How to focus at night when autofocus fails

In darkness, autofocus hunts or fails completely. A soft night photo is often a focus problem, not a camera problem.

Magnified live view

Switch to manual focus, point at a bright star, distant light or the moon, magnify the view 10x or more and turn the focus ring until the point is as small and sharp as possible.

Focus peaking

Peaking highlights sharp edges with color. It helps with lit buildings but less with stars.

Use a flashlight

Shine a flashlight on a foreground subject, autofocus on it, then switch to manual so the focus does not change.

Do not trust the infinity mark

Many lenses focus slightly past infinity. Always check with magnification.

Lock it in

Once focused, tape the focus ring with gaffer tape so it does not move during the night.

Focus stacking at night

For a sharp foreground and stars, take one image focused on the foreground and one on the stars, then blend them.