Depth of Field for the Leica Q3
Leica Q3 depth of field, computed from its exact 36.0×24.0 mm sensor, 60 MP resolution and 0.0288 mm circle of confusion — the numbers its own calculators use, not a generic preset. It is a full-frame sensor, so depth of field depends only on focal length, aperture and focus distance — no crop conversion needed, and f/8 still behaves like f/8.
🎯 Open the interactive calculator with this camera →
Leica Q3 key specs: 60 MP · 1.00× crop factor · 3.78 µm pixels · CoC 0.0288 mm (standard diagonal ÷ 1500). The depth-of-field values below assume focus at 5 m.
Sensor profile: what the Leica Q3 sensor means for depth of field
A 36×24 mm chip is the reference size every other format is measured against, so its depth of field is the shallowest per framing and its sensors tolerate the smallest apertures before diffraction shows.
| Property | Value | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Sensor size | 36.0 × 24.0 mm | Full Frame — 100% of a full-frame sensor's area |
| Crop factor | 1.00× | a Full Frame sensor records 1.00× the focal length, so a 50 mm lens frames like 50 mm on full frame |
| Native resolution | 60 MP (9528 × 6328) | prints 31.8 × 21.1 in at 300 ppi |
| Pixel pitch | 3.78 µm | how much sensor area each pixel gets — the smaller the pitch, the sooner diffraction bites |
| Circle of confusion | 0.0288 mm | the sharpness yardstick this page's depth-of-field numbers are built on (sensor diagonal ÷ 1500) |
| Diffraction limit | ≈ f/5.6 | past this aperture the airy disc outgrows a pixel pair and resolution falls, even though depth of field keeps growing |
Framing on the Leica Q3: focal length vs angle of view
Because this is a 1.00× sensor, focal lengths land differently than on full frame. Horizontal angle of view below is computed from the sensor's exact 36.0 mm width.
| Focal length | Horizontal angle of view | 35 mm equivalent | Full-frame angle for that equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 mm | 96.7° | 16 mm | 96.7° |
| 24 mm | 73.7° | 24 mm | 73.7° |
| 35 mm | 54.4° | 35 mm | 54.4° |
| 50 mm | 39.6° | 50 mm | 39.6° |
| 85 mm | 23.9° | 85 mm | 23.9° |
How the Leica Q3 compares to other Full Frame bodies
| Body | Sensor area | Resolution | Pixel pitch | Diffraction limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leica Q3 | 864 mm² | 60 MP | 3.78 µm | ≈ f/5.6 |
| Canon EOS 5D Mark IV | 864 mm² | 30 MP | 5.36 µm | ≈ f/8.0 |
| Canon EOS R5 | 864 mm² | 45 MP | 4.39 µm | ≈ f/6.5 |
| Canon EOS R5 II | 864 mm² | 45 MP | 4.39 µm | ≈ f/6.5 |
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 | 2.47 m – ∞ | 1.59 m – ∞ | 1.12 m – ∞ | 563 mm – ∞ | 1.13 m |
| 24 mm | 3.45 m – 9.05 m | 2.95 m – 16.4 m | 2.51 m – 622.3 m | 1.26 m – ∞ | 2.52 m |
| 35 mm | 4.13 m – 6.33 m | 3.77 m – 7.42 m | 3.41 m – 9.36 m | 2.59 m – 70.6 m | 5.34 m |
| 50 mm | 4.53 m – 5.57 m | 4.31 m – 5.95 m | 4.07 m – 6.48 m | 3.44 m – 9.17 m | 10.9 m |
| 85 mm | 4.83 m – 5.18 m | 4.74 m – 5.29 m | 4.64 m – 5.43 m | 4.32 m – 5.93 m | 31.4 m |
| 135 mm | 4.93 m – 5.07 m | 4.89 m – 5.11 m | 4.85 m – 5.16 m | 4.71 m – 5.33 m | 79.1 m |
| 200 mm | 4.97 m – 5.03 m | 4.95 m – 5.05 m | 4.93 m – 5.07 m | 4.87 m – 5.14 m | 173.5 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 Leica Q3 the practical ceiling is about f/5.6: 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 Leica cameras
Frequently asked questions
What is the diffraction limit of the Leica Q3?
About f/5.6. At a 3.78 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 Leica Q3?
0.029 mm — the standard sensor diagonal ÷ 1500 convention, applied to the Leica Q3's exact sensor.
What is the hyperfocal distance for a 50 mm lens on the Leica Q3?
About 10.9 m at f/8 — focus there and everything from 5.44 m to infinity is acceptably sharp.
Does the Leica Q3 have a crop factor?
1.00× — a 50 mm lens frames like a 50 mm lens on full frame. See the crop factor guide.