Key numbers
- Mount / system: Canon EF-S (APS-C DSLR)
- Sensor: APS-C, 23.5 × 15.6mm
- Focal length: 55–250mm (about 207mm full-frame equivalent, 1.53× crop)
- Aperture: f/4–5.6 to f/36
- DoF at 3 m, 135mm, f/4.7: 2.96–3.04 m (≈ 8 cm deep)
- Hyperfocal distance (135mm, f/8): 121 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.
55 mm
| Aperture | Hyperfocal | 1 m | 2 m | 3 m | 5 m | 10 m |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| f/4 | 40.3 m | 0.98–1.02 | 1.91–2.10 | 2.80–3.24 | 4.45–5.70 | 8.02–13.3 |
| 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–∞ |
135 mm
| Aperture | Hyperfocal | 1 m | 2 m | 3 m | 5 m | 10 m |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| f/4.7 | 206 m | 1.00–1.00 | 1.98–2.02 | 2.96–3.04 | 4.88–5.12 | 9.54–10.5 |
| f/5.6 | 173 m | 1.00–1.01 | 1.98–2.02 | 2.95–3.05 | 4.86–5.14 | 9.46–10.6 |
| f/8 | 121 m | 0.99–1.01 | 1.97–2.03 | 2.93–3.07 | 4.81–5.21 | 9.25–10.9 |
| f/11 | 88.2 m | 0.99–1.01 | 1.96–2.04 | 2.91–3.10 | 4.74–5.29 | 8.99–11.3 |
| f/16 | 60.7 m | 0.99–1.01 | 1.94–2.06 | 2.86–3.15 | 4.63–5.44 | 8.60–11.9 |
| f/22 | 44.2 m | 0.98–1.02 | 1.92–2.09 | 2.82–3.21 | 4.50–5.62 | 8.17–12.9 |
| f/32 | 30.4 m | 0.97–1.03 | 1.88–2.13 | 2.74–3.31 | 4.31–5.95 | 7.55–14.8 |
250 mm
| Aperture | Hyperfocal | 1 m | 2 m | 3 m | 5 m | 10 m |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| f/5.6 | 594 m | 1.00–1.00 | 1.99–2.01 | 2.99–3.01 | 4.96–5.04 | 9.84–10.2 |
| f/8 | 416 m | 1.00–1.00 | 1.99–2.01 | 2.98–3.02 | 4.94–5.06 | 9.77–10.2 |
| f/11 | 302 m | 1.00–1.00 | 1.99–2.01 | 2.97–3.03 | 4.92–5.08 | 9.69–10.3 |
| f/16 | 208 m | 1.00–1.00 | 1.98–2.02 | 2.96–3.04 | 4.89–5.12 | 9.55–10.5 |
| f/22 | 151 m | 1.00–1.00 | 1.98–2.02 | 2.95–3.06 | 4.85–5.16 | 9.39–10.7 |
| f/32 | 104 m | 0.99–1.01 | 1.97–2.03 | 2.92–3.08 | 4.78–5.24 | 9.14–11.0 |
FAQ
What is the depth of field of the Canon EF-S 55-250mm F4-5.6 IS STM at f/4.7 and 3 m?
At 135mm, f/4.7 and focus at 3 m, acceptable sharpness runs from 2.96 to 3.04 m — about 8 cm in total.
What is the hyperfocal distance of the Canon EF-S 55-250mm F4-5.6 IS STM?
At 135mm and f/8 on a APS-C sensor the hyperfocal distance is about 121 m. Focus there and everything from 60.6 m to infinity is sharp.
How do I get more background blur with the Canon EF-S 55-250mm F4-5.6 IS STM?
Open the aperture to f/4.7, 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.