focal length | f/2.8 looks like | f/4 looks like |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 mm | 15 mm | f/4.3 | f/6.1 |
| 12 mm | 18 mm | f/4.3 | f/6.1 |
| 16 mm | 24 mm | f/4.3 | f/6.1 |
| 18 mm | 28 mm | f/4.3 | f/6.1 |
| 23 mm | 35 mm | f/4.3 | f/6.1 |
| 27 mm | 41 mm | f/4.3 | f/6.1 |
| 35 mm | 54 mm | f/4.3 | f/6.1 |
| 56 mm | 86 mm | f/4.3 | f/6.1 |
| 90 mm | 138 mm | f/4.3 | f/6.1 |
Night sky: 500 rule and NPF rule
Longest exposure before stars trail at f/2 with 26 MP (pixel pitch 3.75 µm). Calculate for your own camera with the 500 rule & NPF calculator.
| Focal length | 500 rule | 300 rule | NPF rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 mm | 33 s | 20 s | 18 s |
| 12 mm | 27 s | 16 s | 15 s |
| 16 mm | 20 s | 12 s | 11 s |
| 18 mm | 18 s | 11 s | 10 s |
| 23 mm | 14 s | 8.5 s | 7.9 s |
| 27 mm | 12 s | 7.3 s | 6.8 s |
| 35 mm | 9.3 s | 5.6 s | 5.2 s |
| 56 mm | 5.8 s | 3.5 s | 3.3 s |
| 90 mm | 3.6 s | 2.2 s | 2 s |
FAQ
What is the crop factor of a APS-C sensor?
1.53×. The 23.5 × 15.6 mm sensor has a 28.2 mm diagonal, compared with 43.3 mm for full frame, so a 35 mm lens frames like 54 mm on full frame.
What circle of confusion should I use for APS-C?
0.020 mm, the sensor diagonal divided by 1443 — the same convention as lens depth of field scales and DOFMaster. Use about half (0.010 mm) if you view images at 100% or print very large.
What is the hyperfocal distance of a 12 mm lens on APS-C?
91 cm (2.99 ft) at f/8. Focus there and everything from half that distance to infinity is acceptably sharp.
How long can I expose the night sky on APS-C?
With a 12 mm lens at f/2 and 26 MP (pixel pitch 3.8 µm), about 15 s by the NPF rule, or 27 s by the 500 rule.
Cameras with this sensor size
Exact crop factors and lens equivalents from each camera’s published sensor size:
- Sony a640023.5 × 15.6 mm · 1.53× crop
- Sony a670023.3 × 15.5 mm · 1.55× crop
- Sony ZV-E1023.5 × 15.6 mm · 1.53× crop
- Nikon Z5023.5 × 15.7 mm · 1.53× crop
- Fujifilm X-T523.5 × 15.6 mm · 1.53× crop