Why no infinity setting? I bought Nikon D3400 kit. The I find my only complaint at this time is the lack of ability to set the 18-55 mm lens at infinity manually. On vacation it was...

toxdoc42

I bought Nikon D3400 kit. The I find my only complaint at this time is the lack of ability to set the 18-55 mm lens at infinity manually. On vacation it was often difficult to use the "autofocus" by rear button. My prime lens, a 50 mm 1.8 has a manual focus which is marked.

BassmanBruce Loc: Middle of the Mitten

The reason I ussually read is that temp differences make this inaccurate. I can't verify this, but on a recent trip west I was trying to shoot Yosemite falls in the moonlight and my minolta af 50mm f1.4 hit the infinity stop before I could turn the stars into pinpoints. For this shot I would have preferred a lens without the stop.

toxdoc42

Certainly at extreme temperatures that would be the case. I went to a lecture about photographing the northern lights and the instructor did say that one should establish infinity and put tape on the lens. But routinely, I doubt it. If, in my case Nikon, was being graciously wonderful with the kit lens, why then, with the prime lenses is there still manual focus and distances marked on the lens, including infinity?

BassmanBruce Loc: Middle of the Mitten

toxdoc42 wrote:

Certainly at extreme temperatures that would be the case. I went to a lecture about photographing the northern lights and the instructor did say that one should establish infinity and put tape on the lens. But routinely, I doubt it. If, in my case Nikon, was being graciously wonderful with the kit lens, why then, with the prime lenses is there still manual focus and distances marked on the lens, including infinity?

I can't argue with anything you're saying, but in my mostly newbie experience an infinity stop has been a liability instead of a plus. I have shot stars in temps from 0°f to 90°ish and 10x live view is the only way I am successful with.
Obviously this may just be me, but I'm workin on it.

toxdoc42

There are situations in which I "know" infinity would work, but I can't dial it in! Trying to hold the camera, aim it and fine focus Just sometimes requires too many hands.

We are on a Mediterranean cruise and have used virtually every piece of equipment and technique I have in my "tool kit."

Last night we were in Venice, it was raining and difficult to shoot. I set the camera on auto ISO with slowest shutter speed of 1/60 and tried my best to focus. I also often used LV, often with the camera held above my head and lens pointed at something I was trying to photograph. Some results were surprisingly good. Thank goodness for digital instant playback to dial in exposures, etc. Trial an error worked well for me, however, it was extremely frustrating to delete so many in order to have a few that I saved. When I get home, I can see how well I did do when I can look at them on my computer and see what cleaning up I may need. I shoot both fine jpg and RAW.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

toxdoc42 wrote:

I bought Nikon D3400 kit. The I find my only complaint at this time is the lack of ability to set the 18-55 mm lens at infinity manually. On vacation it was often difficult to use the "autofocus" by rear button. My prime lens, a 50 mm 1.8 has a manual focus which is marked.

One question we get fairly often is how to deal with the infinity setting because the lens will adjust past infinity. You don't need an infinity setting. You'll never take a picture of something an infinite distance from you, and infinity settings are meaningless, anyway. Just focus manually or let it focus automatically.

toxdoc42

Focusing manually is easier said then done. Yes, you can rotate the focusing ring, but then you have to move it back and forth to find the focus, and if you don't use LV to you don't get it magnified. I will have to learn, but this is a major trade off with the kit lens as I see it. I am finding almost as many drawbacks as advantages of the digital technology I now own versus the "ancient" film technology. Just my opinion!

martinfisherphoto Loc: Lake Placid Florida

Silly Question, why are you using BBF (rear button) if its difficult for you, reassign the focus to the shutter button. If you can't focus manually to infinity then I would select auto focus, reduce all of my focus points down to one, toggle the single focus point across the screen until it rest over the subject your trying to focus on, half press the shutting button make sure your focused then take your shot.

toxdoc42 wrote:

I bought Nikon D3400 kit. The I find my only complaint at this time is the lack of ability to set the 18-55 mm lens at infinity manually. On vacation it was often difficult to use the "autofocus" by rear button. My prime lens, a 50 mm 1.8 has a manual focus which is marked.

toxdoc42

BBF is far easier to use for "routine" shooting. I don't like the shutter button thingee, I have shot series of shots without trying, and saving a focal point and then moving the camera takes more coordination than I have using the shutter button. To each his own. Why can't they simply mark the lens with distances to focus? Would it really be so difficult or expensive to do? Is the zoom interfering?

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

toxdoc42 wrote:

BBF is far easier to use for "routine" shooting. I don't like the shutter button thingee, I have shot series of shots without trying, and saving a focal point and then moving the camera takes more coordination than I have using the shutter button. To each his own. Why can't they simply mark the lens with distances to focus? Would it really be so difficult or expensive to do? Is the zoom interfering?

The 18-55 is a kit lens. The 16-85 has the aperture ring you are requesting. Upgrading is your solution. Just a personal decision, but I would never get the kit lens with a Nikon.

toxdoc42

I don't need an aperture ring, I would like a focusing ring that is calibrated.

The kit lenses seem to be giving me good results so far.
I do a lot of photos of my grand kids and love the old 80 mm equivalent, so purchased a 50 mm prime lens which has been wonderful for portraits, and some other creative photos.

Why does everyone here seem to knock anything which is priced reasonably? It is amazing what has happened in photography, there is name brand and cost bias. I buy Kirkland wines and find they are often better than, and far less pricey that the big name brands. I am beginning to believe that this bias to buy bigger and "better" is really driving photography as it has cars, etc.

martinfisherphoto Loc: Lake Placid Florida

You Bought the lens and your complaining about it's Limitations... So in Photography we find ways to shot around the limitations of our equipment it's called Photography. If you just want to take snap shots break out your wallet and purchase a different lens...........

toxdoc42 wrote:

BBF is far easier to use for "routine" shooting. I don't like the shutter button thingee, I have shot series of shots without trying, and saving a focal point and then moving the camera takes more coordination than I have using the shutter button. To each his own. Why can't they simply mark the lens with distances to focus? Would it really be so difficult or expensive to do? Is the zoom interfering?

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

toxdoc42 wrote:

I bought Nikon D3400 kit. The I find my only complaint at this time is the lack of ability to set the 18-55 mm lens at infinity manually. On vacation it was often difficult to use the "autofocus" by rear button. My prime lens, a 50 mm 1.8 has a manual focus which is marked.

I own several $1500 Zeiss manual focus lenses that are the same. All I do is make sure the image is in focus, and that means at a distance (that should be infinity but is not) stop down three stops and shoot. My shots always come out, it I put the lens to the stopping point (at infinity mark) the shot will not be in focus looking through the viewfinder but the shot always comes out focused.
Try this, put you lens on auto focus, focus on something far away, press shutter, look at lens and see if it stops at infinity, my guess is NO.

toxdoc42

Not to belabor the point, but my lens has no distance markings. Yes, I do work around it, but there are instances that it would be very nice to have a "starting point." It is a shame to have to work around the short comings that are "built in" to our cameras and equipment. I some times wonder if it would have been simpler if I could have only purchased a sensor to click into my F2?

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

toxdoc42 wrote:

I don't need an aperture ring, I would like a focu... (show quote)

Sorry my bad. I meant to type focusing ring. The suggestion still applies.