Key numbers
- Mount / system: Canon EF-S (APS-C DSLR)
- Sensor: APS-C, 23.5 × 15.6mm
- Focal length: 18–55mm (about 54mm full-frame equivalent, 1.53× crop)
- Aperture: f/3.5–5.6 to f/38
- DoF at 3 m, 35mm, f/4.5: 2.49–3.77 m (≈ 128 cm deep)
- Hyperfocal distance (35mm, f/8): 8.18 m
Depth of field table
Distances are measured from the sensor plane. Each cell shows the near and far limit of acceptable sharpness in metres (∞ = to infinity). Circle of confusion = sensor diagonal / 1500.
18 mm
| Aperture | Hyperfocal | 1 m | 2 m | 3 m | 5 m | 10 m |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| f/3.5 | 4.94 m | 0.83–1.25 | 1.43–3.34 | 1.87–7.57 | 2.49–∞ | 3.31–∞ |
| f/4 | 4.33 m | 0.81–1.29 | 1.37–3.69 | 1.78–9.66 | 2.32–∞ | 3.02–∞ |
| f/5.6 | 3.09 m | 0.76–1.46 | 1.22–5.56 | 1.53–82.3 | 1.92–∞ | 2.37–∞ |
| f/8 | 2.17 m | 0.69–1.83 | 1.05–22.9 | 1.26–∞ | 1.52–∞ | 1.79–∞ |
| f/11 | 1.58 m | 0.62–2.63 | 0.89–∞ | 1.04–∞ | 1.21–∞ | 1.37–∞ |
| f/16 | 1.09 m | 0.53–9.70 | 0.71–∞ | 0.81–∞ | 0.90–∞ | 0.99–∞ |
| f/22 | 0.80 m | 0.45–∞ | 0.58–∞ | 0.64–∞ | 0.69–∞ | 0.74–∞ |
| f/32 | 0.56 m | 0.36–∞ | 0.44–∞ | 0.47–∞ | 0.50–∞ | 0.53–∞ |
35 mm
| Aperture | Hyperfocal | 1 m | 2 m | 3 m | 5 m | 10 m |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| f/4.5 | 14.5 m | 0.94–1.07 | 1.76–2.31 | 2.49–3.77 | 3.73–7.60 | 5.93–31.9 |
| f/5.6 | 11.7 m | 0.92–1.09 | 1.71–2.41 | 2.39–4.02 | 3.51–8.70 | 5.39–68.5 |
| f/8 | 8.18 m | 0.89–1.13 | 1.61–2.63 | 2.20–4.71 | 3.11–12.7 | 4.51–∞ |
| f/11 | 5.96 m | 0.86–1.19 | 1.50–2.98 | 2.00–5.97 | 2.73–30.0 | 3.74–∞ |
| f/16 | 4.11 m | 0.81–1.31 | 1.35–3.84 | 1.74–10.8 | 2.26–∞ | 2.92–∞ |
| f/22 | 3.00 m | 0.76–1.48 | 1.21–5.81 | 1.51–∞ | 1.88–∞ | 2.31–∞ |
| f/32 | 2.07 m | 0.68–1.87 | 1.03–39.2 | 1.23–∞ | 1.47–∞ | 1.72–∞ |
55 mm
| Aperture | Hyperfocal | 1 m | 2 m | 3 m | 5 m | 10 m |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| f/5.6 | 28.8 m | 0.97–1.03 | 1.87–2.14 | 2.72–3.34 | 4.27–6.04 | 7.43–15.3 |
| f/8 | 20.2 m | 0.96–1.05 | 1.82–2.21 | 2.62–3.51 | 4.02–6.62 | 6.70–19.7 |
| f/11 | 14.7 m | 0.94–1.07 | 1.77–2.31 | 2.50–3.75 | 3.74–7.54 | 5.96–31.0 |
| f/16 | 10.1 m | 0.91–1.10 | 1.68–2.48 | 2.32–4.23 | 3.36–9.79 | 5.04–616 |
| f/22 | 7.37 m | 0.89–1.15 | 1.58–2.72 | 2.14–5.00 | 2.99–15.2 | 4.26–∞ |
| f/32 | 5.08 m | 0.84–1.23 | 1.45–3.24 | 1.90–7.13 | 2.53–185 | 3.38–∞ |
FAQ
What is the depth of field of the Canon EF-S 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 IS STM at f/4.5 and 3 m?
At 35mm, f/4.5 and focus at 3 m, acceptable sharpness runs from 2.49 to 3.77 m — about 128 cm in total.
What is the hyperfocal distance of the Canon EF-S 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 IS STM?
At 35mm and f/8 on a APS-C sensor the hyperfocal distance is about 8.18 m. Focus there and everything from 4.09 m to infinity is sharp.
How do I get more background blur with the Canon EF-S 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 IS STM?
Open the aperture to f/4.5, move closer to your subject and increase the distance between subject and background, and zoom in to the long end. You can check the result in the calculator above.