auto focus/zoom

cwgrizz

Senior Member
Challenge Team
thank you, what is that button for.
Not sure which button you are talking about, but if it is the one that is sort of between the 24 & 18, it is the locking button that releases the "zoom" ring so it can be turned from the locked/storage position. Zoom can be locked completely retracted using this button.

BUDDHA BLESS YOU, I must be DUMMY ;) who has 1 or 2 but not before this post started, the small focus ring point would have messed me up with the (af -m) thing. I guess it wasn't such a simple question after all. Unless your dealing with people that have been doing this in there sleep,. THANKS FOR GOING THE EXTRA MILE FOR ME.

I hope we are getting this sorted. Ha!
 

lucien

Senior Member
yes, my lens doesn't have that button on it. I'm not going to drag this on with my stupidity. Tomorrow is another day. I like that Ha ! thing it kinda finalizes things. In the beginning I was mixing things up, but at the end of the day. If I want to zoom with this lens, I'm going manual. Because how would most of my images come out. Modern tech isn't all it's cracked up be. Be good.

and thx,

modern slang is good though

ps my brain hurts, but that's what drinks are for ;)
 

Elliot87

Senior Member
yes, my lens doesn't have that button on it. I'm not going to drag this on with my stupidity. Tomorrow is another day. I like that Ha ! thing it kinda finalizes things. In the beginning I was mixing things up, but at the end of the day. If I want to zoom with this lens, I'm going manual. Because how would most of my images come out. Modern tech isn't all it's cracked up be. Be good.

and thx,

modern slang is good though

ps my brain hurts, but that's what drinks are for ;)

Zooming is always manual and has nothing to do with focusing. Zoom manually to compose your shot. If your are in AF mode half press the shutter to re-focus and take the shot. If you are in manual "M" on the lens, turn the focus ring until the shot is in focus and take the picture.

Different lens but same basic layout.
P9hz08u.png
 

lucien

Senior Member
that takes me back to mi initial question thanks lets close this. I think I've worked it out now. I would call it a 2 fer one. disregard
 
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lucien

Senior Member
that takes me back to mi initial question thanks lets close this. I think I've worked it out now. I would call it a 2 fer no disregard
 

lucien

Senior Member
some are saying you can f.. the lens and some are saying I can't. I'm going manual. All opinons noted and I'm going manual
 

Elliot87

Senior Member
No one has said you can damage your lens by zooming, not one person has said that. If you put the lens in auto focus, the camera does the focusing automatically, you do the zooming manually. If you put the camera in manual focusing, you do the focusing and the zooming manually.

You will only damage the lens by trying to focus manually when it is in autofocus because you are forcing mechanics to turn that shouldn't be forced. I hope this finally clears things up.
 

WayneF

Senior Member
No one has said you can damage your lens by zooming, not one person has said that. If you put the lens in auto focus, the camera does the focusing automatically, you do the zooming manually. If you put the camera in manual focusing, you do the focusing and the zooming manually.

You will only damage the lens by trying to focus manually when it is in autofocus because you are forcing mechanics to turn that shouldn't be forced. I hope this finally clears things up.

Lucien asked for confirmation via private mail, and I will respond here. FWIW, I fully agree with Elliot on all of this, but there is one feature he did not mention. It is correct to say Zoom is entirely different from focus, and zoom is always manual, and is not related to Auto Focus. We can zoom anytime at will, no issue. And it is correct to say to set the lens for Manual focus before doing focusing manually, however modern AF-S lenses have a different feature. The AF-S lens is NOT to be confused with the cameras AF-S setting however, they are very different things. If the lens is marked AF-S, it is an AF-S lens.

One of the AF-S lens features is that attempting manual focus will automatically release their gears, and so AF-S lenses do allow manual focus in AF mode. The lens switch is marked M/A and M. The M/A means it will manually focus in AF mode, it offers M or A. You have to hold shutter half press to do it, else the next shutter button will refocus it again automatically, but if you keep holding half press, you can tweak AF focus manually. Only on AF-S lenses.

The M position on AF-S lenses just means the camera will never attempt auto focus, but it is not required, in this one AF-S case. Non AF-S lenses, it is required.

Lucien, I've never seen anyone ask, but never accept even repeated answers? :)
 

Elliot87

Senior Member
Lucien asked for confirmation via private mail, and I will respond here. FWIW, I fully agree with Elliot on all of this, but there is one feature he did not mention. It is correct to say Zoom is entirely different from focus, and zoom is always manual, and is not related to Auto Focus. We can zoom anytime at will, no issue. And it is correct to say to set the lens for Manual focus before doing focusing manually, however modern AF-S lenses have a different feature. The AF-S lens is NOT to be confused with the cameras AF-S setting however, they are very different things. If the lens is marked AF-S, it is an AF-S lens.

One of the AF-S lens features is that attempting manual focus will automatically release their gears, and so AF-S lenses do allow manual focus in AF mode. The lens switch is marked M/A and M. The M/A means it will manually focus in AF mode, it offers M or A. You have to hold shutter half press to do it, else the next shutter button will refocus it again automatically, but if you keep holding half press, you can tweak AF focus manually. Only on AF-S lenses.

The M position on AF-S lenses just means the camera will never attempt auto focus, but it is not required, in this one AF-S case. Non AF-S lenses, it is required.

Lucien, I've never seen anyone ask, but never accept even repeated answers? :)

True my 70-300 has M/A but I wanted to keep things as basic as possible.
 

lucien

Senior Member
All wrong, Waynef is correct. All it took was a phone call. And settled within 2 minutes. the current 18-55mm afs vr. You can zoom but do not try to manually fucus the lens you may break the mechanism in the lens. So in essence all I asked is" can I Zoom, with the Af, on and try to focus. WayneF said zoom and leave the autof to the lens. That is where the thread should have finished. I don't want to make every query into a 3 pager. Everyone turns out to be an expert. I'm not going to do this anymore. In the future all it takes is a phone call

thanks though
 

WayneF

Senior Member
Or, you could just read the Nikon manuals. :)

I do think the 18-55 DX lens is special, a $95 lens without this capability. I don't have one, and did not realize it does not have the A/M - M switch position... just A or M.

But most (if not all?) of the other AF-S lenses have the M/A switch position, and certainly can override AF manually. This is from the manual for the AF-S 105mm VR macro lens (and it is typical of most)

afs.jpg




The DX lenses I have are the 12-24, 16-85, and 18-70. They all have the M/A switch.
I had a 18-200 DX once, and it had M/A.
And all five of my AF-S FX lenses have it.

Lenses that are not AF-S cannot do this.
 
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lucien

Senior Member
The situation has been setttled. First of all whomever wrote I should have read the manual. I didn't get one with this lens. WayneF was right in the first place back on page 2 I think. I called the local camera store yesterday and the guy explained it. You can zoom the lens out. But you shouldn't try to focus the lens you may break something inside. Case closed. My other backup would have been to call Nikon Canada and ask them. Thanks for your efforts
 

Daz

Senior Member
The situation has been setttled. First of all whomever wrote I should have read the manual. I didn't get one with this lens. WayneF was right in the first place back on page 2 I think. I called the local camera store yesterday and the guy explained it. You can zoom the lens out. But you shouldn't try to focus the lens you may break something inside. Case closed. My other backup would have been to call Nikon Canada and ask them. Thanks for your efforts


In the case of your lens being an M (Manual) or an A (Automatic Focus) you are correct that you can do some damage whilst its in A mode

Maybe this would have been a clearer thread is a Photo of the lens was provided at the start ... :)
 
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