The invention discloses a device for measuring a modulation transfer function of an optical system and a method thereof. A target generator of the device comprises a knife edge target (4), a light source (1) and an electrical machine (3), wherein the electrical machine drives the knife edge target (4), so that an inclined angle beta is formed between the arrangement direction of a knife edge pixel (12) of the knife edge target (4) and that of a pixel (13) of an area array detector, and the inclined angle meets the following condition: ds=d sin beta, wherein the ds is a sampling distance, and the d is the size of the edge length of the pixel of the area array detector. When measuring, the modulation transfer function, the electrical machine drives the knife edge target (4) to rotate at the angle of beta to perform image data collecting and data processing so as to obtain modulation transfer function of the optical system to be measured. The invention adopts the knife edge target to realize an oversampling technology and improve the sampling rate, thereby being capable of measuring the modulation transfer function of the optical system to be measured without a relay amplifying system, being capable of measuring the maximum frequency which is higher than the Nyquist frequency of the area array detector, simplifying a measuring system, and avoiding complex assembling and correcting work when manufacturing apparatuses.