Which NIKKOR Lens Type is Right for Your D-SLR?

Reading about all of the different lens types and abbreviations might be a bit

overwhelming, so we'll try to simplify this as much as possible. You're interested in one of the latest NIKKOR lenses, but aren't sure if it will work with your camera. Well, there's an easy way to knowby checking the abbreviations that make up the name of each NIKKOR lens. Nikon makes two different types of D-SLR camera bodiesthose that have a built-in focus motor, and those that don't. The cameras that don't have a focus motor built-in need to use a lens that has a focus motor built-in to it. The abbreviation for lenses that incorporate a built-in focus motor is AF-S. NIKKOR lenses that do not have a focus motor incorporated into it are simply called AF lenses. The D-SLR camera bodies that do feature a focus motor built-in are: D70, D70s, D80, D90, D100, D200, D300, D300s, D700, D7000, D1series, D2-series, D3-series and D4 models. These D-SLRs can utilize both AF and AF-S lenses. Or, in other words, because AF-S NIKKORs have the focus motor built into the lens, they can be used on any current Nikon camera body, whether the body has a focus motor or not, because the lens itself controls the focusing function. Consumer level Nikon digital SLR cameras are designed without built-in focus motors, which allow them to be smaller and lighter than the larger, more professional models. Consumer D-SLRs that do not incorporate a built-in focus motor (and therefore need to use AF-S lenses) include the following: D40, D40x, D60, D3000, D3100, D5000 and D5100. If you own one of these cameras, then you need to use an AF-S NIKKOR lens to get the full autofocus capabilities from the lens. But what if you own one of the aforementioned consumer level camera bodies and really want to use an AF lens. You need to know if your camera can accept the lensand the answer is yes. An AF NIKKOR lens can be used on a consumer camera such as the models listed above, with limited functionality. You will have to manually focus the lens, using the focus ring on the lens barrel. The electronic rangefinder, which is visible in the lower left portion of the viewfinder, will confirm that your subject is in focus. Rotate the focus ring on the lens and when it lights up green, the subject is in focus. A benefit of the AF-S NIKKOR lenses is that they use a "Silent Wave" motor and focus quieter than do the AF lenses.

Legacy NIKKOR Lenses

One of the great aspects of Nikon's camera systems is that most of the legacy lensesthose that you may have used with your film-based Nikon SLR cameracan be used on your digital SLR camera. There may be some limitations, depending upon exactly which NIKKOR lens you're looking to use with your D-SLR, but we'll get into that in a minute.

An AIs lens, the Micro NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8 lens is a manual focus lens.

AI Lenses What if you've got older lenses that you used to use with a Nikon film-based SLR camera-well you can use those lenses as long as they were made after 1977. That's when Nikon began manufacturing AI lenses. AI stands for "Automatic Maximum Aperture Indexing" system, which is the mechanical system for coupling the lens to the camera's exposure system. AI lenses are manual focus, and can be used on any Nikon D-SLR with a few exceptions. In general, the higher-end camera bodies: D1-series, D2-series, D200, D3-series, D300 series, D700, and D7000 models and the D4 will be able to meter through the lens of an AI NIKKOR. The prosumer level bodies: D70, D70s, D80, D90, D100; and the consumer level bodies: D40, D40x, D50, D60, D3000, D3100, and D5000 and D5100 can accept an AI NIKKOR lens, but the exposure will need to be determined manually, using a light meter, not through the lens. The AIS lens, which came later, allowed for automatic aperture control; which controlled the aperture more precisely.

Nikon Ai NIKKOR lens. (r.) A Nikon Ais NIKKOR lens, with lens type signaling pin notch, highlighted in red.

An AI-P lens is a manual lens that has a CPU (basically a computer) built into it; which is used to transfer metering data from the lens to the camera. An AF-I lens uses a built-in D/C coreless focus drive motor for speedy autofocus operation and were Nikon's first lenses to offer the now popular M/A focusing mode. So regardless of the other abbreviations you may see on NIKKOR lenses, certain consumer Nikon D-SLR cameras require the use of AF-S lenses for full functionality. The higher-end pro D-SLR camera bodies need only an AF lens for autofocus functionality. An AI lens can be used, when focusing manually, on almost all Nikon D-SLR cameras, but can only meter through the lens when paired with the higher end D-SLR models.

