Old Lenses With New Camera

[Pgohlke]

I am looking into getting the Nikon D5000 body only to save money. My dad has some old nikon lenses and i wondered if they would work

One is an AF Nikkor 70-210mm
and the other is AF Nikkor 35-70mm

both are being used on my dads old N4004s

 

[HBOC]

If not, I am sure there are adapters. I am not familiar with Nikon, so I am unsure if they changed the mounts at some point in time, as Canon did in 1987 with the FD to EOS switch.

 

[TWLreal]

They'll work fine, just without autotocus, even though they are autofocus lenses.

You'll need at least a D50, D70, D80, D90 level camera body in order to autotocus with Nikon AF lenses.

They will meter fine though.

 

[Pgohlke]

They'll work fine, just without autotocus, even though they are autofocus lenses.

You'll need at least a D50, D70, D80, D90 level camera body in order to autotocus with Nikon AF lenses.

They will meter fine though.

ok so what kind of lenses can i buy that would work as autofocus for this camera?

 

[gkarris]

ok so what kind of lenses can i buy that would work as autofocus for this camera?

Nikon FX and DX lenses...

 

[TWLreal]

Nikon D40, D60, D3000, D5000 can only autofocus with AF-S lenses. They will meter with AF lenses but not autofocus. They won't meter with AI lenses.

Nikon D50, D70, D80, D90, D100 will autofocus and meter with AF and AF-S lenses. They won't meter with AI lenses.

You need a D200 and above in order to autofocus and meter with AF, AF-S and meter with AI lenses.

But to answer your question, you will need AF-S lenses in order to autofocus with a D5000. Or a third party lens with built-in focusing motor that is compatible with the castrated Nikon bodies.

 

[TWLreal]

Nikon FX and DX lenses...

That's not an accurate way of saying it at all.

There are plenty of full format lenses that are AF and will not autofocus with D5000 level bodies.

There is also a DX lens that is AF and not AF-S. DX doesn't automatically mean it will autofocus.

Again, D5000 level bodies need AF-S lenses in order to autofocus. Or a third party lens with built-in focusing motor that is compatible with the castrated Nikon bodies.

 

[Pgohlke]

That's not an accurate way of saying it at all.

There are plenty of full format lenses that are AF and will not autofocus with D5000 level bodies.

There is also a DX lens that is AF and not AF-S. DX doesn't automatically mean it will autofocus.

Again, D5000 level bodies need AF-S lenses in order to autofocus. Or a third party lens with built-in focusing motor that is compatible with the castrated Nikon bodies.

whats a good lens or two to start out with. This is my first DSLR. Cheaper is better too.

 

[TWLreal]

You can use this for a while until you know what you want. Or you could've just bought a D5000 kit to begin with.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/532521-USA/Nikon_2176_18_55mm_f_3_5_5_6G_VR_AF_S.html

Someone else who feels more benevolent can explain why.

 

[Pgohlke]

You can use this for a while until you know what you want. Or you could've just bought a D5000 kit to begin with.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/532521-USA/Nikon_2176_18_55mm_f_3_5_5_6G_VR_AF_S.html

Someone else who feels more benevolent can explain why.

thank you for everything. Looks like im going to have to save a little more for this, probably just going to get the kit now.

 

[OreoCookie]

ok so what kind of lenses can i buy that would work as autofocus for this camera?

You need lenses with built-in motors. There are plenty of lenses that you can use on your camera:
- Nikon AF-S and AF-I lenses
- Tokina lenses with built-in motors
- Sigma lenses with HSM
- Tamron lenses with built-in motors

 

[leighonigar]

The nikon kit lenses that come with the D5000 are all fine. Like the 18-55 and 55-200 VR. These are cheap and good. If you want to use your dad's old lenses for a bit, which are ok (but not as good as the above) you could perhaps find a d50 or D70 secondhand at a dealer for a good price.