Why won’t my Nikon AF Nikkor 70-300mm lens autofocus on a Nikon D3300?
Asked 12/26/2015
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I mounted a Nikon AF Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G on my Nikon D3300, but it only focuses manually. My other kit lenses autofocus normally, and the camera menu won’t let me switch this lens to autofocus. Since the lens says “AF,” I expected it to autofocus. Is the lens incompatible with the D3300, and if so, why?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
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Unfortunately, that lens will not autofocus on your camera. Nikon make two basic series of autofocus lenses: those with "AF" in the name, and those with "AF-S" in the name. The "AF-S" lenses have the autofocus motor built into the lens, so can autofocus on any camera. The "AF" lenses (as yours is) require the autofocus motor to be built into the body, and the D3xxx and D5xxx series cameras do not have the autofocus motor in the body.
Originally by user11371. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user11371
10y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes — this is a compatibility issue. Your Nikon D3300 does not have an in-body autofocus motor. Older Nikon lenses labeled AF rely on the camera body’s motor to drive autofocus, so on a D3300 they will only manual focus.
Nikon lenses labeled AF-S have the focus motor built into the lens itself, so they can autofocus on cameras like the D3300 and D5xxx series.
So the cause is not a fault with your camera or lens: the AF Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G is an autofocus design that needs a body with a screw-drive motor, and the D3300 doesn’t provide one. That’s also why the camera won’t offer autofocus mode with that lens attached.
If you want autofocus on the D3300, look for Nikon AF-S lenses.
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