Switching to Nikon from Canon - Build quality of AF lenses

[Cinema]

I have some very nice canon EF stuff but I feel like the lenses and the mount are dying off quick. The quality is not holding up over the years and focus gears wear, AF problems etc.

I only have manual Nikon stuff, which all works very well 50+ years later. I want to unload my EF stuff in good shape and switch from an EOS 3 to to an f5/6/100 for longevity and build quality. Is the build quality over the decades better than canon? I am sick of sending in EF stuff for repair at this point.

I came up as a focus puller so I had to go to canon mainly because the reverse focus ring of nikon always messes me up, but i'm ready to make the jump.

 

[film_man]

Manual focus stuff has nothing to break unless you drop it. Open an AF lens from Canon or Nikon and you'll find all sorts of tiny little plastic gears and this and that and whatever. I've had Canon and Nikon gear for 20 years now, the only lenses that gave me trouble where a Nikon 17-35 AFS that had the ever present squealling motor and a 85/1.4 that had a broken AF/MF ring.

Unfortunatelly it is the nature of the lenses, they need to be made from lightweight materials for the AF motors to be able to do the work without needing a 12V car battery and massive motor on the lens. But they do wear and they do die and the only difference you'll see between Canon and Nikon is a lot less money in your pocket due to the switch.

Out of interest, how often have you had stuff fail? In 20 years of owning this stuff I've had more trouble with mechanical cameras than the electronic ones.

On your gear, I haven't used the F6 but I prefer the EOS 1N/3/1V over the F5 and F100. The AF is certainly faster and the lens range more consistent.

In any case the AF SLR range is a dying breed, both Canon and Nikon will eventully stop making SLR lensnes as everything is mirrorless now and in Nikon's case you can't even use their new stuff on their film cameras.

 

[Cinema]

had around 4-5 failures on focusing mechanisms at thjs point and i want them to last and not fail in the field. it’s a drag. i do like the eos 3 ergonomics and how widely available ef stuff is, the correct focus ring orientation, ease of adapting to mirrorless etc. the canon af glass and cameras look and work great when they work but i feel quality in build is seriously lacking.

the bodies themselves never gave me a lick of trouble. but i often switch between manual and AF at work and in personal photography and the focus gear always goes in these ef lenses. 100mm, 50mm 1.4, 70-200, 16-35 all have problems with the focus gear with consistent use.

 

[gone]

Once you get used to the Nikon, you won't notice the reverse rotation of the focus and aperture controls. It does feel odd screwing the lenses onto the cameras in a reverse rotation though. It will be difficult if you have other cameras that focus the other way, every time I switch to my Pentax I have to deal w/ that.

Not all the AF lenses are created equally, including the Canons. I used to shoot an 80-200 2.8 ED lens on an F4 (my left shoulder is in bad shape due to this), and that bazooka was built like a tank and almost as heavy. But, it sure brought the shots in every time, and great bokeh on those. By and large, I've found the AF Nikon lenses to be very sharp, but only a few of their lenses have decently smooth bokeh.

As mentioned, all the AF lenses, of any manufacturer, will wear out and break much more often than the manual focus lenses due to their construction. Can you switch to MF lenses? You would have a lot more options that way, including the ability to put 3rd party, high end lenses like Leicas and Zeiss on your camera(s).

 

[Paul Howell]

Canon has stopped development of EF lens mount lens, says that it will keep making and selling lens while updating AF digital bodies. On the whole there are so many EF lens, Canon, Sigma, Tamron and Tokina that I would keep the Canon and replaces lens as needed. Another thought, Canon is servicing most of the L glass lineup.

 

[George Mann]

The AF lenses before the G series have proven to be the toughest and most reliable. The best bodies overall are the F801s/N8008s and F90x/N90s.

 

[DNH]

I have only ever had one lens break on me & that was an 18-55 AFS Nikkor. It just stopped working one day & Nikon wound up replacing a gear in it as well as the AFS motor. Bought new & Hadn't exactly been used a lot either as I never took to digital.

Something to be said for the older AF N & AF D lenses where the AF is driven by a motor in the camera body. Got half 8 of that type of lens & none has given any problems so far.