Differences between Autofocus and Manual Focus Lenses

Now that we've gone through a little history of NIKKOR lenses, we'll discuss the differences between autofocus and manual focus NIKKOR lenses. Nikon currently offers lenses that have autofocus operation and others that offer only manual focus operation. Because you sometimes want to be able to control the focus yourself you can actually manually focus any autofocus NIKKOR lens, simply by setting it to the manual focus mode.

he AF-S version of the Nikon 24-120mm lens; (r.) the AF version of the Nikon 24-120mm lens.

AF and AF-S NIKKOR Lenses We know there are two series of autofocus lenses: AF NIKKOR and AF-S NIKKOR. Both AF and AF-S NIKKOR lenses can also be used in manual focusing mode. AF NIKKOR lenses use a mechanical coupling between the lens and the camera body. On several Nikon D-SLR camera bodies, the focus motor is in the camera and a series of gears drives the lens' focusing mechanism, which allows the lens to focus. Autofocus (AF and AF-S lenses) are further categorized into G-type or D-type lenses. D-Type NIKKOR Lenses A D-type lens relays subject-to-camera-distance information to Nikon D-SLRs that feature 3D Color Matrix Metering (all versions), 3D Matrix Metering, 3D Multi-Sensor Balanced Fill-Flash and i-TTL Balanced Fill-Flash. Many D-Type lenses have an aperture control ring and can be used on older Nikon SLR cameras that allow for manual control of the aperture, as well as on D-SLRsespecially useful for adjusting aperture while recording D-Movies on higher end models. When used on a D-SLR, the aperture control ring needs to be locked at the smallest possible aperture (generally designated in orange), and the aperture control is maintained through the camera's command dial.

The AF NIKKOR 35mm f/2D lens is an example of a D-Type lens.

G-Type NIKKOR Lenses A G-type lens does not have an aperture control ring and are intended for use on Nikon D-SLRs that allow the lens aperture to be adjusted via the camera's command dial. Because G-type lenses relay subject-to-camera-distance information to the camera, where it is used to help determine ambient and flash exposure, they are also considered to be D-type lenses. The lack of an aperture control ring is perhaps the easiest way that you can tell if a lens is a G-Type NIKKOR or not.[The AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G ED VR lens, shown above is an example of a GType lens. Note there is no aperture ring on that version of the lens, while there is an aperture ring on the AF version, above right.]

Manual Focus NIKKOR Lenses Manual focus NIKKOR lenses, on the other hand, don't have the capability to autofocus at all. Manual focus lenses can be used on all current Nikon D-SLRs, in the manual focus mode. With the inclusion of HD video capture in many new Nikon D-SLRs, manual prime (or fixed focal length) lenses are experiencing a resurgence in popularity. Manual focus lenses will not use the in-camera metering systems on several D-SLRs so make sure to review your instruction manual to understand the compatibility of manual focus NIKKOR lenses and your particular camera. [The Micro NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8 lens, shown as an example of an Ais lens on page 1 of this article is a manual focus lens.]

Photo taken with the AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G lens.

Lindsay Silverman

Photo taken using the AF-S Micro NIKKOR 85mm f/3.5G ED VR lens.

Cliff Mautner

Photo taken in Times Square, in NYC using the AF DX Fisheye-NIKKOR 10.5mm f/2.8G ED lens.

