As discussed earlier, most digital cameras with noninterchangeable lenses are either fixed focus or autofocus. A fixed-focus lens is not adjustable. The camera with a fixed-focus lens captures sharp images of any subject within a certain distance from the lens. Objects outside that range will appear blurry.

Sometimes an autofocus camera will also offer focus lock. Using the focus lock, the photographer can center the subject in the frame, lock the focus, then reframe and take the shot. When taking a shot of a scene with many elements, this can be a useful feature because it allows you to specify which object you want to be in focus.

You can focus manually with more expensive digital cameras. In this case, autofocus is turned off. Some of these cameras only allow you to focus at certain preset distances, while others let you focus through the entire range. Manual focus is critical for photographers who take night photographs, as autofocus systems are notoriously error-prone in low light.