VDM1766 Loc: Winnipeg, MB Canada

I have a Nikon cool pix p510 and would like to know what the Infinity setting would be used for.

Danilo Loc: Las Vegas

Infinity is a distance at which your lens will focus no further; nor does it need to. A wide-angle lens may focus from 2' to 25', after 25' everything beyond is in focus. A telephoto lens may focus from 5' to 125', after which everything is in focus. You may choose the Infinity setting (a sideways 8) if your main subject is far away, but there may be incidental objects nearer to the camera that are only there for "artistic effect"...your camera will be focused on your distant subject and not tricked into focusing on the near subjects.
If you're photographing the moon at night, your auto-focus may search and search and not find the correct focus. You can just pop it on Infinity and be good to go.

VDM1766 Loc: Winnipeg, MB Canada

Thank you! Ironically, I was planning on taking some shots tonight of the full moon over Lake Winnipeg. Will definitely try out this setting.

Danilo Loc: Las Vegas

Remember when shooting the moon, it is directly illuminated by the sun. Your exposure should be similar to a direct sunlit picture of Billy in the back yard. Your camera, on Auto, will be fooled by all the dark sky and misguide you to a longer exposure and the moon will look like a white hole in a piece of black paper.
Try starting with: ISO 200, f-11 aperture, and 1/500th sec. shutter duration. Bracket a little on either side of this, but that should give you a good starting point. No tripod needed.

BboH Loc: s of 2/21, Ellicott City, MD

Focus on infinity... When I shoot panoramas I usually set my aperture on F8 and focus on infinity. This gives me everything in focus front to back. DOF is an undesired factor and with those settings it is removed

verichrome Loc: California

I am interested in your technique of removing DoF. It seems to me that you have taken advantage of the aperture and increased the depth of field in your panorama images, providing overall sharpness. Setting the ∞ mark opposite the aperture, F/8 in your case, would increase the DoF in your image, especially in the foreground. Unfortunately, this requires a depth of field scale on the lens and some newer lenses lack the scale.

This method is based upon the hyperfocal distance for each aperture on your lens. These numbers are often published for prime lenses and some zoom lenses. The hyperfocal distance is derived from the F/stop, the focal length of the lens and the dreaded Circle of Confusion (CoC). This number is easily calculated for each of your prime lenses, zoom lenses too if you have the time.

If anyone is seriously interested in learning to use DoF effectively, I suggest finding a copy of: Applied Depth Of Field, by Alfred A. Blaker. Focal Press, Butterworth Publishers, 1985. ISBN 0-240-51730-X

BboH Loc: s of 2/21, Ellicott City, MD

Best way I can describe it is that F8 to F11 focusing on infinity essentally creates an image in the manner your eye sees looking into (whatever) the distance. Peterson calls this range (F8-F11) the " 'Who Cares?' Apertures" in his Understanding Exposure (beginning on pp56). Offering one quote "...(rendering all the visual information within a great depth in sharp focus)...". When you look into the distance your eye registers that which is close sharp with the sharpness dimishing as distance grows. Now, when you specifically focus on a point, that point is usually sharper than its surroundings, regardless of the distance; the area around your eye's focal point is fuzzy - the further the object, the closer the edge of fuzziness is to it. My F8, focus on infinity is essentially looking into the distance without focusing on a particular point

verichrome Loc: California

Good point, putting it in visual terms.

Dean Sturgis

Infinity setting can be useful for some auto focus systems when taking pictures through a window when the camera wants to focus on the window instead of the distant scene
beyond.

dsturgis

asylum1972 Loc: Hilton Head Island, SC

I'm thinking on shooting the Blue Moon tonight. I have a tripod, cable release and understand which settings to use. My lens is a Canon EFS 55-250mm, but I don't have an infinity symbol, so how do I find infinity on my lens? Do I zoom all the way out to 250mm and back it up a little?

Nikonian72 Loc: Chico CA

Shooting from a tripod is so much easier than hand-holding, but either is possible.
1.) Zoom to 250-mm, aimed at moon;
2.) If on tripod, turn off stabilization (Ir or VR);
3.) Turn off A-F;
4.) Go to Live View;
5.) Use your "+" button to digitally enlarge image on LCD screen;
6.) While viewing LCD, manually focus lens;
7.) Trip shutter.

It is NOON daylight on moon, so "Sunny 16" rule applies: 1/ISO at f/16 or equivalent. I suggest ISO 100 (200 max).
Shutter duration should not be longer than lens focal length, so your shutter duration should be 1/250-sec or shorter.

At ISO 100, that translates to 1/250-sec at f/10 or so. At ISO 200, that translates to 1/500-sec at f/10 or so. It is easy to bracket, both shutter and aperture. For best resolution, select aperture two full stops above wide open, and select matching shutter duration.

Shoot raw, again for best resolution. I consistently shoot raw + JPG fine simultaneously.

P.S. - Zoom lenses have notoriously poor resolution compared to a prime lens of same focal length. If you can find a Prime 300-mm, you will appreciate the better resolution.

sinatraman Loc: Vero Beach Florida, Earth,alpha quaudrant

the smart alec in me wants to say infinity is used when you photograph luxury Japanese automobiles made by Nissan!

Nikonian72 Loc: Chico CA

Bad dog!

asylum1972 Loc: Hilton Head Island, SC

Thank you Nikonian72!!!!!

jimni2001 Loc: Sierra Vista, Arizona, USA

The one in me wants to say when you need to photograph Buzz Lightyear! We both need to keep our day jobs, comedy is not our forte.