1of3

What is a prime lens? Well, it's a lens that isn't a zoom. A prime lens has a fixed focal length which means it has only one focal length. Examples of NIKKOR prime lenses are the AF-S NIKKOR 35mm f/1.4G and AF-S NIKKOR 200mm f/2G ED VR II, and the new AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G. Some prime lenses are designed for specific uses, such as the Micro-NIKKOR (AF-S Micro-NIKKOR 85mm f/3.5G ED VR), Perspective Control (PC-E Micro NIKKOR 45mm f/2.8D), and Fisheye (AF DX Fisheye-NIKKOR 10.5mm f/2.8D ED) lenses. If a prime lens gives you only one focal length, but a zoom gives you a range of focal lengths, what are the benefits to using a prime lens? Prime lenses, are smaller, lighter and more compact than zoom lenses and tend to be faster, offering wide apertures of f/2.8, f/1.8 or even f/1.4. The large apertures let in more light, which benefits the photographer in a number of ways. First, you can use fast shutter speeds with large apertures to freeze motion. This becomes important when you're shooting in low light. By using a high ISO, and wide aperture, you'll be able to use high enough shutter speeds so you can hand-hold the camera. Secondly, because fast lenses let in lots of light, the viewfinder will be brighter, and so it will be easier to confirm focus, ensuring your images will be sharp.
One of the most sought after benefits of using a prime lens is for the Bokeh achievable by photographers, especially portrait shooters. Bokeh refers to the pleasing diffused softness of the blurred background in an image with shallow depth-of-field.

According to many photographers, a byproduct of using a prime lens is that you physically have to walk into- or step back from your subject(s) when shootingsince you can't zoom in and out. This will often cause them to be more creative in their picture making.

Using a Prime Lens for Video

When shooting HD video, prime lenses are ideal to use. They give you the ability to achieve the same shallow depth-of-field at wide open apertures for your video footage as you already get with your still photography. This is something that is generally difficult to do using a traditional video camera. Many photographers who are shooting HD video with their Nikon D-SLRs will appreciate the prime lenses ability to autofocus precisely and quickly when AF-F (Full-time AF) is selected or even to manually focus, which will lessen the occurrence of noise from the lens being picked up by the camera's internal microphone. Prime lenses are well suited to a variety of subjects including; portraits, architecture, nature, landscape, sports and action, flora and low light. Nikon offers a range of prime or fixed focal length lenses. Click here to view the full line of NIKKOR prime / fixed focal length lenses.

Lindsay Silverman

Specifications

Type

Single-lens reflex digital camera

Lens Mount

Nikon F bayonet mount

Picture Angle

Nikon DX format

Effective Pixels

24.1 million

Sensor Size

23.5mm x 15.6mm

Image Sensor Format

DX

Image Sensor Type

CMOS

Total Pixels

24.71 million

Dust-reduction system

Image sensor cleaning Airflow Control System Image Dust Off reference data (optional Capture NX 2 software required)

Dust-Off Reference Photo

Yes

Image Area (pixels)

DX-format (L) 6,000 x 4,000 (M) 4,496 x 3,000 (S) 2,992 x 2,000

File Format Still Images

JPEG: JPEG-Baseline Compliant with fine (approx 1:4), Normal (approx 1:8) or Basic (approx 1:16) Compression NEF (RAW): compressed 14 bit NEF (RAW) + JPEG: Single Photograph Recorded in both NEF (RAW) and JPEG Formats

Picture Control

Landscape Monochrome Neutral Portrait Standard User-customizable Settings Vivid

Storage Media

SD SDHC SDXC

Card Slot

1 Secure Digital (SD)

File System

Compliant with DCF (Design Rule for Camera File System) 2.0 DPOF (Digital Print Order Format) EXIF 2.3 (Exchangeable Image File Format for Digital Still Cameras) PictBridge

Viewfinder

Eye-level Pentamirror Single-Lens Reflex viewfinder

Viewfinder Frame Coverage

95% Horizontal 95% Vertical Approx.

Viewfinder Magnification

0.78x Approx.

