by Stefano Crosio
Nature, Wildlife, Travel Photography From Around The World

Hyperfocal Distance Chart

Below is a table summarizing the Hyperfocal Distance values for selected focal lenghts between 17mm and 70mm. The focal lenghts that have been included in the table are those indicated on the barrels of Nikkors 17-35 AF-S and 28-70 AF-S. The table is based on a 35mm system and uses a circle of confusion diameter of 0.025mm.

As you may know, Hyperfocal Distance is the minimum distance at which a lens can be focused in order for the relevant depth of field ("DOF") to extend from roughly half such distance up to infinity. Hyperfocal Distance varies depending on the focal length and the aperture that is selected.

If you want to go a bit more in depth, DOF is the area within which what you are photographing will be rendered acceptably sharp on film (i.e., to simplify, "in focus"). For instance, borrowing an example from the table below, with a 24mm lens set at f22, DOF extends from 0.5mt up to infinity. What this means is that, in the example, everything from half meter to infinity will be rendered in acceptably sharp focus on film. DOF varies depending on a number of factors, including lens to subject distance (the closer the subject the shallower the DOF), focal length (at the same aperture, the wider the lens the greater the DOF) and aperture (the smaller the aperture the greater the DOF).

Hyperfocal Distance allows you to maximize the DOF in any given circumstance by focusing your lens instead of at infinity, at its given Hyperfocal Distance. Let's keep using the example we made above. If you have a 24mm lens and you focus it at infinity, your DOF will extend from about 1mt to infinity, BUT if you instead focus the lens to 1mt (its Hyperfocal Distance based on the Hyperfocal Distance Chart) you will be able to exploit the full DOF, having everything acceptably sharp from 0.5mt to infinity! In order for you to do that, you need to manually focus the lens at its Hyperfocal Distance and then not to refocus it *even if* in the viewfinder your image will not appear to be in focus (if you depress the DOF preview button, you will see it in focus).

Now, notwithstanding most prime lenses include Hyperfocal Distance data in their DOF scales, zoom lenses don't, hence the need for the chart below, which has been conceived to include the focal lengths indicated on the barrels of Nikkors 17-35 AF-S and 28-70 AF-S and a selection of the apertures at which you normally may want to use Hyperfocal Distance.  

If you want to have more information as to DOF and Hyperfocal Distance, refer to a good photography technique book such as Charles Campbell's The Backpacker's Photography Handbook (of which you can read our review). If instead you need the Hyperfocal Distance for a focal length or an aperture that is not included in the table, you may refer to John Hendry's excellent Hyperfocal Distance calculator which you can find at www.johnhendry.com.