For a lens with spherical aberration, the best approximation to use for the focal length is the distance at

which the difference between the paraxial and marginal rays is the smallest (circle of least confusion).
Spherical aberration is one of the reasons why a smaller aperture (larger f-number) on a camera lens will
give a sharper image and greater depth of field since the difference between the paraxial and marginal
rays is less.

The distance along the optical axis over which the image is focused is called the longitudinal spherical
aberration. If a screen is placed at the paraxial focus (the location at which the paraxial rays focus), the
image will be spread above and below the optical axis. The distance from the outer most ray to the
optical axis is called the transverse spherical aberration. A spherical aberration is considered positive if
the marginal rays focus closer to the lens than the paraxial rays (a convex lens) or negative if the
marginal rays focus further from the lens than the paraxial rays.

Choosing objectives with higher NAs results in better resolution and specimen detail but comes with
trade-offs of reduced free working distance, increased sensitivity to spherical aberration etc.

NA = n Sin (θ)

The maximum theoretical angular aperture possible is 90 degrees. There for the max NA possible is ‘n’.
therefore, for better NA immersion objectives are used at the expense of free working distance and
spherical aberration sensitivity (higher n). Practically the maximum possible angular aperture is 72
degrees and NA – 0.95.