Phone main camera (1/1.3″) depth of field & hyperfocal charts
A typical flagship phone main camera uses a sensor of about 1/1.3 inch (9.8 × 7.4 mm), a lens of around 7 mm and a fixed aperture near f/1.8: a crop factor of about 3.5×. It uses a 0.009 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 9 mm lens at f/1.8 on a phone sensor focused at 3.00 m, everything from 1.88 m to 7.47 m is acceptably sharp: 5.59 m of depth of field.
- In front of subject
- 1.12 m (20%)
- Behind subject
- 4.47 m (80%)
- Hyperfocal distance
- 5.01 m
- Circle of confusion
- 0.009 mm
About the Phone Camera format
That tiny real focal length is why phone photos are sharp from near to far: the hyperfocal distance of a 6.9 mm f/1.8 lens is under 3 m, so focusing at a few meters keeps everything to the horizon acceptably sharp. Background blur in "portrait mode" is computed by software from a depth map, not produced by the lens.
The circle of confusion is about 0.009 mm. Phones bin pixels by default (48 or 50 MP sensors output 12 MP photos), so we use 12 MP for the night-sky table; night modes avoid star trails by stacking many short frames.
Specifications
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Sensor size | 9.8 × 7.4 mm |
| Diagonal | 12.3 mm |
| Crop factor | 3.52× |
| Circle of confusion | 0.009 mm |
| Area vs full frame | 8% |
| Typical cameras | The main 1× camera of many recent flagship phones |
Hyperfocal distance chart
Focus at the distance shown and everything from half of it to infinity is acceptably sharp (c = 0.009 mm).
| Focal length | f/1.6 | f/1.8 | f/2.2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.7 mm | 2.26 m7.42 ft | 2.01 m6.60 ft | 1.65 m5.40 ft |
| 6.9 mm | 3.31 m10.9 ft | 2.95 m9.66 ft | 2.41 m7.91 ft |
| 9 mm | 5.63 m18.5 ft | 5.01 m16.4 ft | 4.10 m13.5 ft |
Equivalent focal length and aperture
Multiply by 3.52 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/1.6 looks like | f/1.8 looks like |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.7 mm | 20 mm | f/5.6 | f/6.3 |
| 6.9 mm | 24 mm | f/5.6 | f/6.3 |
| 9 mm | 32 mm | f/5.6 | f/6.3 |
Night sky: 500 rule and NPF rule
Longest exposure before stars trail at f/1.8 with 12 MP (pixel pitch 2.46 µm). Calculate for your own camera with the 500 rule & NPF calculator.
| Focal length | 500 rule | 300 rule | NPF rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.7 mm | 25 s | 15 s | 24 s |
| 6.9 mm | 21 s | 12 s | 20 s |
| 9 mm | 16 s | 9.5 s | 15 s |
FAQ
What is the crop factor of a Phone Camera sensor?
3.52×. The 9.8 × 7.4 mm sensor has a 12.3 mm diagonal, compared with 43.3 mm for full frame, so a 9 mm lens frames like 32 mm on full frame.
What circle of confusion should I use for Phone Camera?
0.009 mm, the sensor diagonal divided by 1443 — the same convention as lens depth of field scales and DOFMaster. Use about half (0.004 mm) if you view images at 100% or print very large.
What is the hyperfocal distance of a 6.9 mm lens on Phone Camera?
2.41 m (7.91 ft) at f/2.2. Focus there and everything from half that distance to infinity is acceptably sharp.
How long can I expose the night sky on Phone Camera?
With a 6.9 mm lens at f/1.8 and 12 MP (pixel pitch 2.5 µm), about 20 s by the NPF rule, or 21 s by the 500 rule.
Cameras with this sensor size
Exact crop factors and lens equivalents from each camera’s published sensor size: