Depth of Field for the iPhone 15 Pro Max
iPhone 15 Pro Max depth of field, computed from its exact 9.8×7.3 mm sensor, 49 MP resolution and 0.0081 mm circle of confusion — the numbers its own calculators use, not a generic preset. Matching the field of view of a 50 mm lens on full frame takes only 14 mm here, and at that matched framing an f/2.8 lens gives the same depth of field as f/9.9 on full frame.
🎯 Open the interactive calculator with this camera →
iPhone 15 Pro Max key specs: 49 MP · 3.54× crop factor · 1.22 µm pixels · CoC 0.0081 mm (standard diagonal ÷ 1500). The depth-of-field values below assume focus at 5 m.
Sensor profile: what the iPhone 15 Pro Max sensor means for depth of field
A phone sensor is tiny, so depth of field at matched framing is enormous — real background blur comes from computational processing, not optics.
| Property | Value | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Sensor size | 9.8 × 7.3 mm | Phone — 8% of a full-frame sensor's area |
| Crop factor | 3.54× | a Phone sensor records 3.54× the focal length, so a 50 mm lens frames like 177 mm on full frame |
| Native resolution | 49 MP (8064 × 6048) | prints 26.9 × 20.2 in at 300 ppi from the full-resolution file — lens and noise, not pixel count, cap a real print |
| Pixel pitch | 1.22 µm | how much sensor area each pixel gets — the smaller the pitch, the sooner diffraction bites |
| Circle of confusion | 0.0081 mm | the sharpness yardstick this page's depth-of-field numbers are built on (sensor diagonal ÷ 1500) |
| Diffraction limit | ≈ f/1.8 native / ≈ f/3.6 binned | past this aperture the airy disc outgrows a pixel pair and resolution falls, even though depth of field keeps growing |
Framing on the iPhone 15 Pro Max: focal length vs angle of view
Because this is a 3.54× sensor, focal lengths land differently than on full frame. Horizontal angle of view below is computed from the sensor's exact 9.8 mm width.
| Focal length | Horizontal angle of view | 35 mm equivalent | Full-frame angle for that equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 mm | 34.1° | 57 mm | 96.7° |
| 24 mm | 23.1° | 85 mm | 73.7° |
| 35 mm | 15.9° | 124 mm | 54.4° |
| 50 mm | 11.2° | 177 mm | 39.6° |
| 85 mm | 6.6° | 301 mm | 23.9° |
How the iPhone 15 Pro Max compares to other Phone bodies
| Body | Sensor area | Resolution | Pixel pitch | Diffraction limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 15 Pro Max | 72 mm² | 49 MP | 1.22 µm | ≈ f/1.8 |
| iPhone 16 Pro | 72 mm² | 49 MP | 1.22 µm | ≈ f/1.8 |
| Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra | 73 mm² | 200 MP | 0.60 µm | ≈ f/0.9 |
| Google Pixel 9 Pro | 73 mm² | 50 MP | 1.21 µm | ≈ f/1.8 |
All values computed from the same sensor database the calculators use. Datasheet dimensions vary by a tenth of a millimetre between sources; the relative ordering here is what matters.
Near limit – far limit at 5 m focus
| Focal length | f/1.8 | f/2.8 | f/4 | f/8 | Hyperfocal @ f/8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 mm | 3.89 m – 7.00 m | 3.46 m – 8.98 m | 3.06 m – 13.6 m | 1.97 m – ∞ | 3.94 m |
| 24 mm | 4.44 m – 5.72 m | 4.18 m – 6.23 m | 3.90 m – 6.96 m | 3.20 m – 11.4 m | 8.86 m |
| 35 mm | 4.72 m – 5.32 m | 4.58 m – 5.51 m | 4.42 m – 5.76 m | 3.96 m – 6.79 m | 18.8 m |
| 50 mm | 4.86 m – 5.15 m | 4.78 m – 5.24 m | 4.70 m – 5.34 m | 4.43 m – 5.74 m | 38.4 m |
| 85 mm | 4.95 m – 5.05 m | 4.92 m – 5.08 m | 4.89 m – 5.11 m | 4.79 m – 5.23 m | 110.9 m |
| 135 mm | 4.98 m – 5.02 m | 4.97 m – 5.03 m | 4.96 m – 5.04 m | 4.91 m – 5.09 m | 279.8 m |
| 200 mm | 4.99 m – 5.01 m | 4.99 m – 5.01 m | 4.98 m – 5.02 m | 4.96 m – 5.04 m | 613.9 m |
How to use this page
Find your lens and aperture, read the near–far range, and compose inside it — or open the interactive calculator to drag the focus distance live. On the iPhone 15 Pro Max the practical ceiling is about f/3.6: stopping down past that deepens the sharp zone but starts costing detail to diffraction, so lean on the hyperfocal column instead of the smallest aperture on the dial. For the formula and the circle-of-confusion convention behind these numbers, see the circle of confusion guide.
Other Apple cameras
Frequently asked questions
What is the diffraction limit of the iPhone 15 Pro Max?
About f/3.6. At a 2.43 µm effective pixel pitch there comes a point where the airy disc from an ever-smaller aperture covers more than a pixel can resolve, so sharpness stops improving. That is the number to stop at, not f/16 or f/22.
What is the circle of confusion for the iPhone 15 Pro Max?
0.008 mm — the standard sensor diagonal ÷ 1500 convention, applied to the iPhone 15 Pro Max's exact sensor.
What is the hyperfocal distance for a 50 mm lens on the iPhone 15 Pro Max?
About 38.4 m at f/8 — focus there and everything from 19.2 m to infinity is acceptably sharp.
Does the iPhone 15 Pro Max have a crop factor?
3.54× — a 50 mm lens frames like a 177 mm lens on full frame. See the crop factor guide.