got a new lens, have some questions

[Luvmyzoocrew]

Ok so i have a Nikon D3000 and i sold some stuff on Craigslist and with some of the money I bought a lens for my camera , a 50mm 1.8. Now I am noticing that it is a manual lens, there is no where on the lens for me to do auto focus or manual, maybe i have to do it differently? And i was thinking that the pictures were going to pop, but i am not sure, maybe i am doing something wrong, lighting or settings. I still dont get all the camera lingo,lol. so speak dumb, really dumb , to me,lol.

My friend has this and another lens and i LOVE her pictures, she is an amazing photographer, but i dont know if i am doing something different then her, she tells me what she does and it is not different from what i am doing, as far as i know. I am trying to decide whether or not to keep it or send it back.

It is not a zoom lens, i have to move closer or away from the object, dont know if that is suppose to be like that or not,lol. I just want to make sure that i got the right lens and that there is nothing wrong with it, and it is ME, lol

 

[Pet_Bunny]

I understand you have a Prime (fixed focal) lens 50mm 1.8

However the Nikon D3000 as the D5000, D40 cameras need to use the newer lens with the AF-S, AF-I, or G versions to have automatic metering and focusing.

If you have any of these markings (AF-S, AF-I, or G) on your lens, then it should work. Other lens will work, but it won't meter or focus. You would have to do everything manually. It can be an inconvenience as it will slow you down to get the setting and focus correctbefore you take a picture.

 

[Luvmyzoocrew]

the box for the lens says Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D af

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000V43FPW/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

this is what i got, did i get the wrong one?

 

[MikeScone]

Luvmyzoocrew wrote:

the box for the lens says Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D this is what i got, did i get the wrong one?

Wrong? Depends. It's a great lens - see Ken Rockwell's review of it.

That lens will work fine with the D3000 in every way except it will not auto-focus. That's one drawback with the D40/3000/5000 - they don't have a focus motor in the camera body, so they can only autofocus with lenses which have their own internal focus motors. The 50mm 1.8 does not have the built-in focus motor, which is why the D3000 can't autofocus with it, and also why the lens lacks an Auto/Manual switch.

You'll need to focus the lens yourself, which really isn't a huge problem. We manually focused lenses for years before autofocus became all the rage.

You focus the lens using the focus ring, which is around the lens, near the front - it's the part with the ribs. Because the D3000 is a single-lens reflex (SLR) you'll see the effect of focusing in the viewfinder, so just turn the ring until what you want in focus is in focus. You can see the focus ring with its distance scale in this picture:

If you're having trouble getting focus right, the D3000 is supposed to have an indicator in the viewfinder to help with focusing this sort of lens - not having a D3000, I'm not sure what it looks like. Check your manual. It will probably be called an electronic rangefinder, or focus confirmation, or something like that.

The metering should work OK, as the lens does have the built-in CPU for aperture and distance feedback. Make sure that you have the f-stop ring (that's the inner ring labeled from 22 to 1.8) set to the smallest aperture. The lens in the picture above is set properly at f/22. Just rotate the ring until the dot is next to 22. When it is, set the lock to hold the ring in place.

There is no zoom, because it isn't a zoom lens. Zoom lenses have variable focal lengths - that is, you can change the lens magnification. This lens has a fixed 50mm focal length.

See my thread "What are all those numbers?" for a primer on focal length. Also, see the thread Fixed Length Lenses for a discussion of this lens and its close relatives. For lens compatibility notes for the D3000, see Ken Rockwell's review of the D3000.

 

[Pet_Bunny]

MikeScone wrote:

The lens in the picture above is set properly at f/22. Just rotate the ring until the dot is next to 22. When it is, set the lock to hold the ring in place.

The lock is the two orange dots that you slide down on the tab when you are at f/22.

I believe there is an electronic focus confirmation dot in the lower left of the finder that comes on when you are in focus.

You could keep the lens, and if you upgrade your camera, it would work with the new camera.

 

[Luvmyzoocrew]

Pet_Bunny wrote:

MikeScone wrote:

The lens in the picture above is set properly at f/22. Just rotate the ring until the dot is next to 22. When it is, set the lock to hold the ring in place.

The lock is the two orange dots that you slide down on the tab when you are at f/22.

I believe there is an electronic focus confirmation dot in the lower left of the finder that comes on when you are in focus.

You could keep the lens, and if you upgrade your camera, it would work with the new camera.

:laugh: ha ha so that is what that flashing dot is,lol. I found the Range finder and turned it on to help me.

Thank you, I think i will keep it and play around with it. Mike thanks for the links i will check them out. Thank you Stan and Mike for the help too, and explaining it to me.

 

[Luvmyzoocrew]

Thought i would include some pics that i have taken with my new lens.

These are ones i tried with a blue filter.