Nelcansan

I have been pricing lenses for my Nikon d70s. Been looking at 70-200 f2.8 lenses. My idea is to do some sports and just general shooting. The auto focus lenses are pricey. I have seen manual focus lenses f2.8 for around 2-300 from repitable places. Would it be a waste of money to purchasr a manual focis at these prices? Will it function well enough that it would be worth it until I can position mysrlf to pay 8-900 to get a similiar auto focus lens. I am a newbie so it is currently a hobby for me

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

Why not consider this Nikon lens for $170?
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/207359-USA/Nikon_1928_AF_Zoom_Nikkor_70_300mm.html?ap=y&c3api=1876%2C%7Bcreative%7D%2C%7Bkeyword%7D&gclid=CjwKCAiA5OrTBRBlEiwAXXhT6IUDLLLyOYBZcdXhMOsTf1yZewzUusJrc2SXrd7V9tIkmvapDrz7hxoCYq8QAvD_BwE

GENorkus Loc: Washington Twp, Michigan

For general shooting, fine. For sports, you'd need to get used to a manual focus lens, (quickness and all that stuff). It's do able as many of the old timers will tell you.

Screamin Scott Loc: Marshfield Wi, Baltimore Md, now Dallas Ga

The manual focus lenses won't meter with your Nikon D70s. Thus a handheld meter is helpful (or the old Sunny 16 rule to get in the ballpark). Plus the focus screens of DSLR's are optimized for auto focus lenses meaning in situations where DOF is limited, nailing the correct focus can be difficult. Been there, done that as I used to shoot with a D70s (since passed on to one of my sons). I have scads of older manual focus lenses from film days. For shooting where you have static subjects, it's OK, but fast action & rapidly changing light situations will decrease the number of "keepers"

G Brown Loc: Sunny Bognor Regis West Sussex UK

If your eyes are good & you can sucessfully focus at distance then possibly a manual lens is practical, but probably not profittable (as fewer people will buy itfrom you) remember that you can focus 'in front off' and allow depth of focus to keep things sharp. Try switching off the auto focus on your existing lenses and see what % of your shots are sharp (where you want it to be) That should demonstrate whether it is a good idea. Equally take your camera to the shop and try an auto lens first.
have fun

Nelcansan

I was really looking at the f2.8 aperture to give more use in inside gymnasium situations

Screamin Scott Loc: Marshfield Wi, Baltimore Md, now Dallas Ga

One issue of switching off the auto focus on newer AF lenses is that auto focus lenses are optimized to find focus quickly, not precisely like the older manual focus lenses did. They have a much shorter "Throw" than manual focus lenses do (the older manual focus lenses focus ring travel is much longer, thus allowing for more precise focusing). Newer auto focus lenses, with their shorter "Throw" are a lot harder to achieve critical focus with & are easily "bumped" from set focus by slight movement of the focus ring.

Screamin Scott Loc: Marshfield Wi, Baltimore Md, now Dallas Ga

Wider apertures and longer lenses equate to much narrower depth of field. I'd suggest looking at used 3rd party AF lenses.

BebuLamar

If you can manually focus well then it's OK. The fact that manual focus lenses on the D70s would only allow you to use M mode and no meter isn't all that bad for gymnasium because you need to take the test shot and adjust. After that the light stays the same and in fact it's better than auto exposure.

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

If your going with manual focus you may want to consider changing the focus screen.

GENorkus Loc: Washington Twp, Michigan

One more thing. Manual focusing lenses allow you to pre-focus.

If you know something will run into a location, pre-focus for that area and when they (it?), goes into the area, snap!

* As a side note, my Pentax cameras allow for "Catch in Focus". That is great when using a manually focused lens or when using an automatically focused lens has been turned off auto focus. Just pre-focus, make the settings, then point the camera where the action is going to be. Let the camera do it's thing.

I'm guessing other manufactures have that ability also. (?) Someone else can tell you if your camera can perform that action.

Screamin Scott Loc: Marshfield Wi, Baltimore Md, now Dallas Ga

Yes, anticipating the action is how we did it before auto focus hit the market. It works but the number of "keepers" is reduced. As for the feature your Pentax cameras have, I doubt that the D70s has as it is a it long in the tooth having been introduced in 2005. That said, it does have an "electronic rangefinder" to assist in manual focus. It's an indicator in the viewfinder that lights up when the subject is in the selected focus point. Doesn't work very well at larger apertures where there is shallow DOF.

dragon64 Loc: Stewartstown PA

When I got my start in photography, there were few, if any, AF lenses, so I had to learn to focus manually and to do it as quickly as possible. It was a learning experience that has benefitted me over the years and even today. Today I'm more concerned that a long lens, especially a fast one, would have vibration control more then AF. Even with my old eyes and failing vision, I find I can sometimes focus better manually than the AF lens. But I always verify to be sure. The Nikon 70-300 AF f3.3 as mentioned to you previously is an inexpensive zoom with good glass. I got one to use with my Nikon film cameras and still use it today with my Nikon FX and DX cameras. But it's not the fast glass you seek.

Hyperhad Loc: Thunder Bay, Canada

Can't add much to what has been said. I had the exact lens that PixelStn references in his posts above. It is really quite a good lens for the price. A quick google search will show all the positive reviews. I just gave mine to my neighbour, who borrowed it all the time to shoot weddings. She loves it, and sings its praises to me all the time. I was upgrading all my gear, and she could not afford to buy one, so I passed it on to her.
The pricing is good, it has good reach, and will serve you well in a well-lit location. As a newbie, I would suggest that you stick with AF for now. It will make your life easier. You can also use it as a manual focus lens, as it has that capability.
You should start looking for a nice, stable tripod. The lens, being an F4 to 5.6 maximum aperture, will "need" more light to produce properly-exposed images. The D70 ISO range is 200-1600, so you are limited to locations with good light. I have not used a D70, but there are forum members who do, and they may chime in.
There is a lot of advice on the forum, and out there. Try googling your camera and lens combination, used in the situations in which you will be shooting. That will give you a good idea of how the camera and lens will perform. There are a lot of user guides for the D70 as well. Check those out.
Good luck in your quest, and please post again with your decision and results (we want images!).

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

Manual focus for sports and general shooting...

Auto focus...

If price is an issue you can't go wrong with Nikon's AF-P DX 70-300 f4.5-6.3 ED VR. It's sharp, focuses fast and will set you back only $400.