Viewfinder Eyepoint

17.9mm

Viewfinder Diopter Adjustment

-1.7 to +0.7 m

Focusing Screen

Type B BriteView Clear Matte Mark VII screen

Reflex Mirror

Quick-return type

Lens Aperture

Instant-return type

Lens Compatibility at a Glance***

AF-S and AF-I CPU lenses only

Compatible Lenses

Autofocus is available with AF-S and AF-I lenses. Autofocus is not available with other type G and D lenses, AF lenses (IX NIKKOR and lenses for the F3AF are not supported), and AI-P lenses. Electronic Rangefinder can be used if Maximum Aperture is f/5.6 or Faster Non-CPU: Can be used in mode M, but Exposure Meter does not Function; Electronic Rangefinder can be used if Maximum Aperture is f/5.6 or Faster

Shutter Type

Electronically controlled vertical-travel focal-plane

Shutter Speed

1/4000 to 30 sec. in steps of 1/3 or 1/2 EV Bulb

Fastest Shutter Speed

1/4000 sec.

Slowest Shutter Speed

30 sec.

Flash Sync Speed

Up to 1/200 sec. Synchronizes with shutter at 1/200s or slower

Bulb Shutter Setting

Yes

Shutter Release Modes

Continuous low-speed [CL] mode; 1-3 frames per second Continuous high-speed [CH] mode; 1-5 frames per second Delayed remote (ML-L3) Interval timer photography supported Quick-response remote (ML-L3) Quiet shutter-release Self-timer mode Single-frame [S] mode

Continuous Shooting Options

DX-format CH: Up to 5 frames per second CL: Up to 1-3 frames per second

Top Continuous Shooting Speed at full resolution

5 frames per second

Self-timer

2, 5, 10, 20 sec.; 1 to 9 exposures Timer duration electronically controlled

Exposure Metering System

TTL exposure metering using 2,016-pixel RGB sensor

Metering Method

Center-weighted: Weight of 75% given to 8mm circle in center of frame Matrix: 3D color matrix metering II (type G and D lenses); color matrix metering II (other CPU lenses) Spot: Meters 3.5mm circle (about 2.5% of frame) centered on selected focus point

Metering Range

0 to 20 EV (3D color matrix or center-weighted metering) 2 to 20 EV (spot metering)

Exposure Meter Coupling

CPU

Exposure Modes

Aperture-Priority (A) Manual (M) Programmed auto with flexible program (P) Shutter-Priority (S)

Scene Modes

Autumn Colors Beach / Snow Blossom Candlelight Child Close-up Dusk / Dawn Food Landscape Night Landscape Night Portrait Party / Indoor Pet Portrait Portrait

Sports Sunset

Exposure Compensation

5 EV in increments of 1/3 or 1/2 EV

Exposure Bracketing

3 frames in steps of 1/3 or 1/2 EV

Exposure Lock

Yes

Mirror Lock Up

Yes

ISO Sensitivity

ISO 100 - 6400 Hi-1 (ISO 12,800) Hi-2 (ISO 25,600)

Lowest Standard ISO Sensitivity

100

Highest Standard ISO Sensitivity

6400

Lowest Expanded ISO Sensitivity

ISO 100 equivalent

Highest Expanded ISO Sensitivity

Hi-2 (ISO 25,600 equivalent)

Expanded ISO Sensitivity Options

Hi-1 (ISO-12,800 equivalent) Hi-2 (ISO 25600 equivalent)

Long Exposure Noise Reduction

Yes

High ISO Noise Reduction

Low Normal High Off

Active D-Lighting

Auto Extra High High Normal Low Off

D-Lighting Bracketing

2 frames using selected value for one frame

Single-point AF Mode

Yes

Dynamic AF Mode

Number of AF points: 9, 21, 39 and 39 (3D-tracking)

Auto-area AF Mode

Yes

Autofocus System

Nikon Multi-CAM 4800DX autofocus sensor module with TTL phase detection

Detection Range

-1 to 19 EV (ISO 100, 68F/20C)

Lens Servo

Autofocus (AF): Single-servo AF (AF-S); Continuous-servo AF (AF-C); auto AF-S/AF-C selection (AF-A); predictive focus tracking activated automatically according to subject status Manual focus (MF): Electronic rangefinder can be used

Focus Point

Can be selected from 39 or 11 focus points

AF-area mode

9, 21 or 39 point Dynamic-area AF Auto-area AF Single-point AF 3D-tracking (39 points)

