What is the hyperfocal distance at 12mm f/8 on Micro Four Thirds?

At 12mm, f/8, on a Micro Four Thirds camera, the hyperfocal distance is roughly 1.26 meters (4.1 feet). Focus there and everything from about 0.63 meters out to infinity reads as acceptably sharp.

Why 12mm Is Micro Four Thirds' Landscape Sweet Spot

12mm on Micro Four Thirds' clean 2.0x crop factor reads as almost exactly a 24mm-equivalent field of view — the classic full-frame landscape reference length — which is part of why 12mm is such a common dedicated wide-prime focal length built specifically for this system. Micro Four Thirds' smaller circle of confusion (0.0144mm, about half of full frame's) pulls the hyperfocal distance down further than the shorter real focal length alone would suggest, landing under a meter and a half at this common landscape aperture.

What Changes This Number

Stopping down to f/11 shortens it to roughly 0.92 meters. A full-frame camera at the equivalent 24mm focal length and f/8 produces a longer hyperfocal distance (roughly 2.52 meters) — Micro Four Thirds' shorter real focal length and stricter circle of confusion both push in the same direction here, unlike the crop-sensor DoF comparisons where the two effects can partially offset.

Check the exact figure for your own aperture in the DoF & Hyperfocal Calculator, pre-filled with 12mm f/8 on Micro Four Thirds.