auto focus v's manual?

[wen-tom]

Hi guys, havent been on the boards for a while - or doing much practice with my DSLR which I am still totally new to despite owning it for almost 2 years! Life just got too busy to find the time to play...

Now I've picked up the camera again...

DH bought me a Nikon 50mm 1.4 for christmas. I have D40x so it will not autofocus on my camera which I sometimes find a real issue for me.

So, I am now considering a body upgrade.

Bearing in mind that I am a complete novice, would the D90 be too much camera for me? I have looked also at the D80 and can't decide which would be best for me?

does anyone use manual focus a lot? how did you teach yourself to get the shot quickly? i spend so much time trying to get the shot in focus that i have missed it

 

[jann1033]

if the camera has auto settings you can use those till you get familiar with the rest. if you don't mind the cost then either replace the lens with one that does af on your camera or get a new body. you can always sell the lens or body you don't use.
i know some use manual focus and i do occasionally for macro shots or if the af isn't working due to low contrast or something but normally i use af. my eyes don't see well enough to mf all the time although i did just upgrade my body( canon ) and i think it somehow signals when you achieve focus if you are doing it manually, you could check and see if yours does as well. i haven't tried it yet with mine so don't know how well it works but it may speed things up a little

 

[Gdad]

If you can operate a D40x then neither the D90 or D80 should be a problem. They both have the same or similar control modes- one extra command dial and a top LCD which will just make getting information and making quick adjustments more simple. I use my daughters D40 sometimes and actually find it more cumbersome to use than most of my other cameras.

I use manual focus sometimes but keep in mind it is easier to manually focus an older non-AF lens. They are typically designed and geared with MF in mind and much easier to use thanks to a wider and better placed focus ring. (See the picture below of the 50mm f1.4 AF-D and the 50mm f1.2 AI-S.) Also the lenses are geared to be smoother and more deliberate making fine tuning manual focus easier. And if all else fails you can still rely on the focus indicator light which will tell you when even a manual focus lens is in focus.

 

[wenrob]

I went from a D40 to the D90 and at the very beginning I found it a little overwhelming. But that didn't last long at all. I was quickly spoiled by the LCD on the top and the dedicated buttons. No more scrolling through menus to change something! I think it's actually pushed me to learn and made my photos better. Less auto modes so I was forced to learn what to do and it was easier because of those dedicated buttons. I'd never go back. I am not an expert but I believe the D90's ISO capability is better then the D80's and the sensor is the same used for the D300.

As for manual focus, I only use mine when there's no other choice, lol, so I'm no help there.

If it were me I'd upgrade the body rather then trade the lens but I'm an enabler like that.

 

[wen-tom]

thanks for the replies guys

I think i would rather upgrade the body then trade the lens..although i had thought about that as it would save me some money but then i dont want to be in the situation later of wanting the better body and wishing i had done that.. did that make sense at all

so i guess i need to know.. do my current lenses work with the d90 body as they have the motor in the lens which the D90 doesn;t need? or does that make no difference when the body can do it on its own?

aaaarrrrgg. i confuse myself more by the second...

 

[annnewjerz]

thanks for the replies guys

I think i would rather upgrade the body then trade the lens..although i had thought about that as it would save me some money but then i dont want to be in the situation later of wanting the better body and wishing i had done that.. did that make sense at all

so i guess i need to know.. do my current lenses work with the d90 body as they have the motor in the lens which the D90 doesn;t need? or does that make no difference when the body can do it on its own?

aaaarrrrgg. i confuse myself more by the second...

I think the D90 is a good choice (and I may be biased since I have one also ). All of the lenses that worked on your D40x should work on a D90. I had a D60 and upgraded to a D90 and the lenses all work a-okay.

Good luck and happy shopping!

 

[zackiedawg]

Your lenses should all be upwardly compatible...the lenses designed to work with the D40 should be fine on the higher APS-C models, but the lenses designed to work with the higher models aren't downwardly compatible to the lower models (no AF, as you've encountered!). The extra focus motor just becomes redundant.

 

[YesDear]

Yeah what everybody else said! They are soo good!

 

[wen-tom]

thanks all. you are all so good..

now i just need to find a few hundred pounds for the D90....can anyone help me with that?