In optics and photography, hyperfocal distance is a distance from a lens beyond which all objects can be brought into an "acceptable" focus. As the hyperfocal distance is the focus distance giving the maximum depth of field, it is the most desirable distance to set the focus of a fixed-focus camera. The hyperfocal distance is entirely dependent upon what level of sharpness is considered to be acceptable.
Minox LX camera with hyperfocal red dot
Nikon 28mm f/2.8 lens with markings for the depth of field. The lens is set at the hyperfocal distance for f/22. The orange mark corresponding to f/22 is at the infinity mark (∞). Focus is acceptable from under 0.7 m to infinity.
Minolta 100-300 zoom lens. The depth of field, and thus hyperfocal distance, changes with the focal length as well as the f-stop. This lens is set to the hyperfocal distance for f/32 at a focal length of 100 mm.
The depth of field (DOF) is the distance between the nearest and the furthest objects that are in acceptably sharp focus in an image captured with a camera.
A macro photograph showing the defocused effect of a shallow depth of field on a tilted page of text
This photo was taken with an aperture of f/22, creating a mostly in-focus background.
The same scene as above with an aperture of f/1.8. Notice how much blurrier the background appears in this photo.
Aperture = f/1.4. DOF = 0.8 cm
