• 05-23-2004, 01:32 PM
    kitst3r
    the difference Nikkon "g" or "d" lenses
    newbie >> what is the difference btween the Nikkon AF NIKKOR "G" lenses and the AF "D" lenses. Anyone clarify this please? I got a 28-80 AF "G" lens nikkon package and i want to buy a new lens.
  • 05-23-2004, 01:47 PM
    Franglais
    No aperture ring
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by kitst3r
    newbie >> what is the difference btween the Nikkon AF NIKKOR "G" lenses and the AF "D" lenses. Anyone clarify this please? I got a 28-80 AF "G" lens nikkon package and i want to buy a new lens.
    "AF-D" lenses have an aperture ring and the newer "AF-G" lenses don't. The aperture on AF-G lenses has to be set on the camera.

    This means that AF-G lenses can't be used with cameras released before about 1996 because there's no way to set the aperture.

    Charles
  • 05-23-2004, 05:17 PM
    another view
    Actually, when Nikon first came out with auto focus lenses they called them "AF" lenses (I suppose you could guess that...). Later, they came out with camera bodies and lenses that could communicate the distance of the subject (focus distance) to help determine proper TTL flash exposure; those are AF-D lenses. Later, Nikon moved the aperture control to a dial on the camera body as an alternate to the aperture ring on the lens, which works really well. Since it wasn't used anymore, they started coming out with lenses that didn't have an aperture ring - the "G" lens.

    Some people hate the "G" lenses because they only work at maximum aperture on an F4, 8008 or manual camera. Looks like they're going to keep with the "G" lenses though - suits me fine personally. Also, since the first "G" lenses that came out were pretty inexpensive some people thought "G" meant cheap (maybe like the old Series E lenses). This isn't true; a lot of pro lenses are coming out this way.

    So - you could have an AF-D lens that is or isn't a G, but you can't (that I know of) have a G without the D.

    Geez - I should work for them!