Using a 60mm Micro Nikkor D lens on a Nikon D5100: The micro lens will not autofocus with the switch set to A. The kit lenses are working fine. Would there be any reason other than a...

Herbyderby

The micro lens will not autofocus with the switch set to A. The kit lenses are working fine. Would there be any reason other than a problem with the lens motor or the lens contacts to cause this? Not overly concerned because manual focus is working fine.

romanticf16 Loc: Commerce Twp, MI

You assume there is a focussing motor in the lens. If it isn't an AF-S lens it doesn't have a motor. It was made to autofocus with the motor built into high end Nikon bodies.

brucewells Loc: Central Kentucky

Herbyderby wrote:

The micro lens will not autofocus with the switch set to A. The kit lenses are working fine. Would there be any reason other than a problem with the lens motor or the lens contacts to cause this? Not overly concerned because manual focus is working fine.

According to Ken Rockwell, the lens should focus on that camera. But, as you, and he, point out, it's just easier to manual focus.

Herbyderby

The D5100 does not have a focus motor in the body so it will only focus AF-S lenses. Thanks.

Bridges Loc: Memphis, Charleston SC, now Nazareth PA

brucewells wrote:

According to Ken Rockwell, the lens should focus on that camera. But, as you, and he, point out, it's just easier to manual focus.

For some reason that lens likes some bodies over others. I couldn't get it to auto focus on my D300 a few years back, and it should have (all other autofocus lenses worked fine). but it focuses fine on my D800 and D700. ?

brucewells Loc: Central Kentucky

Bridges wrote:

For some reason that lens likes some bodies over others. I couldn't get it to auto focus on my D300 a few years back, and it should have (all other autofocus lenses worked fine). but it focuses fine on my D800 and D700. ?

I have to admit, that causes me to scratch my head.

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

Herbyderby wrote:

The micro lens will not autofocus with the switch set to A. The kit lenses are working fine. Would there be any reason other than a problem with the lens motor or the lens contacts to cause this? Not overly concerned because manual focus is working fine.

That lens never would, and never will AF on the entry level cameras. It's a film era lens with the mechanical AF drive system. Entry level bodies cannot operate the mechanical systems because they have no drive motor in them. These bodies require the electronic AF motor to physically be in lens itself. Your body will only AF using AF-I, AF-S, OR AF-P style Nikon lenses. If the lens says only "AF" then you will have to focus it manually.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

brucewells wrote:

According to Ken Rockwell, the lens should focus on that camera. But, as you, and he, point out, it's just easier to manual focus.

I think you need to read this again regarding 'D' lenses and the D5100 model ... The B&H product description calls it out even clearer: It will not support auto focusing when used with certain DSLRs that do not have an integrated focus motor, such as the D40, D40x, D60, D3000, D3100, D3200, D3300, D5000, D5100, D5200, D5300.

Bill_de Loc: US

See page 65 of your owner's manual to avoid further surprises.

Then, in your spare time, read the rest of it.

If you don't have one you can download it for free at Nikon.com

--

brucewells Loc: Central Kentucky

CHG_CANON wrote:

I think you need to read this again regarding 'D' lenses and the D5100 model ... The B&H product description calls it out even clearer: It will not support auto focusing when used with certain DSLRs that do not have an integrated focus motor, such as the D40, D40x, D60, D3000, D3100, D3200, D3300, D5000, D5100, D5200, D5300.

Ken stated it would not focus on D40, D40X and D60. So, I was going off that. Thanks for clearing it up.

lbjed Loc: New York

I have a D7200 and the 60mm D lens work perfectly on it. But sorry to say it will not autofocus on anything less than a 7000 series camera

rdubreuil Loc: Dummer, NH USA

D series lenses require an in camera drive motor. You can still use your lens, just have to do the focusing manually, exposure information will still be conveyed to the camera and use your focus indicator in your view finder to verify focus or live view. Happy shooting...

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

rdubreuil wrote:

D series lenses require an in camera drive motor. You can still use your lens, just have to do the focusing manually, exposure information will still be conveyed to the camera and use your focus indicator in your view finder to verify focus or live view. Happy shooting...

"D" has nothing to do with the focus motor system. The "AF" in the lens description is what says the lens will require an in-camera focus drive motor. AF-I, AF-S, and AF-P lenses all have focus motors inside the lens itself and do not require the camera to have that focus drive motor.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

duplicate - ignore or delete

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Herbyderby wrote:

The micro lens will not autofocus with the switch set to A. The kit lenses are working fine. Would there be any reason other than a problem with the lens motor or the lens contacts to cause this? Not overly concerned because manual focus is working fine.

AF "D" type Nikkor lenses do not have a built-in focusing motor. They instead rely upon a motor built into the camera body to drive the AF of the lens.

Nikon D5100 camera (in fact all D3000 and D5000-series, among others) does not have the in-camera focusing motor. Only the D7000 series and D500/D300 models do.

So on your camera that particular lens will be manual focus only. Not that there's any problem with that... manual focus is often easier than AF, anyway, when shooting macro.

But if you want a lens to be able to AF on that camera, you need to get an AF-S or AF-P type lens. Those have a focusing motor built into the lens itself. Last time I looked, about 60 of the Nikkors currently in production are AF-S or AF-P type... another 30 or so lenses are not and won't AF on your camera.

For more complete info look at http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/compatibility-lens.htm

EDIT: I just noticed that according to that chart the new "AF-P" type lenses also won't work on your D5100! That's a little surprising.