Can a Nikon body with a built-in AF motor save money on lenses?
Asked 3/5/2012
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I'm comparing the Nikon D5100 and D90. The D90 has a built-in autofocus motor, while the D5100 relies on lenses with their own AF motors. If I choose the body with the in-body motor, can I save money overall by buying older Nikon autofocus lenses that don't have built-in motors?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
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If money is the only consideration and if you plan to buy many lenses, I'm sure the answer is yes. The newer AF-S lenses are more expensive than the AF-D predecessors, or the AF lenses before those.
If price is the only consideration, you might forego AF altogether and get some old MF Nikkors. They're often cheaper still.
I have trouble endorsing the direction this thought process leads, though. AF-S lenses often offer more than just internal motors: better optics are pretty standard. A while back I pulled out an old 35-80mm f4-5.6 AF-D "kit" lens and shot with it a little on my D300 and was amazed at how poor the optical quality of it was as compared to the 18-55mm AF-S "kit" lens. It wasn't bad, but the 18-55 was clearly better. I'm sure that there are many great AF-D lenses, but I suggest that you'll really need to do your research to be sure you're getting something worthwhile.
Of course, the AF-S lenses offer two other great benefits, too: generally faster AF, and much quieter AF.
Originally by user8473. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user8473
14y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes—if your main goal is minimizing cost and you plan to buy several lenses, a Nikon body with a built-in AF motor can save money because older AF/AF-D lenses are often cheaper than newer AF-S versions.
That said, price isn’t the whole story. Newer AF-S lenses often offer more than just the built-in motor: they may also have better optical performance. So while older screw-drive lenses can reduce cost, they are not automatically the better value in image quality or overall usability.
If budget is the only priority, you could save even more by considering older manual-focus Nikon lenses, though you would give up autofocus entirely.
So the short answer is: yes, a body like the D90 can reduce lens costs, especially if you want to build a larger lens kit. But don’t assume the cheapest older lenses are equivalent to newer AF-S lenses in quality.
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