Focus Lock

Focus can be locked by pressing AE-L/AF-L button Focus can be locked by pressing shutter-release button halfway (single-servo AF)

Focus Modes

Auto AF-S/AF-C selection (AF-A) Continuous-servo (AF-C) Face-Priority AF available in Live View only and D-Movie only Full-time Servo (AF-A) available in Live View only Manual (M) with electronic rangefinder Normal area Single-servo AF (AF-S) Wide area

Maximum Autofocus Areas/Points

39

Autofocus Sensitivity

-1 to +19 EV (ISO 100, 20C/68F)

Built-in Flash

Yes

Built-in Flash Distance

12/39, 13/43 with manual flash (m/ft, ISO 100, 20C/68F)

X-Sync Speed

1/200

Flash Control

TTL: i-TTL flash control using 2,016-pixel RGB sensor are available with built-in flash and SB-910, SB-900, SB-700, or SB-400; i-TTL balanced fill-flash for digital SLR is used with matrix and center-weighting metering, standard i-TTL flash for digital SLR with spot metering

Flash Sync Modes

Auto Auto with red-eye reduction Auto slow sync

Auto slow sync with red-eye reduction Fill-flash Rear-curtain sync Rear-curtain with slow sync Red-Eye reduction Red-Eye reduction with slow sync Slow sync Off

Flash Compensation

-3 to +1 EV in increments of 1/3 or 1/2 EV

Flash-ready indicator

Lights when optional flash unit such as SB-910, SB-900, SB-700, SB-400, SB-R200 is fully charged

Accessory Shoe

Yes

Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS)

Advanced Wireless Lighting supported with SB-910, SB-900, SB-800, or SB-700 as a master flash or SU-800 as commander; Flash Color Information Communication supported with all CLS-compatible flash units

Flash Sync Terminal

Sync Terminal Adapter AS-15 (available separately)

White Balance

Auto Cloudy Direct Sunlight Flash Fluorescent (7 types) Incandescent Preset Manual Shade

White Balance Bracketing

3 shots in steps of 1

Live View Shooting

Photography Live View Mode Movie Live View Mode

Live View Lens servo

Autofocus (AF): Single-servo AF (AF-S); full-time-servo AF (AF-F) Manual focus (MF)

Live View AF-area mode

Face-priority AF Wide-area AF Normal-area AF Subject-tracking AF

Live View Autofocus

Contrast-detect AF anywhere in frame (camera selects focus point automatically when face-priority AF or subject-tracking AF is selected)

Live View Scene Auto Selector

Auto mode Auto (flash off) mode

Movie Metering

TTL exposure metering using main image sensor

Movie Maximum recording time

20 minutes at highest quality 29 minutes 59 seconds at normal quality

Movie File Format

MOV

Movie Video Compression

H.264/MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding

Movie Audio recording format

Linear PCM

Movie

HD 1,920x1,080 / 60i HD 1,920x1,080 / 50i HD 1,920x1,080 / 30 fps HD 1,920x1,080 / 25 fps HD 1,920x1,080 / 24 fps HD 1,280x720 / 60 fps HD 1,280x720 / 50 fps VGA 640x424 / 30 fps VGA 640x424 / 25 fps

Movie Audio

Built-in microphone, stereo External stereo microphone (optional) Microphone sensitivity can be adjusted

Monitor Size

3 in. diagonal

Monitor Resolution

921,000 Dots

Monitor Type

Wide Viewing Angle Vari-angle TFT-LCD

Monitor Angle of View

170-degree wide-viewing angle

Monitor Adjustments

Brightness, 3 levels Brightness control using ambient brightness sensor

Playback Functions

Auto Image Rotation Full-Frame and Thumbnail (4, 9, or 72 images or calendar) Highlights Histogram Display Image Comment Movie Playback Movie Slideshow Playback with Zoom Slideshow

In-Camera Image Editing

Color Balance Color Outline Color Sketch D-Lighting Distortion Control Edit Movie Filter Effects Fisheye Image Overlay

