how do i focus on infinity??

mickspawn said:

Hi guys,

On Nikon when you want to focus on infinity you aim somewhere on the horizon to set your lens focus on infinity...

With the sony lenses there are no infinity options on the lenses like Nikon.

If i put it on manual focus and turn the focus ring to infinity, can i be sure when i take a shot of the stars/horizon that it is going to focus properly without me doing anything before hand?

I am pretty sure when you set to infinity on the Sony it just focuses and you can take shots of the horizon, or of the stars for instance..

or am i missing something?

Click to expand...

RicksAstro said:

mickspawn said:

Hi guys,

On Nikon when you want to focus on infinity you aim somewhere on the horizon to set your lens focus on infinity...

With the sony lenses there are no infinity options on the lenses like Nikon.

If i put it on manual focus and turn the focus ring to infinity, can i be sure when i take a shot of the stars/horizon that it is going to focus properly without me doing anything before hand?

I am pretty sure when you set to infinity on the Sony it just focuses and you can take shots of the horizon, or of the stars for instance..

or am i missing something?

Click to expand...

Infinity mark on any lens by any manufacturer is just a general guideline. I would never rely on it for in-focus star or horizon. Temperature and the slightest mis-calibration throw it off.

Best method is liveview focus for Nikon (or AF on a bright star or moon...it works!) or AF or MF magnified focus on the Sony. Stars particularly will show even the tiniest misfocus. Particularly if you are setting up a series of shots or longer exposures, take the time to nail focus to get the best out of your images...you can't fix focus in post.

Click to expand...

BBQue said:

RicksAstro said:

mickspawn said:

Hi guys,

On Nikon when you want to focus on infinity you aim somewhere on the horizon to set your lens focus on infinity...

With the sony lenses there are no infinity options on the lenses like Nikon.

If i put it on manual focus and turn the focus ring to infinity, can i be sure when i take a shot of the stars/horizon that it is going to focus properly without me doing anything before hand?

I am pretty sure when you set to infinity on the Sony it just focuses and you can take shots of the horizon, or of the stars for instance..

or am i missing something?

Click to expand...

Infinity mark on any lens by any manufacturer is just a general guideline. I would never rely on it for in-focus star or horizon. Temperature and the slightest mis-calibration throw it off.

Best method is liveview focus for Nikon (or AF on a bright star or moon...it works!) or AF or MF magnified focus on the Sony. Stars particularly will show even the tiniest misfocus. Particularly if you are setting up a series of shots or longer exposures, take the time to nail focus to get the best out of your images...you can't fix focus in post.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

mickspawn said:

BBQue said:

RicksAstro said:

mickspawn said:

Hi guys,

On Nikon when you want to focus on infinity you aim somewhere on the horizon to set your lens focus on infinity...

With the sony lenses there are no infinity options on the lenses like Nikon.

If i put it on manual focus and turn the focus ring to infinity, can i be sure when i take a shot of the stars/horizon that it is going to focus properly without me doing anything before hand?

I am pretty sure when you set to infinity on the Sony it just focuses and you can take shots of the horizon, or of the stars for instance..

or am i missing something?

Click to expand...

Infinity mark on any lens by any manufacturer is just a general guideline. I would never rely on it for in-focus star or horizon. Temperature and the slightest mis-calibration throw it off.

Best method is liveview focus for Nikon (or AF on a bright star or moon...it works!) or AF or MF magnified focus on the Sony. Stars particularly will show even the tiniest misfocus. Particularly if you are setting up a series of shots or longer exposures, take the time to nail focus to get the best out of your images...you can't fix focus in post.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

mickspawn said:

BBQue said:

RicksAstro said:

mickspawn said:

Hi guys,

On Nikon when you want to focus on infinity you aim somewhere on the horizon to set your lens focus on infinity...

With the sony lenses there are no infinity options on the lenses like Nikon.

If i put it on manual focus and turn the focus ring to infinity, can i be sure when i take a shot of the stars/horizon that it is going to focus properly without me doing anything before hand?

I am pretty sure when you set to infinity on the Sony it just focuses and you can take shots of the horizon, or of the stars for instance..

or am i missing something?

Click to expand...

