Photography, Video and Visual Tech
Calculators for American Creators

Depth of field (DoF) is the range of distance in a scene that appears acceptably sharp in a photograph. It is calculated using the lens focal length, aperture f-number, subject distance, and the Circle of Confusion (CoC) value for your sensor size. A larger aperture (lower f-number like f/1.8) produces a shallower DoF with more background blur, while a smaller aperture (f/16) extends the sharp zone across the entire scene. Use the Depth of Field Calculator to find your exact near focus, far focus, and hyperfocal distance.

Field of view (FOV) and angle of view are often used interchangeably, but technically FOV refers to the angular extent of what a lens captures (measured in degrees), while coverage sometimes refers to the physical dimensions of what appears in frame at a given subject distance. The Lens Field of View Calculator computes both the angular FOV and the physical coverage width and height at a user-specified subject distance, so you get both numbers in one step.

The interval between shots depends on the event speed and your desired playback length. A general starting point: divide your recording duration by (desired video length in seconds times your output frame rate). For a 2-hour sunset at 24fps that you want to compress to 15 seconds: 7200 seconds / (15 x 24) = 20-second interval. The Time Lapse Calculator works this math both ways, so you can set an interval and see the resulting video length, or set a target length and find the ideal interval.

It depends on the codec and bitrate. A 1-hour 4K 60fps video in H.265 at a consumer camera bitrate (~100 Mbps) is approximately 45 GB. In H.264 at the same bitrate, approximately 45 GB as well. In ProRes 422 HQ (a professional codec), the same clip grows to roughly 600 GB. In RAW or BRAW (cinema formats), it can exceed 1 TB per hour. The Video File Size Calculator models all major codecs so you can plan your storage before your shoot.

Throw ratio is the distance from the projector lens to the screen divided by the width of the projected image. A throw ratio of 1.5 means if you want a 10-foot wide image, the projector must be 15 feet from the screen. Ultra-short-throw projectors have ratios below 0.5, allowing a large image from just inches away. Standard conference room projectors typically use ratios between 1.3 and 2.0. The Projector Throw Distance Calculator handles all ratio ranges in feet and inches.

Yes, sensor size has a significant effect on depth of field. A full-frame sensor (36mm x 24mm) produces a shallower depth of field at the same field of view compared to a smaller APS-C or Micro Four Thirds sensor because achieving the same framing requires a longer equivalent focal length on the larger sensor. The Circle of Confusion threshold also changes with sensor size. The Depth of Field Calculator includes sensor format presets for all major camera systems so the CoC is automatically set correctly.

Yes, every calculator on USCalculators.com is free and requires no account, no email signup, and no subscription. Results appear instantly in your browser. Each tool includes a free PDF download button so you can save your calculations as a shoot sheet, and a WhatsApp share button for collaborating with your team on location. There are no paywalls and no advertisements embedded in the calculator outputs.

Hyperfocal distance is the closest focusing distance at which objects from half that distance to infinity all appear acceptably sharp. For landscape photographers, it is the magic number: focus at hyperfocal distance and your image is sharp from foreground to horizon. It is computed as: (focal length squared) / (f-number x Circle of Confusion). For a 24mm lens at f/8 on a full-frame camera, hyperfocal distance is roughly 6.3 feet. Set focus there and everything from about 3 feet to infinity stays sharp. The DoF Calculator shows hyperfocal distance alongside your full depth of field range.