Auto Focus on Zoom Lens: I hope this isn't a stupid question, but how important is it to have auto focus on a 100-300mm or higher zoom lens? I have a Nikon that takes AF-S lenses...

Moose Loc: North Carolina

I hope this isn't a stupid question, but how important is it to have auto focus on a 100-300mm or higher zoom lens? I have a Nikon that takes AF-S lenses (focus motor in the lens) and found a Nikon zoom lens that requires the focusing motor to be in the camera. I can use the lens on my camera, but it requires manual focusing. Its a pretty good price, but don't want to waste my money if I'll be disappointed that I didn't shop around for an AF-S lens.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Moose wrote:

I hope this isn't a stupid question, but how important is it to have auto focus on a 100-300mm or higher zoom lens? I have a Nikon that takes AF-S lenses (focus motor in the lens) and found a Nikon zoom lens that requires the focusing motor to be in the camera. I can use the lens on my camera, but it requires manual focusing. Its a pretty good price, but don't want to waste my money if I'll be disappointed that I didn't shop around for an AF-S lens.

Moose, that you need AF depends entirely on YOUR uses of the lens. For some kinds of shooting, like landscape, one could easily get away w/o AF, especially if your camera has Live Vuew and you're used to using it.
Personally, every lens I buy needs to be extremely versatile and would be used for a huge variety of different styles of photography. I would never buy a Manual Focus(MF) lens. If I needed MF, I can always turn the AF off, but I can't turn it on if a lens doesn't have it.
It's a personal choice, but I want to be able to do either AF or MF with the same lens and not be limited to one or the other with any lens. Good luck ;-)
SS

Marionsho Loc: Kansas

SharpShooter wrote:

Moose, that you need AF depends entirely on YOUR u... (show quote)

:thumbup: :thumbup:

Moose Loc: North Carolina

Thanks Sharpshooter for your comments. I do shoot mostly landscape with the zoom which would as you say not require the AF. However, I'm sure there would be occasions when I would need it and then be sorry I didn't have it.

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

Moose wrote:

I hope this isn't a stupid question, but how important is it to have auto focus on a 100-300mm or higher zoom lens? I have a Nikon that takes AF-S lenses (focus motor in the lens) and found a Nikon zoom lens that requires the focusing motor to be in the camera. I can use the lens on my camera, but it requires manual focusing. Its a pretty good price, but don't want to waste my money if I'll be disappointed that I didn't shop around for an AF-S lens.

Lenses that are designed for Auto Focus are not at all easy to manually focus. The focus ring is usually narrow, but the big problem the how much the ring turns to go from near to far focus. On a lens meant for manual focus there is a very long "throw" purposely intended to make it easy and non-critical. On a lens meant for Auto Focus the throw is very short to allow quicker movement, using motor power, from one end to the other.

In a word, do not expect an AF-D lens to be very useful on a camera body that has no built in motor. Buy an AF-S lens, or buy a body that will work with AF-D lenses.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

There are some AF lenses that are designed to be manually focused. Probably more critical to the equation is the fact that few if any new digi cameras have a very MF friendly screen built in to aid with MF, especially in lower light.
But back to the lenses. My 200mm lens has three MF speeds. No, it does not have manual 3 speed transmission like that of a car with a stick shift sticking out the top. This particular lens is focus by wire so the focus ring actually controls the focus motor at three different switchable speeds and not a gear that turns. The slow speed is like a compound low, so affords extreme precision when manually focusing, especially at very shallow DoF. ;-)
SS

Moose Loc: North Carolina

Thanks again Sharpshooter for you comments, and Apaflo as well. Sure learning a lot from these comments. Really appreciate them.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

There was a time when we had to manually focus all the time and things worked out ok. It just took a little longer than af.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

SteveR wrote:

There was a time when we had to manually focus all the time and things worked out ok. It just took a little longer than af.

Steve, LOL, and yes, there was a time when we walked to school, both ways in the snow and uphill both ways and with luck we had shoes and that worked out ok too, but took a little longer.
And there were those guys that dragged big square stones with a rope and actually built a pyrimid or two and that worked out ok as well but took a wee bit longer!
And there was those other guys........, hmmmm, I can't remember where I was going with all this!!! :lol: :lol:
SS

RichardTaylor Loc: Sydney, Australia

It all depends what you are shooting. For some birds in flight and some motor racing I couldn't live without autofocus.

orrie smith Loc: Kansas

Moose wrote:

I hope this isn't a stupid question, but how important is it to have auto focus on a 100-300mm or higher zoom lens? I have a Nikon that takes AF-S lenses (focus motor in the lens) and found a Nikon zoom lens that requires the focusing motor to be in the camera. I can use the lens on my camera, but it requires manual focusing. Its a pretty good price, but don't want to waste my money if I'll be disappointed that I didn't shop around for an AF-S lens.

you do not state which camera you are using, possibly if you are saving enough on the lens, you could upgrade your camera to a d7200 or d750 which would have the focus motor in the camera and would justify the lens you are looking at.

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

SteveR wrote:

There was a time when we had to manually focus all the time and things worked out ok. It just took a little longer than af.

But back then we had focusing screens and focus rings that were optimized for manual focus. Some sports shooters got good enough to follow focus moving subjects, but I never could.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

SharpShooter wrote:

Steve, LOL, and yes, there was a time when we walked to school, both ways in the snow and uphill both ways and with luck we had shoes and that worked out ok too, but took a little longer.
And there were those guys that dragged big square stones with a rope and actually built a pyrimid or two and that worked out ok as well but took a wee bit longer!
And there was those other guys........, hmmmm, I can't remember where I was going with all this!!! :lol: :lol:
SS

A lot of the shots I took of my kids and family they were not moving. The ones in which they were moving I learned to focus on the place where I anticipated they would be, as well as shooting with as forgiving an aperture as possible. There were all kinds of tricks for shooting in the old days.

bull drink water Loc: pontiac mi.

all types of shooting can be done in manual focus mode. it's already been done. auto focus is a perk of modern times. use it as you choose.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Moose wrote:

I hope this isn't a stupid question, but how important is it to have auto focus on a 100-300mm or higher zoom lens? I have a Nikon that takes AF-S lenses (focus motor in the lens) and found a Nikon zoom lens that requires the focusing motor to be in the camera. I can use the lens on my camera, but it requires manual focusing. Its a pretty good price, but don't want to waste my money if I'll be disappointed that I didn't shop around for an AF-S lens.

AF is generally much faster than manual focusing. From several articles I've read, it's also more accurate, provided the lens focuses on the spot you want to be sharp. On the other hand, if you are getting a good deal on a good lens, I wouldn't let the lack of autofocus slow me down. Some day you'll probably have a camera with a focusing motor.