Manual vs Auto Focus

[indeedies]

To those of you who have used both, is there a vast difference when using a manual focus. I've taken some advice that a lot of you have given to others and just found a Nikon E Series 50mm 1.8 lens for pretty cheap. Will I miss the auto focus when I'm out snapping away or will this be just another tool I can use to make my pictures look the way I want? And I tried searching for reviews on this lens to no avail. Have any of you used this particular lens/series?

Thanks for the help!

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[Pugs]

I personally have a lot of trouble with manual focus. Even with my glasses, my vision isn't ideal and without an aid like a split-image screen, I struggle.

[PatrickHMS]

I personally have a lot of trouble with manual focus. Even with my glasses, my vision isn't ideal and without an aid like a split-image screen, I struggle.

Same here, MF is useless to me.

My camera will show a green "in focus" light to me when shot is in focus, but I still prefer to AF.

Sold every last one of my MF lenses, even had a Nikkor f/1.2

[T-town photographer]

I in the past have always loved MF lenses. With that said I am finding that as i grow older and after an eye injury that I can see the use of auto focus. I still shoot with manual focus but I may be of the minority here and not the majority.

The nice thing about nikon is you can find an older lens and put it on a newer body. You may have to use an external meter but I have one so it doesnt make that much of a difference to me.

Michael

[KmH]

From Wikipedia: Nikon F-Mount

Series E — A line of lower-cost lenses manufactured during the 1980s for Nikon's amateur SLRs. They sacrificed some construction quality and employed simpler optical designs. All were specified as AI-S, but not branded Nikkor, instead carrying the text "Nikon Lens Series E."

[DScience]

lol

Manual focus is fun. After just shooting hundreds of shots all day using AF, it's fun to take your time and manually focus on things. It makes it more challenging.

[DScience]

From Wikipedia: Nikon F-Mount

Series E — A line of lower-cost lenses manufactured during the 1980s for Nikon's amateur SLRs. They sacrificed some construction quality and employed simpler optical designs. All were specified as AI-S, but not branded Nikkor, instead carrying the text "Nikon Lens Series E."

I don't know if this is necessarily true. I have an AI-S lens, and it says Nikkor on it. It's definitely of great build quality as well.

[Stosh]

Without a split-image screen, manual focusing is very difficult for everyone, regardless of how good your eyes are. That's because your eyes can easily focus in front of or behind the screen and you never really know where your image is focused. Manual focus is a fun change if you enjoy tinkering, but only with the split-image. For anything action related, forget it. Manual focusing is extremely difficult.

[KmH]

From Wikipedia: Nikon F-Mount

Series E — A line of lower-cost lenses manufactured during the 1980s for Nikon's amateur SLRs. They sacrificed some construction quality and employed simpler optical designs. All were specified as AI-S, but not branded Nikkor, instead carrying the text "Nikon Lens Series E."

I don't know if this is necessarily true. I have an AI-S lens, and it says Nikkor on it. It's definitely of great build quality as well.

If you don't know, perhaps, find out. Nikon has other AI-S lenses, that are not E-series. The AI-S simply describes the functionality of the E-series line.

There is a ton of Nikon lens info on Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikon_F-mount

[usayit]

Modern DSLRs weren't designed for manual focus.... Lenses are not damped properly, lack of focus screens, and most don't have a bright enough viewfinder.

[IgsEMT]

Two ways that i used to MF was either gestimate, at which point I woudn't dare shooting it wide open, something like f/7.1 to f/11 was my range OR split screen viewfinder - something like this one Nikon D300 Focusing Screen - Katz Eye Optics.

[indeedies]

Thanks for the quick reply guys! I may still up getting the manual focus because it's only like $10 but I'll still request the AF for my birthday next week lol. I have the d70s and am just getting used to all the features so worrying about having to focus as well may prove more than I can handle

Thanks again!

[Dwig]

...Will I miss the auto focus when I'm out snapping away...

It depends a lot on what camera body you will be using. Unlike older manual focusing cameras, most of the modern DSLRs have viewing screens that are good for viewing, often better than the old cameras, but that function rather poorly as focusing screens. A fast 50, like the f/1.8 E-series, should focus without much difficulty.

Another consideration is that the AIs lenses, like the E-series, don't have the electronic meter coupling that many modern Nikons rely on. You may find that the camera's meter is partially crippled or completely disabled.

As far a quality, the E-series lenses are very good. Optically, they are close matches to the Nikkors of the period. Mechanically, they weren't a match to those old Nikkors, but they are a rugged and durable as most of the modern AF lenses and better than many.

[ecnal]

I use manual focus sometimes if I'm photographing something that won't change for a while. Like something in a lightbox. It's not going anywhere, the light isn't going anywhere and you have time to mess around and get the sharpest image you can.

[wescobts]

I'll use manual when distance is at infinity and I need a faster cycling between shots, maybe some action or moving subjects, otherwise it's on AF.