Should I exchange a manual-focus 50mm for the AF-S version on a Nikon D5000?
Asked 3/28/2012
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I use a Nikon D5000 and bought the older Nikon 50mm AF lens, but it does not autofocus on my camera. I originally wanted the 50mm AF-S for portraits, and now it is finally available while I am still within the return window. The AF-S version costs about $80 more. As a newer photographer who has mostly relied on autofocus so far, would I be giving up too much by keeping the manual-focus lens? Is manual focus on a fast 50mm likely to hurt my results, or is it worth learning with?
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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Focusing manually, even with an optical viewfinder*, is very tricky to do accurately. Film SLRs tended to have a split prism which allowed more accurate manual focusing, as AF lenses and bodies weren't as common back then. The split prism broke an out of focus element horizontally, allowing you to achieve accurate focus by aligning the two halves of the portion of the image, a much easier task than gauging whether something is blurred or not.
A quick Google brings up this accessory which will allow you to use a split prism in the D5000, so you may wish to consider the cost of the accessory (along with any optical side-effects such an accessory will have) against the extra cost of an AF lens.
*I should add, live view is a very good option and probably the most accurate when using the zoom feature, but by 'optical viewinder' I mean as opposed to the digital kind common on bridge cameras and some compacts.
Originally by user456. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user456
14y ago
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For a D5000, the AF-S version is the better choice if the extra cost is acceptable. A fast 50mm used for portraits often has shallow depth of field, so accurate focus matters a lot, and manual focusing through a modern DSLR viewfinder can be difficult. Older film cameras often had focusing aids that made manual focus easier; your camera’s standard viewfinder is less forgiving.
Autofocus also helps with speed and consistency, even for portraits where subjects are relatively still. You can learn plenty about photography without giving up autofocus—controlling exposure, evaluating your images, and refining technique are much more important than forcing yourself to manual focus.
Manual focus can still be useful in some situations, and live view with magnification can be very accurate, but for everyday portrait use on a D5000, autofocus is a valuable feature rather than a crutch. Based on the answers, exchanging it for the AF-S lens is the recommended move.
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