Is there a hyperfocal distance chart for full frame lenses?
Here are real, computed full-frame hyperfocal distances at two common landscape apertures, using this site's diagonal/1500 circle-of-confusion convention (0.0288mm):
Full-frame hyperfocal distance by focal length
- 14mm
- f/8: 0.86m — f/11: 0.63m
- 16mm
- f/8: 1.13m — f/11: 0.82m
- 20mm
- f/8: 1.75m — f/11: 1.28m
- 24mm
- f/8: 2.52m — f/11: 1.84m
- 28mm
- f/8: 3.43m — f/11: 2.50m
- 35mm
- f/8: 5.34m — f/11: 3.90m
- 50mm
- f/8: 10.88m — f/11: 7.93m
How to Read This Table in the Field
Each row gives the hyperfocal distance itself — focus there, and everything from half that distance out to infinity reads as acceptably sharp. A 24mm lens at f/11, for example, focused at 1.84m, keeps everything from roughly 0.92m to infinity in the acceptably sharp range, which is a genuinely practical distance to estimate by eye without a rangefinder or tape measure.
Why a Static Chart Only Gets You So Far
This table covers the two most commonly cited landscape apertures, but hyperfocal distance changes continuously with both aperture and focal length, and this chart assumes this site's specific circle-of-confusion convention (1/1500 of the sensor diagonal) — other sources using 1/1442 or 1/1730 will show slightly different numbers for the identical physical setup, and neither convention is objectively more correct than the other.
The Pattern Worth Remembering
Notice how sharply the numbers grow with focal length — 50mm's hyperfocal distance at f/8 is more than four times 24mm's, even though the focal length only a little more than doubled. That's the f² term in the hyperfocal formula at work, and it's the real reason wide-angle lenses dominate practical hyperfocal-focusing technique while normal and telephoto lenses rarely use it.
Get an exact figure for any focal length, aperture or subject distance in the DoF & Hyperfocal Calculator rather than interpolating between chart rows.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does this chart stop at 50mm?
Past 50mm, hyperfocal distance grows so large at typical landscape apertures (tens of meters) that hyperfocal focusing stops being a practical technique — normal and telephoto lenses are used for subject isolation, not front-to-back landscape sharpness, so a chart entry there wouldn't reflect real shooting use.
Can I use this chart if my sensor's circle of confusion uses a different convention?
Only as a rough estimate — this specific table is computed from this site's diagonal/1500 convention, and a source using 1/1442 or 1/1730 will show every number shifted slightly, generally toward a longer hyperfocal distance as the divisor gets smaller.