On Thu, 9 Jan 2003 14:00:04 +1100, "Reggit" <.> wrote:

>.. something i don't exactly understand. does it mean that i can set my lens

>on infinity and have front-to-back sharpness every time?

Others have explained what it means to set the lens

at the hyperfocal distance, and to set a range of DOF

with equal resolution at the DOF "edges", but photos

set up using these rules or DOF tables often look

softer on the far side of focus than on the near,

given the changes in subject scale with distance that

make "fudges" in focus toward the far side desireable.

It is also desireable to use smaller stops than DOF

tables tend to indicate to get really sharp-looking

images over the desired distance range. With all this,

loss of resolution due to diffraction at small stops

can also become important. To me, an "almost sharp

everywhere" photo generally looks "gooey", and less

attractive than one that does not have the appearance

of universal focus (but does have good handling of out

of focus areas - all areas of the photograph need to

be graphically considered, and everything in front of

the camera included in the frame is "subject"...).