lens compatibility

[junhua90]

i would like to learn how to see which lens is compatible with which body and such...

what are the things i have to look out of to check whether it's compatibility?

i am using a D60 now and i have read up in google for info i scare i understand it wrongly so i wan to double comfirm here... what i read if i nvr misunderstand...

my camera can support AF and MF lens.

AF can only use AF-S lens.
MF can use any MF lens and AF is not working (obviously) and some MF lens does not have light metering.

pls correct me if im wrong and tell me more if i missed out anything... thanks...

 

[zac08]

yes, to support AF on your camera body which does not have a focusing motor, you'd need to use AF-S lenses which has a focusing motor inside the lens itself. This also includes some of the 3rd party manufacturers such as Tamron.

With the older AI lenses, the metering may not be supported and as such, you can either go with guessing or by checking via the histogram.

 

[junhua90]

yes, to support AF on your camera body which does not have a focusing motor, you'd need to use AF-S lenses which has a focusing motor inside the lens itself. This also includes some of the 3rd party manufacturers such as Tamron.

With the older AI lenses, the metering may not be supported and as such, you can either go with guessing or by checking via the histogram.

so the infomation i have "absorbed" so far was correct?

so my D60 body only support AF-S lens and any MF lens?

there are third party AF-S lens from Tamron? is there AF-S lens from canon? if yes, can it be fitted onto my D60 body? from what i have seen, the metal thing attachment in canon and nikon is on the different position. nikon is at the top and canon is at the bottom. what are the metal thing for? for conduction of current to the AF motor in AF-S camera?

sorry ah.. i very noob in photograhpy still.. still more to learn.

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

You are sort of correct.

There are 2 functions in particular you should be concerned with when pairing lenses with your D60.
They are metering and auto-focus.

1) Metering means the lens has a built-in CPU, and can transmit certain information to the camera body. This means that:
a) you can use P, A, S modes + all the auto scene modes. The camera can judge the exposure value and set itself up accordingly.
b) in M mode, you get the 'rangefinder' display to show if the photo is gonna be over- or under-exposed based on your settings.
Anyway in general, metering should not concern you too much now, as pretty much all the newer lenses have such a feature. Only if you buy or inherit an old lens should you check it out first.

2) Auto-focus
The common Nikkor lenses nowadays are denoted as AF-S or AF. There are a number of others, but for simplicity sake I just mention these 2.
a) if a lens is denoted AF-S, it has a built-in auto-focus motor. Auto-focus will work with your D60.
b) if a lens is denoted AF, it has no built-in auto-focus motor. Auto-focus will not work with your D60.
Basically if a Nikkor lens is not denoted AF-S, it will not auto-focus on your D60.
btw only Nikon uses the term AF-S. Tamron calls it something else.

You wouldn't be able to mount a Canon lens onto a Nikon body.
Tamron (and other 3rd party lens makers) manufacture their lenses to suit various bodies. But the mounts are not interchangeable. If it's made for Nikon, it can't be used for Canon, Sony, etc.

Hope that answers your questions, sort of...

 

[junhua90]

You are sort of correct.

There are 2 functions in particular you should be concerned with when pairing lenses with your D60.
They are metering and auto-focus.

1) Metering means the lens has a built-in CPU, and can transmit certain information to the camera body. This means that:
a) you can use P, A, S modes + all the auto scene modes. The camera can judge the exposure value and set itself up accordingly.
b) in M mode, you get the 'rangefinder' display to show if the photo is gonna be over- or under-exposed based on your settings.
Anyway in general, metering should not concern you too much now, as pretty much all the newer lenses have such a feature. Only if you buy or inherit an old lens should you check it out first.

2) Auto-focus
The common Nikkor lenses nowadays are denoted as AF-S or AF. There are a number of others, but for simplicity sake I just mention these 2.
a) if a lens is denoted AF-S, it has a built-in auto-focus motor. Auto-focus will work with your D60.
b) if a lens is denoted AF, it has no built-in auto-focus motor. Auto-focus will not work with your D60.
Basically if a Nikkor lens is not denoted AF-S, it will not auto-focus on your D60.
btw only Nikon uses the term AF-S. Tamron calls it something else.

You wouldn't be able to mount a Canon lens onto a Nikon body.
Tamron (and other 3rd party lens makers) manufacture their lenses to suit various bodies. But the mounts are not interchangeable. If it's made for Nikon, it can't be used for Canon, Sony, etc.

Hope that answers your questions, sort of...

WOW.... thanks... this really clears my confusion... haha i just need to see AF-S can use le ah?

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

yeah if you use AF-S lenses (or the equivalent from tamron, sigma, tokina, etc), you get the auto-focus ability.
manual focus is still do-able, depending on what you're trying to capture. For example, if you're photographing still life, or landscape, it should not be a problem.
Generally you would expect an AF-S lens to cost more because of its AF motor. There aren't too many direct competitors out there for you to compare prices though, except maybe the AF 50mm f/1.4 and the AF-S 50mm f/1.4. That's the only one I can think of.

