D5300 AF-S really needed?

[gartismo]

Hi,

I'm new to this website like I'm new to photography. I bought a D5300 few weeks sgo. i actually own a AF-S Nikkor 18-140mm and a Nikkor 50mm 1.8f D.

I know that I need a AF-S for my D5300 I noticed the problem with my 50mm. But now I would like to buy a macro lens. Some people say that AF on macro isnn't really necessary and I needed some advice about this one. I would like to have a macro of 85mm or higher and someone was selling his Tamron macro 1:1 90mm sp af f/2.8 for 250$CAN(I'm canadian) . So my question should I buy this lens or I should really stick with the AF-S lens for the price?

Thanks you!!

 

[tirediron]

If you're going to be using the lens primarily for close-up/macro work, then no, I don't think the lack of AF will be an issue. The depth of field at which you will frequently be working is very, very thin, even sub-millimetric in some cases and manual focus is really the only way to get the critical focus where you want it much of the time.

 

[Derrel]

I have an older Tamron 90mm AF-SP, must be 14,15 years old; the manual focusing on this lens is absolutely HAIR-trigger beyond the macro range...I mean hair-hair-hair trigger, and very challenging to focus by hand-and-eye even on the high-quality "pro" Nikon bodies with the crisp, clear viewfinders (D2x,D3x). I simply cannot imagine being able to use that, specific lens in any kind of fast or convenient manner at anything farther away than about five feet.

I'm not exaggerating...this lens has an ****exceptionally**** short range of focus adjustment from Infinity to 5 feet...the slightest bit of focus ring rotation moves the focus 3 meters at a time. Without AF, this lens is very hard to "hit" with at portrait distances, and beyond that, at say 20,30,40,50 feet, it's very easy to be off enough to blow a shot. This is a lens that demands very careful attention to focusing, and it really,really is not a good lens for hand-and-eye focusing at anything other than in the macro range, where it works great.

In the macro range the 90 AF-SP has a lot of focusing ring travel, and focusing is over a long, slow range of turn; which is what this optic was designed to be excellent at. If you do not have AF, this lens is NOT a good field/portrait/event telephoto. Yes, it can be used in that role, but you'll likely have a 15 to 25% focus miss rate on any kind of situation that is at all fluid.

 

[gartismo]

Thanks you for that fast answer. But I would use it as a macro and probably try to do some portraits. So I should buy this lens for the price or I should keep my money for a AF-S. Finally do you know if there is a place to guy some macro AF-S at a affordable price?

Thanks you again!

 

[Derrel]

Is an AF-S macro lens really "needed" on a D5300? Technically, the answer is NO, not at all. In fact, since the D5300 has no Ai- coupler, and no minimum aperture sensing pin ( 7 o'clock around lens mount), it can accept virtually ANY F-mount lens ever made, including a whole bunch of manual focus macro lenses made in the 1960's-1990's era, many of them very affordable. ANy autofocus lens, AF, AF-D, AF-i, AF-S, AF-S G, any Sigma HSM lens will give metering at least, so the Tamron 90mm AF-SP will give you light metering, and flash metering, and it WILL WORK.

Later on, if you move up to a D7xxx or higher camera, then you'll have an in-body AF motor, and the lens will give full autofocusing.

It's a tough call. I do not know you, but honestly, for a beginner with a D5300, I would not recommend this version of the lens; newer models DO have an in-lens focusing motor and will autofocus on the D5300. The lens has got to be well over a decade old I would guess, since it does not have an in-lens motor. The price seems fair to me, as far as I know, but I am not up to date on prices.

 

[gartismo]

ok thanks you very much for those answers I really do appreciate!

 

[fjrabon]

yeah, unless this was truly for ONLY macro work, I wouldn't pull the trigger.

 

[KmH]

Your D5300 has a manual focusing aid.
It's called Rangefinder mode.

I am still amazed the D5300 Reference Manual does not have an Index, and is missing a lot of information all previous Nikon D5x00 Reference Manuals have had.
Rangefinder is Custom Settings (pencil icon) Menu a4.

Rangefinder mode will turn on the In-Focus indicator in the viewfinder when manual focus has been achieved at the selected focus point in the viewfinder.

 

[Derrel]

The rangefinder mode, focus assist, green dot, whatever one wants to call it, works pretty well with lenses that have a good, well-dampened focusing action and a normal-lens type of focusing mechanism. Unfortunately, the lens under discussion moves from Infinity to 3 meters in a measured 3/16 inch space...on a very crude plastic-on-plastic type of loosey-goosey, sloppy system. If the lens is old and worn, the manual focusing action could be atrocious, and filled with slop. This lens was designed as an autofocusing macro lens.

I just took my 90 AF-SP out and with the help of a protractor, I have measured the Infinity to 3 meter focus arc at just under 4 degrees of rotation. So...focus goes from the Sun, to 3 meters, in less than four degrees of focusing ring turn. That's about 3/16 of an inch total movement.

The degree of precision in the mechanism renders this lens VERY challenging to focus consistently and reliably at anything other than very close range shooting distances.

 

[Dave442]

Depends on what you want to take macro shots of. A cheap option would be a set of Extension Tubes. You could use those with the 18-140mm at the 140mm end for sots of some bugs and such at less than 1:1. With the 50mm and Extension Tubes you can get more than 1:1, but the distance to the subject will be very close. But its all good learning while you save up for the lens you want.

I do have the 60mm f/2.8 AF-S Micro and the autofocus works good, but can search at times. In the macro range you are very close to the subject, though many small bugs do not seem bothered by this.