Built-in autofocus motor Vs Auto focus lens

I own a D5200. As everyone may know it does not have an Autofocus motor built in.

My question is, whats the difference between trying to use "D5200 with a very good autofocus lens" Vs. "Camera with autofocus built in (lets say D7100 or D600) used with a non-AF lens" ?

also whats the difference between trying to use "D5200 with a very good autofocus lens" Vs. "Camera with autofocus built in (lets say D7100 or D600) used with a very good autofocus lens" ?

Your question is not that clear to me. I'll try to rephrase it before answering.

There are manual focus lenses: AI, AIS and auto focus lenses: AF, AF-D and AF-S.
Manual focus lenses will work with almost all cameras but you will have to use the focus ring to attain focus.

AF and AF-D lenses will auto-focus with cameras that have a built-in focus motor: D70, 90, 7000, 7100, 600, 700, 800 and maybe more that I'm not aware of. These cameras will be able to auto-focus with AF and AF-D lenses.

Other cameras: D3000,3100,3200,5000,5100,5200 don't have a built-in focusing motor. So you can use AF and AF-D lenses with them BUT you will have to manually focus.

Only AF-S lenses have their own focusing motor built-in the lens and will auto-focus with the cameras that don't have a focusing motor.

​Hope this helps.

Marcel said:

AF and AF-D lenses will auto-focus with cameras that have a built-in focus motor: D70, 90, 7000, 7100, 600, 700, 800 and maybe more that I'm not aware of. These cameras will be able to auto-focus with AF and AF-D lenses.



Only AF-S lenses have their own focusing motor built-in the lens and will auto-focus with the cameras that don't have a focusing motor.

​Hope this helps.

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I'm fairly new to photography but can't I use an AF-S lens on my D90 and have it work?

WileyCoyote said:

I'm fairly new to photography but can't I use an AF-S lens on my D90 and have it work?

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Oh, I forgot to add this. Yes, AF-S lenses will work on all Nikon's DSLRs.

To look at this another way, as long as your camera is auto focusing, you won't experience any difference if the motor in in the lens or the body. With an af-s lens, the lens motor will always do the focusing on either type body. Your experience in general will be differnt because the cameras have a different user interface. A person would probably choose a d7100 over a d5200 more for the different feature sets and user experience rather than just because it has a motor. But the built in motor is certainly a consideration if you already have AF or AF-D lenses or would like to get some.

nickt said:

... as long as your camera is auto focusing, you won't experience any difference if the motor in in the lens or the body.

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That's pretty much your answer, I think. The real advantage to having the AF motor in the camera is that you're not dependent on the AF motor being in the lens. This gives you significantly more latitude in what lenses you can AF with, generally speaking.

Thank you all for the answers.

Marcel : I'm asking the difference (what advantage) between using

1. D5200 using AFS lens Vs. D600 using non-AFS lens
2. D5200 using AFS lens Vs. D600 using AFS lens

Bottom line is that I'm trying see the logic of investing in a camera with a AF motor ?

SJD said:

Thank you all for the answers.

Marcel : I'm asking the difference (what advantage) between using

1. D5200 using AFS lens Vs. D600 using non-AFS lens
2. D5200 using AFS lens Vs. D600 using AFS lens

Bottom line is that I'm trying see the logic of investing in a camera with a AF motor ?

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I don't know if I would make the investment just for the AF motor. It was definitely a consideration though when I was deciding between the D5100 and the D7000. In fact, if all you want is the motor, consider the D7000. It's come down a lot in price and you wouldn't have to worry about buying FX glass.

As far as having the motor, it really just gives a wider range of lenses that will autofocus. The motor in the camera is a little noisier than the motor in an AF-S lens, but that's about it. Focus speed can vary, depending on how the gearing is in the lens.

If you're crunching cost numbers and are looking to get more lenses, I have the Tokina 11-16 without the built in motor ($130USD cheaper than the one with), and the 50mm 1.8D is about $80 USD cheaper than the 50mm 1.8G (though I think there are some optical differences with the two). So with those two lenses, you'd be able to save over $200 USD and still have the ability to autofocus. It depends on how much you think you'll use or want to buy older lenses.

SJD said:

Thank you all for the answers.

Marcel : I'm asking the difference (what advantage) between using

1. D5200 using AFS lens Vs. D600 using non-AFS lens
2. D5200 using AFS lens Vs. D600 using AFS lens

Bottom line is that I'm trying see the logic of investing in a camera with a AF motor ?

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The only benefit is for either someone who had older AF lenses and wanted to keep using them with auto-focus or for someone looking for bargain lenses on the used market. There are a lot of pre-owned AF lenses that you can buy for a fraction of the price of new AF-S lenses.

So that covers the difference between AF and Af-S lenses, but you know there are many other differences between a D600 and a D5200. High iso performance being one of the most important one, plus the handling. D90, 7000, 7100, 700, 600 and 800 are more "button oriented" for normal setting change where the 5200 is more menu driven. This means that once you've learned where the buttons are, you can change settings without taking your eyes away from the viewfinder. That's what "prosumer" bodies are for.

Thanks again.

on the other hand if you are comfortable with manual focus, my question would not be valid anyway right ?

(Yes i do understand that higher end camera's have many more options that lower-end cameras does not have)

Right off the side of the lens it's the Tokina SD 11-16 F2.8 (IF) DX. I don't have the box anymore, so I'm not sure of the model number. Here's the link to Amazon: Amazon.com: Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 Pro DX Digital Lens - Nikon: TOKINA: Camera & Photo

The newer one with the motor is the Tokina SD 11-16 F2.8 (IF) DX II.

SJD said:

Thanks again.

on the other hand if you are comfortable with manual focus, my question would not be valid anyway right ?

(Yes i do understand that higher end camera's have many more options that lower-end cameras does not have)

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Being comfortable with it and wanting to use it at all times are two different things. I own some manual focus lenses and use them on occasion for the right subjects but I wouldn't want all manual all the time. Also, if I'm buying an AF lens I'd want one that would actually AF on my camera or I might as well look into a manual lens which could be better and/or cheaper. If you are buying a lens without a motor with the thought of upgrading bodies some day, I suppose that's not a terrible idea. You could save money but you may not be getting the latest technology (faster AF, VR etc.) for that newer body.

jwstl said:

Being comfortable with it and wanting to use it at all times are two different things. I own some manual focus lenses and use them on occasion for the right subjects but I wouldn't want all manual all the time. Also, if I'm buying an AF lens I'd want one that would actually AF on my camera or I might as well look into a manual lens which could be better and/or cheaper. If you are buying a lens without a motor with the thought of upgrading bodies some day, I suppose that's not a terrible idea. You could save money but you may not be getting the latest technology (faster AF, VR etc.) for that newer body.

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​Plus, auto-focus lenses do not all manually focus very well. There is less movement of the ring for more focusing change. The old manual lenses are much more easy to manually focus than the AF ones.