 

[junhua90]

oh.. btw.. what is the difference between AF and AF-*? and link i can look up for?

 

[gymak90]

oh.. btw.. what is the difference between AF and AF-*? and link i can look up for?

For nikon lenses, there are only AF, AF-S and AF-I.

AF-S and AF-I basically mean the same thing, but AF-S is newer than AF-I. AF-I is discontinued. They both have autofocus motors in built into the lens.

 

[junhua90]

For nikon lenses, there are only AF, AF-S and AF-I.

AF-S and AF-I basically mean the same thing, but AF-S is newer than AF-I. AF-I is discontinued. They both have autofocus motors in built into the lens.

thank you thank you!!!

btw what is DX? i saw the word DX printed on my nikkor lens...

now im clear about it's compatibility with lens... what else do i need to look out for? like... the does all nikon lens fits on all nikon bodies?

is there like size? because i realised my friend the lens is 56mm where my lens is 52mm... i only know that size is used for buying accessories like filters.. but is there any other meaning to it?

and i also saw at the bottom of my 2 lens.

the kit lens AF-S NIKKOR 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6G wrote "DX SWM VR Aspherical [infinite] - 0.28m/0.92ft" what does that means? and what the meaning of aspherical means in lens?

and the other AF-S NIKKOR 55-200mm 1:4-5.6G ED wrote "DX SWM VR ED IF [infinite] - 1.1m/3.61ft" what does this means too? why does this lens has and ED on it and the one mentioned above do not.

how do you tell which are kit lens and which are not? cus i heard that kit lense are not as good as other lens.

sorry ah.. i have so mnuch to learn and so much to ask..

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

oh.. btw.. what is the difference between AF and AF-*? and link i can look up for?

AF means the lens can be auto-focused, but it has no motor built-in. There is a slot on the lens mount, like a screwdriver slot, for the camera's AF motor to connect to it and control the focus.
Your D60 body doesn't have this AF motor, so an AF lens cannot auto-focus on your D60. AF-S (and the now discontinued AF-I) lenses can auto-focus on your camera.

thank you thank you!!!

btw what is DX? i saw the word DX printed on my nikkor lens...

now im clear about it's compatibility with lens... what else do i need to look out for? like... the does all nikon lens fits on all nikon bodies?

is there like size? because i realised my friend the lens is 56mm where my lens is 52mm... i only know that size is used for buying accessories like filters.. but is there any other meaning to it?

and i also saw at the bottom of my 2 lens.

the kit lens AF-S NIKKOR 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6G wrote "DX SWM VR Aspherical [infinite] - 0.28m/0.92ft" what does that means? and what the meaning of aspherical means in lens?

and the other AF-S NIKKOR 55-200mm 1:4-5.6G ED wrote "DX SWM VR ED IF [infinite] - 1.1m/3.61ft" what does this means too? why does this lens has and ED on it and the one mentioned above do not.

how do you tell which are kit lens and which are not? cus i heard that kit lense are not as good as other lens.

sorry ah.. i have so mnuch to learn and so much to ask..

DX means the lens is for a 'DX-format' camera, i.e. D40/60/70/80/90/200/300, etc
If the lens doesn't state 'DX', then it's for both DX and FX cameras.

many many Nikon lenses will fit onto your D60 camera body. As long as it is a Nikon F-mount, you're good to go.

56mm and 52mm refer to the thread diameter at the front, for fixing on filters.

DX- lens for DX camera
SWM - lens has "silent-wave motor" for auto-focus
VR - lens has built-in vibration reduction feature
Aspherical - (complicated) refers to the type of internal lens elements
infinity - 0.28m - lens can focus on an object VERY FAR away (infinity) up to 0.28m from the camera
ED - lens contains extra-low dispersion glass elements

the rest of the terms, check it up yourself.
Me in good mood, so I SPOONFEED you. Actually this info is available on clubsnap, if you bother to search.

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

kit lens comes in a kit la... wah lau eh.
Just like "spare tyre" is what the name implies.....SPARE tyre. duh...

 

[Octarine]

sorry ah.. i have so mnuch to learn and so much to ask..

How about checking the Nikon website? I just had a brief look there for a lens and I have found plenty of information there, including all the details you asked about lenses and the terms used and printed on the lens. In the time you type your posting here you could have solved at least 50% of your questions. You camera manual should also state very clearly which lenses are compatible and which limitations there might be.

 

[junhua90]

How about checking the Nikon website? I just had a brief look there for a lens and I have found plenty of information there, including all the details you asked about lenses and the terms used and printed on the lens. In the time you type your posting here you could have solved at least 50% of your questions. You camera manual should also state very clearly which lenses are compatible and which limitations there might be.

alright.... i should read up manual some day... i dun like to read books so i briefly read it through once only. haiz... sorry la guys...

love you all la :lovegrin: