AF or AF-S...

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officialsimon

New member
Hello, I'm new to this site and forum, just discovered it. I have a D70 with two AF-S kit lenses (18-55 zoom and 55-200 zoom), but I have just bought a lens off eBay, a AF 70-300 zoom and it cost me £56 (is that cheap?). In my ignorance I didn't know that there is a difference between AF and AF-S but now I understand that it's that AF-S lenses have an inbuilt motor and AF lenses don't?

Having fitted the AF lense to my D70 I find that it appears to autofocus etc, which is what you would expect a lense called AF to do(!), but that being the case, what is the difference between the lenses and what will and won't the AF lens do?

Can somebody help a keen amateur out and educate me on this. Thanks.


Simon C.
 
Horoscope Fish

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
The D70 and D70s both *have* an internal focus motor.

"AF" lenses do not have internal AF motors, while AF-S do have internal AF motors.

....
 
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fotojack

Senior Member
officialsimon said:
I have just bought a lens off eBay, a AF 70-300 zoom and it cost me £56 (is that cheap?).
Click to expand...

If you do a Google on the exchange rate to American or Canadian dollars, you'll find that that yes, indeed, it is a very good price for that lens, assuming, of course, that it is in pristine condition.
 
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WayneF

Senior Member
officialsimon said:
Hello, I'm new to this site and forum, just discovered it. I have a D70 with two AF-S kit lenses (18-55 zoom and 55-200 zoom), but I have just bought a lens off eBay, a AF 70-300 zoom and it cost me £56 (is that cheap?). In my ignorance I didn't know that there is a difference between AF and AF-S but now I understand that it's that AF-S lenses have an inbuilt motor and AF lenses don't?

Having fitted the AF lense to my D70 I find that it appears to autofocus etc, which is what you would expect a lense called AF to do(!), but that being the case, what is the difference between the lenses and what will and won't the AF lens do?

Can somebody help a keen amateur out and educate me on this. Thanks.


Simon C.
Click to expand...


There are two factors.

The AF-S lenses have a focus motor in them, but the AF lenses do not, and depend on the camera body to provide a motor.

Today, the more top-end camera bodies (D7100 and up) still provide the motor for AF lenses. The lower end bodies (D3100, D5100 today) do not.

So, the meaning is, AF lenses may not auto focus on many bodies today, those that don't provide the old motor.
 
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SteveH

Senior Member
Your question has been answered, so I will simply say Hello and welcome to the forum! I'm just up the road from you, in York.
 
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aroy

Senior Member
It may be too late, but the 70-300 AF is pretty soft after 200mm, and a new one costs about $150 in India. If you are buying it for 200+mm shots, avoid it.
 
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