Infinity mark on any lens by any manufacturer is just a general guideline. I would never rely on it for in-focus star or horizon. Temperature and the slightest mis-calibration throw it off.

Best method is liveview focus for Nikon (or AF on a bright star or moon...it works!) or AF or MF magnified focus on the Sony. Stars particularly will show even the tiniest misfocus. Particularly if you are setting up a series of shots or longer exposures, take the time to nail focus to get the best out of your images...you can't fix focus in post.

--
Rick Krejci
http://www.ricksastro.com

Click to expand...

I don't see how AF will work, unless you always want the moon or the brightest star part of the image. MF is Th correct choice in my opinion. Sony's EVF and focus magnifier makes it easy.

Click to expand...

i was using the focus magnifier but it still wasnt working.. any more tips?

Click to expand...

mickspawn said:

should the lens be on infinity for stars?

Click to expand...

BBQue said:

I don't see how AF will work, unless you always want the moon or the brightest star part of the image.

Click to expand...

Kilrah said:

BBQue said:

I don't see how AF will work, unless you always want the moon or the brightest star part of the image.

Click to expand...

Why? All stars are at infinity, so you can AF on any bright star or the moon, lock focus and then compose your shot.

Click to expand...

mickspawn said:

Hi guys,

On Nikon when you want to focus on infinity you aim somewhere on the horizon to set your lens focus on infinity...

With the sony lenses there are no infinity options on the lenses like Nikon.

If i put it on manual focus and turn the focus ring to infinity, can i be sure when i take a shot of the stars/horizon that it is going to focus properly without me doing anything before hand?

I am pretty sure when you set to infinity on the Sony it just focuses and you can take shots of the horizon, or of the stars for instance..

or am i missing something?

Click to expand...

How far away is infinity? - the last word

This is a continuation of a report on new ways to look at depth of field. The series starts here: https://blog.kasson.com/?p=15128 On DPR, someone asked an excellent question: We frequently talk about focusing at infinity, or at some large distance, but it often seems, to me at least, that there...

blog.kasson.com

BBQue said:

RicksAstro said:

mickspawn said:

Hi guys,

On Nikon when you want to focus on infinity you aim somewhere on the horizon to set your lens focus on infinity...

With the sony lenses there are no infinity options on the lenses like Nikon.

If i put it on manual focus and turn the focus ring to infinity, can i be sure when i take a shot of the stars/horizon that it is going to focus properly without me doing anything before hand?

I am pretty sure when you set to infinity on the Sony it just focuses and you can take shots of the horizon, or of the stars for instance..

or am i missing something?

Click to expand...

Infinity mark on any lens by any manufacturer is just a general guideline. I would never rely on it for in-focus star or horizon. Temperature and the slightest mis-calibration throw it off.

Best method is liveview focus for Nikon (or AF on a bright star or moon...it works!) or AF or MF magnified focus on the Sony. Stars particularly will show even the tiniest misfocus. Particularly if you are setting up a series of shots or longer exposures, take the time to nail focus to get the best out of your images...you can't fix focus in post.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Vcize said:

Kilrah said:

BBQue said:

I don't see how AF will work, unless you always want the moon or the brightest star part of the image.

Click to expand...

Why? All stars are at infinity, so you can AF on any bright star or the moon, lock focus and then compose your shot.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

JimKasson said:

mickspawn said:

Hi guys,

On Nikon when you want to focus on infinity you aim somewhere on the horizon to set your lens focus on infinity...

With the sony lenses there are no infinity options on the lenses like Nikon.

If i put it on manual focus and turn the focus ring to infinity, can i be sure when i take a shot of the stars/horizon that it is going to focus properly without me doing anything before hand?

I am pretty sure when you set to infinity on the Sony it just focuses and you can take shots of the horizon, or of the stars for instance..

or am i missing something?

Click to expand...

If you can't focus on a heavenly body, you can focus on something else far away. How far? Take a look here, especially down near the bottom of the post:

http://blog.kasson.com/?p=15191

The distance the star substitute has to be is dependent on the focal length of the lens, and varies as the focal length squared. So your substitute can be a lot closer for a short lens than a long one.

Jim

Click to expand...

mickspawn said:

JimKasson said:

mickspawn said:

Hi guys,

On Nikon when you want to focus on infinity you aim somewhere on the horizon to set your lens focus on infinity...

With the sony lenses there are no infinity options on the lenses like Nikon.

If i put it on manual focus and turn the focus ring to infinity, can i be sure when i take a shot of the stars/horizon that it is going to focus properly without me doing anything before hand?

I am pretty sure when you set to infinity on the Sony it just focuses and you can take shots of the horizon, or of the stars for instance..

or am i missing something?

Click to expand...

If you can't focus on a heavenly body, you can focus on something else far away. How far? Take a look here, especially down near the bottom of the post:

http://blog.kasson.com/?p=15191

The distance the star substitute has to be is dependent on the focal length of the lens, and varies as the focal length squared. So your substitute can be a lot closer for a short lens than a long one.

Click to expand...

Hey Jim,

I simply pointed my camera up, spun the focus ring until the infinity symbol came up, then simply pressed the shutter. didnt even look closely at anything. is this wrong? :\ it was a little noisy and a tad out of focus.

Click to expand...

JimKasson said:

mickspawn said:

JimKasson said:

mickspawn said:

Hi guys,

On Nikon when you want to focus on infinity you aim somewhere on the horizon to set your lens focus on infinity...

With the sony lenses there are no infinity options on the lenses like Nikon.

If i put it on manual focus and turn the focus ring to infinity, can i be sure when i take a shot of the stars/horizon that it is going to focus properly without me doing anything before hand?

I am pretty sure when you set to infinity on the Sony it just focuses and you can take shots of the horizon, or of the stars for instance..

or am i missing something?

Click to expand...

If you can't focus on a heavenly body, you can focus on something else far away. How far? Take a look here, especially down near the bottom of the post:

http://blog.kasson.com/?p=15191

The distance the star substitute has to be is dependent on the focal length of the lens, and varies as the focal length squared. So your substitute can be a lot closer for a short lens than a long one.

Click to expand...

Hey Jim,

I simply pointed my camera up, spun the focus ring until the infinity symbol came up, then simply pressed the shutter. didnt even look closely at anything. is this wrong? :\ it was a little noisy and a tad out of focus.

Click to expand...

I think you answered your own question.

Jim

--
http://blog.kasson.com

Click to expand...

mickspawn said:

JimKasson said:

mickspawn said:

JimKasson said:

mickspawn said:

Hi guys,

On Nikon when you want to focus on infinity you aim somewhere on the horizon to set your lens focus on infinity...

With the sony lenses there are no infinity options on the lenses like Nikon.

If i put it on manual focus and turn the focus ring to infinity, can i be sure when i take a shot of the stars/horizon that it is going to focus properly without me doing anything before hand?

I am pretty sure when you set to infinity on the Sony it just focuses and you can take shots of the horizon, or of the stars for instance..

or am i missing something?

Click to expand...

If you can't focus on a heavenly body, you can focus on something else far away. How far? Take a look here, especially down near the bottom of the post:

http://blog.kasson.com/?p=15191

The distance the star substitute has to be is dependent on the focal length of the lens, and varies as the focal length squared. So your substitute can be a lot closer for a short lens than a long one.

Click to expand...

Hey Jim,

I simply pointed my camera up, spun the focus ring until the infinity symbol came up, then simply pressed the shutter. didnt even look closely at anything. is this wrong? :\ it was a little noisy and a tad out of focus.

Click to expand...

I think you answered your own question.

Jim

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

BBQue said:

mickspawn said:

JimKasson said:

mickspawn said:

JimKasson said:

mickspawn said:

Hi guys,

On Nikon when you want to focus on infinity you aim somewhere on the horizon to set your lens focus on infinity...

With the sony lenses there are no infinity options on the lenses like Nikon.

If i put it on manual focus and turn the focus ring to infinity, can i be sure when i take a shot of the stars/horizon that it is going to focus properly without me doing anything before hand?

I am pretty sure when you set to infinity on the Sony it just focuses and you can take shots of the horizon, or of the stars for instance..

or am i missing something?

Click to expand...

If you can't focus on a heavenly body, you can focus on something else far away. How far? Take a look here, especially down near the bottom of the post:

http://blog.kasson.com/?p=15191

The distance the star substitute has to be is dependent on the focal length of the lens, and varies as the focal length squared. So your substitute can be a lot closer for a short lens than a long one.

Click to expand...

Hey Jim,

I simply pointed my camera up, spun the focus ring until the infinity symbol came up, then simply pressed the shutter. didnt even look closely at anything. is this wrong? :\ it was a little noisy and a tad out of focus.

Click to expand...

I think you answered your own question.

Jim

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

mickspawn said:

JimKasson said:

mickspawn said:

JimKasson said:

mickspawn said:

Hi guys,

On Nikon when you want to focus on infinity you aim somewhere on the horizon to set your lens focus on infinity...

With the sony lenses there are no infinity options on the lenses like Nikon.

If i put it on manual focus and turn the focus ring to infinity, can i be sure when i take a shot of the stars/horizon that it is going to focus properly without me doing anything before hand?

I am pretty sure when you set to infinity on the Sony it just focuses and you can take shots of the horizon, or of the stars for instance..

or am i missing something?

Click to expand...

If you can't focus on a heavenly body, you can focus on something else far away. How far? Take a look here, especially down near the bottom of the post:

http://blog.kasson.com/?p=15191

The distance the star substitute has to be is dependent on the focal length of the lens, and varies as the focal length squared. So your substitute can be a lot closer for a short lens than a long one.

Click to expand...

Hey Jim,

I simply pointed my camera up, spun the focus ring until the infinity symbol came up, then simply pressed the shutter. didnt even look closely at anything. is this wrong? :\ it was a little noisy and a tad out of focus.

Click to expand...

I think you answered your own question.

Click to expand...

but did i do it right or did i do it wrong?

Click to expand...

mickspawn said:

lol im guessing i completely did it wrong if my picture was how it was... see when you spin the focus ring to infinity its on infinity and how can you focus more than that? i dont get it.. a friend of mine with a Nikon DSLR had to actually focus at something nearby for his lens to display the infinity symbol, where as on Sony you just spin the focus ring to infinity.. im totally confused.

Click to expand...

BBQue said:

RicksAstro said:

mickspawn said:

Hi guys,

On Nikon when you want to focus on infinity you aim somewhere on the horizon to set your lens focus on infinity...

With the sony lenses there are no infinity options on the lenses like Nikon.

If i put it on manual focus and turn the focus ring to infinity, can i be sure when i take a shot of the stars/horizon that it is going to focus properly without me doing anything before hand?

I am pretty sure when you set to infinity on the Sony it just focuses and you can take shots of the horizon, or of the stars for instance..

or am i missing something?

Click to expand...

Infinity mark on any lens by any manufacturer is just a general guideline. I would never rely on it for in-focus star or horizon. Temperature and the slightest mis-calibration throw it off.

Best method is liveview focus for Nikon (or AF on a bright star or moon...it works!) or AF or MF magnified focus on the Sony. Stars particularly will show even the tiniest misfocus. Particularly if you are setting up a series of shots or longer exposures, take the time to nail focus to get the best out of your images...you can't fix focus in post.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

mickspawn said:

BBQue said:

mickspawn said:

JimKasson said:

mickspawn said:

JimKasson said:

mickspawn said:

Hi guys,

On Nikon when you want to focus on infinity you aim somewhere on the horizon to set your lens focus on infinity...

With the sony lenses there are no infinity options on the lenses like Nikon.

If i put it on manual focus and turn the focus ring to infinity, can i be sure when i take a shot of the stars/horizon that it is going to focus properly without me doing anything before hand?

I am pretty sure when you set to infinity on the Sony it just focuses and you can take shots of the horizon, or of the stars for instance..

or am i missing something?

Click to expand...

If you can't focus on a heavenly body, you can focus on something else far away. How far? Take a look here, especially down near the bottom of the post:

http://blog.kasson.com/?p=15191

The distance the star substitute has to be is dependent on the focal length of the lens, and varies as the focal length squared. So your substitute can be a lot closer for a short lens than a long one.

Click to expand...

Hey Jim,

I simply pointed my camera up, spun the focus ring until the infinity symbol came up, then simply pressed the shutter. didnt even look closely at anything. is this wrong? :\ it was a little noisy and a tad out of focus.

Click to expand...

I think you answered your own question.

Jim

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...