Nikkor Question

[Tara333]

I can't seem to find an answer to this question, not even on the Nikkon site, but I've bought a Nikkor 55-200mm 1:4-5.6g ED which says it is compatible with all Nikon DX body styles but the autofocus seems a little wonky. It will sometimes focus, sometimes not. I have a d40. I'm happy with the results when it does focus just not sure that the motor is compatible with my d40 but can't find a definitive answer. Does anyone know?

[monday]

Should autofocus with d40. Minimum focusing distance is 43 in so trying to focus anything closer than that will bring trouble. Not sure if that helped, but good luck.

[Tara333]

Ah! That could be it. Does it require a lot of light as well?

[ravncat]

5.6 is fairly slow - I think Nikon AF generally tends to stop working (have lots of trouble) somewhere between 5.6 and 8.

So when you are zoomed in at 200, you`ll want more light, F4 is ok.

[Tara333]

Gotcha. That makes sense. Thanks!

[Ella1267]

What I have just recently discovered was that is you have a DX Body, which a D40 is, your lenses need to be a DX in order to autofocus. I didn't know this until I went to a camera shop with a 50mm D that wouldn't autofocus on my D5000. The lens you have should still fit the camera and you will have to manually focus it. They do not autofocus unless it is a DX. Good Luck

[Nicole]

Originally Posted by Ella1267

What I have just recently discovered was that is you have a DX Body, which a D40 is, your lenses need to be a DX in order to autofocus. I didn't know this until I went to a camera shop with a 50mm D that wouldn't autofocus on my D5000. The lens you have should still fit the camera and you will have to manually focus it. They do not autofocus unless it is a DX. Good Luck

Not quite accurate.

To auto-focus with the D40/D3000/D5000, your lens needs to be AF-S. There are FX and DX AF-S lenses, so don't let the FX/DX designation fool you. It's the AF-S that you need to be looking for.

[Tara333]

It will autofocus it just seems to take a good long while to decide what to focus on. I bought it more for my daughter's recitals and such. I don't know if it's me or the lens as I bought it second hand.

[RLucas]

If you are shooting in a low lit recital hall, the AF will go crazy. The less contrast you have, the more the AF will hunt. It's the nature of the lens.