Which autofocus system to buy into

Lyn Ciampa · Feb 6, 2015

I am working my up from Digital point and shoots (Sony)--->DSLRs(Sigma)--->Mu4/3(Fuji XE-1)---->rangefinders (love me some Voightlander)---and now to SLRs (OM2 sp, Minolta SR7) I now want an Autofocus body. Why? Because can't tell the difference when I use the DOF preview

Don't want Minolta because i read that their hot shoe mounts are proprietary.
So any of tips as far as ease of use and ergonomics trump being able to use manually.

Canon EOS?
Nikon N?

Body OIS?
Lens OIS?

Thanks,
Lyn

AgX · Feb 7, 2015

Lyn Ciampa said:
Because can't tell the difference when I use the DOF preview.

I'm puzzled.
For focusing the point of interest (and that is what an autofocus will do too) one does not use the DOF-preview feature, but just the largest aperture.

Have you adjusted the eye-piece to your sight (by means of glasses or diopter attachment)?

jimjm · Feb 7, 2015

Nikon system is great because you can use all the older AI/AIS lenses, as well as any pre-AI lenses back to 1959 (if they've been modified).

Something like the N80 is a good place to start - lightweight and inexpensive with a lot of good features. N90 is also a very good camera. F100, F4, F5 are all pro-level cameras and can be found for great prices too.

I have an F100 and F4, and the VF and metering displays are outstanding. For a fairly lightweight, do-everything body, it's hard to beat the F100.

trythis · Feb 7, 2015

And your budget is?
What focal length do you want to shoot?
How many lenses will you buy and I am confused about the depth of field preview in relationship to autofocus as well.
Eos cameras can often manually use nikon lenses, but not the other way around.

Ricardo Miranda · Feb 7, 2015

Something like the N80 is a good place to start

And that one can't take a single manual lens, unless you use an external meter.

Lyn

About hot shoes, in AF cameras, they are all proprietary to a specific manufacturer. The thing is apart Minolta, they all use the basic hot shoe design with a central contact, plus their proprietary features in the form of extra contacts. A hot shoe from Canon might look similar to Nikon, but they are different. Just look at them. If you want to explore flash features, you'll have to buy a flash compatible with that camera.

About OIS, I thought that was a Sigma designation!
Nikon uses VR and Canon uses IS. They are about the same thing.
Not actually needed. Nikon cameras can only use VR if they had 5 AF points, so most cameras made after 95.

If I were you, I would go to Butkus.org and start reading some manuals. This way you'll know what each camera has to offer and how they work.
Good reading.

BTW, as a friend keeps reminding me, no AF camera is "maintainable".

Slixtiesix · Feb 7, 2015

It depends on the class of camera. While most of the older/cheaper EOS cameras had a pretty basic AF (only 1-5 AF points), the EOS 3 was highly sophisticated. EOS 30/33 were somewhere in between. Either if you chose Nikon or Canon, considering how cheap these cameras are today I would go for one of the later advanced amateur/semi-pro models (EOS 33/30 or EOS 3, Nikon F100) if you budget does allow for it.

AgX · Feb 7, 2015

Ricardo Miranda said:
About hot shoes, in AF cameras, they are all proprietary to a specific manufacturer. The thing is apart Minolta, they all use the basic hot shoe design with a central contact, plus their proprietary features in the form of extra contacts. A hot shoe from Canon might look similar to Nikon, but they are different. Just look at them. If you want to explore flash features, you'll have to buy a flash compatible with that camera.

Independant flash manufacturers offered adapter systems for their flashes to different camera models.
As the Metz SCA System and the Sunpak adapters.

Nodda Duma · Feb 7, 2015

Take a look at the Canon Elan 7Ne. Spot-focuses where you are looking in the viewfinder.

John Bragg · Feb 7, 2015

I had a similar dilemma a couple of years ago. I settled on a Nikon F90x with a 50mm f1.8 af and it is a lovely camera. Semi-pro spec and tough as old boots. I have since added a Nikon F5 and an F100 and 3 more af lenses to my collection. I already had some manual focus Ais lenses and I wanted every lens to work with my "new" bodies. I love them all, but I am preferring back button focussing as on the F5 and F100 as it is a surer bet for pinpoint focussing for low light portrait use. Good luck with whatever you choose.

macfred · Feb 7, 2015

jimjm said:
Nikon system is great because you can use all the older AI/AIS lenses, as well as any pre-AI lenses back to 1959 (if they've been modified) .

