>>>>>>>>>>
I'm sure that the list has debated the issue of MF vs. AF lenses but I'm
specifically directing my question at those Nikon owners who used to own MF
lenses and have bought one or more of the new Nikons bodies which really
need the CPU in the lens to exploit all of the benefits of the camera.
I've owned my F3 for over a decade and it's almost a part of my right hand.
I've always stayed with fast manual focus prime lenses including the
24/2.0, 35/1.4, 50/1.2, and the great 105/1.8
Recently I had the chance to get into an F5 for a great price. I also
bought the 80-200/2.8 new, and an SB-28. All of the electronics are
intimidating to a dyed-in-the-wool F3 user, but I'm really enjoying the
challenge and the myriad of options.
MY QUESTION: (finally)
For those of you who've bought an N90s, an F5 or F100, have you migrated
completely to AF lenses? I cannot afford to own both AF versions of the MF
lenses that I already own and hate the idea of selling these amazing lenses
which have travelled with me to the far corners of globe.
<<<<<<<<<<
Yep, been there, done that. And regretted it.
In my case, the move involved going from an FM to an N8008S and F4. Rid
myself of all manual focus lenses for new autofocus ones to be able to use
the new camera bodies to their full potential. And for a time I was happy.
Then, I found myself using manual focus more and more often. Reverting to
habits and ways that had proven themeselves succesful over 20+ years of
photography. As the neweness of the new bodies passed, I found that for my
style of photography (which includes neither sports nor wildlife; rather
mostly available light shooting), adjusting exposure and focus myself just
felt better. I preferred being in control of the photo and the process of
making the photo. If I made a mistake, I wanted it to be my mistake, not
some epoxy-imbedded silicoln chip's. The less I left to the camera's
automation, the more I enjoyed making the photo.
And I found manual focus more difficult with the AF bodies. Sure, the AF
screens are brighter. But the FM2 or F3 screens are contrastier. To my eye,
scenes snapped into focus more assuredly with the old cameras. Manual focus
was easier and more accurate -- for me -- with those viewfinders not
optimized for AF. Too often, the modern controls, the lens' occassional but
always inopportune focus hunting and hesitation, got in my way and became
more an impediment than an assistance to capturing the image I was
visualizing.
Eventually I sold the AF cameras and settled on 2 FM2s. I may yet add an
F3. And I bought a 24 f/2, a 35 f/1.4 and an 85 f/1.4D (optically better
than the manual focus version, to my eye), to get back into quiet, simple,
indiscreet available light photography. And I'm happier than I ever was
with AF.
That's not to say that you -- or anyone -- will travel the same path I did.
What's right to my style of photography may or may not be right for someone
else. But, based on my experiences, and what you write about the F3 being
so comfortable to you for so long, I'd recommend holding onto your current
lenses for now. For at least another year. Maybe add an AF lens or two as
finances permit. Later, as the newness has passed and you've had a
reasonable chance to see which system is most comfortable in your hands and
to your style of photography, decide which lenses are really expendable.
Larry