Miniature Effect Monochrome NEF (RAW) Processing Perspective Control Quick Retouch Red-Eye Correction Resize Selective Color Side-by-Side Comparison Straighten Trim

Image Comment

Yes

Interface

Accessory Terminal: Remote Cord: MC-DC2 (available separately); GPS unit: GP-1 (available separately) HDMI output: Type C mini-pin HDMI connector Hi-speed USB

Stereo Microphone Input WR-R10 wireless remote controller (available separately)

Wi-Fi Functionality

Eye-Fi Compatible WU-1b Wireless Mobile Adapter

GPS

GP-1 GPS unit GP-1A GPS unit

Total Custom Settings

22

My Menu

Yes with customization

Recent Settings

Yes

Supported Languages

Arabic Brazilian Portuguese Chinese (Simplified and Traditional) Czech Danish Dutch English Finnish French German Greek Hindi Hungarian Indonesian Italian Japanese Korean

Norweigan Polish Portuguese Romanian Russian Spanish Swedish Thai Turkish Ukrainian

Date, Time and Daylight Savings Time Settings

Yes

World Time Setting

Yes

Battery / Batteries

EN-EL14 Lithium-ion Battery

Battery Life (shots per charge)

500 shots (CIPA)

AC Adapter

EH-5b AC Adapter; requires EP-5A Power Connector (available separately)

Battery Charger

MH-24 Quick Charger

Tripod Socket

1/4 in.

Approx. Dimensions (Width x Height x Depth)

5.1 in. (129 mm) x 3.9 in. (98 mm) x 3.1 in. (78 mm)

Approx. Weight

17.8 oz. (505 g)

camera body only

Operating Environment

040 C (+32104 F)

o o o o o o o o o o

Supplied Accessories EN-EL14 Rechargeable Li-ion Battery MH-24 Quick Charger DK-20 Rubber Eyecup UC-E17 USB Cable EG-CP16 Audio Video Cable AN-DC3 Strap DK-5 Eyepiece Cap BF-1B Body Cap BS-1 Accessory Shoe Cap NikonView NX2 CD ROM
*SRP (Suggested Retail Price) listed only as a suggestion. Actual prices are set by dealers and are subject to change at any time. **Specifications and equipment are subject to change without any notice or obligation on the part of the manufacturer. ***Refer to the product manual or the Compatible Lenses Specification for additional details.

Page:

1 2 3 4 5

View:Full Width Grid ViewList ViewFull Width Single View

Which NIKKOR Lens Type is Right for Your D-SLR?

Learn what the different types of NIKKOR lenses are and which ones will

NEW VIEWING

Prime Lenses
What is a prime lens? Well, it's a lens that isn't a zoom. A prime lens has a fixed focal length which means

NEW

READ

VIEWING

Zoom Lens Maximum Aperture: Fixed and Variable Apertures

Zoom lenses can have either a fixed maximum aperture or a

NEW

READ

VIEWING

Understanding Focal Length

Focal length, usually represented in millimeters (mm), is the basic description of a Beginner

NEW

READ

VIEWING

Be the first to rate

Using Teleconverters
Teleconverters let you extend your photographic reach

NEW

READ

VIEWING

Macro Lenses
Reproduce objects up to life size using a Nikon Micro-NIKKOR Lens

NEW

READ

VIEWING

What is a Lens MTF Chart & How Do I Read It?

MTF charts plot the performance and quality of a lens Advanced

NEW

READ

VIEWING

How to Read Your NIKKOR Lens Barrel

Understanding what all of those markings and designations on your lens really mean.

NEW

READ

VIEWING

Bokeh for Beginners

Have your subjects stand apart from the background with this easy technique

NEW

READ

VIEWING

1 NIKKOR Technology: Retractable Lens Barrel

Retractable lens barrel technology offers ultra-compact lens design.

NEW

READ

VIEWING

Be the first to rate

Quick Tips for Taking Better Portraits

Suggested Lens choices, exposure settings and focus modes Beginner

NEW

READ

VIEWING