I have an F100 and F4, and the VF and metering displays are outstanding. For a fairly lightweight, do-everything body, it's hard to beat the F100.

+1 !

Another vote for the Nikon F100

The F100 should be cheap enough in these days - the F90/N90, though a good camera, has much less sophisticated AF and has no manual aperture control on G lenses.
An SB-30 flash will be a good addition.

gedra · Feb 7, 2015

Don't have experience with Canons, but have been very happy with Nikons for 40 years. My first autofocus was an 8008s which is very nice, but the F100 adds matrix metering and the F6 is leaps beyond this. Can't speak highly enough about the matrix metering on the newer bodies.

Alan Gales · Feb 7, 2015

AgX said:
I'm puzzled.
For focusing the point of interest (and that is what an autofocus will do too) one does not use the DOF-preview feature, but just the largest aperture.

Have you adjusted the eye-piece to your sight (by means of glasses or diopter attachment)?

I'm puzzled too. I don't understand the OP's question either.

andrew.roos · Feb 7, 2015

Hi Lyn

Welcome to APUG.

I don't think you can go wrong with either Nikon or Canon. They both have very comprehensive and competent systems. Both use in-lens image stabilization, which has the benefit for cameras that use an optical viewfinder that the viewfinder image is also stabilized. In any case I suspect in-body stabilization would be problematic for film cameras as you would have to move the film around....

Nikon has the benefit that you can use the older manual focus lenses on an AF body (but of course then you don't get AF). Canon introduced the new EF mount for their AF bodies, which was not compatible with the older manual focus FD mount. But by doing so they gave themselves a clean slate to work from, and arguably came up with a better AF system, using in-lens motors for focus, than the original Nikon approach using a motor in the body driving the lens. I think this is borne out by the fact that Nikon later adopted the same approach with their AF-S lenses.

If you do go with Nikon, it would be worth getting one of the later bodies, that have support for AF-S lenses and VR (image stabilization). Some of the earlier bodies, such as the N6006 and N8008, don't support these features. The F100 that has been mentioned by several others would be an excellent choice. With Canon, AFAIK, all their AF bodies will work with all the EF lenses (except the EF-S lenses for crop sensor DSLRs), although of course later bodies will typically have more sophisticated AF and metering systems

Andrew

M Carter · Feb 7, 2015

N90s - super cheap, very capable, usually can be found with the extended grip. Many backs have the rubberized coating fail into a sticky mess, which can be scrubbed off with alcohol and profanity.

8008/8008s - built in multiple exposure, which I used a lot pre-photoshop. No grip was made by Nikon for this model. (N90s needs a special back if you need that).

Those are the best of the super-cheap bodies I would guess... many later film bodies are excellent, the plasticy ones above can be found ridiculously cheap. I have an N90s, an 8008 and an 8008s, bought them new and used the hell out of them professionally - they're still going strong.

cliveh · Feb 7, 2015

How does any auto focus system know what to focus on?

AgX · Feb 7, 2015

By being adjusted to one/some point in the image area. As for instanced a central, marked area.

Kirks518 · Feb 7, 2015

Lyn Ciampa said:
I now want an Autofocus body. Why? Because can't tell the difference when I use the DOF preview

I really don't understand this part of the question. What are you using DOF Preview for that you feel an AF body will help? I'm kind of feeling like you don't understand the purpose/function of the DOF Preview.

Regarding the proprietary hot shoe issue, yes, they all have a central hot connection that will fire on other bodies, but I think what the OP is referring to is the mount design. You can mount and fire a Nikon flash on a Canon, and vise verse, but the Minolta hot shoe mounting bracket is shaped differently, and the flash has to have a specific mount shape to fit. So you can't use a Nikon, Canon, or even your basic Vivitar/Sunpak flashes on a Minolta body without an adapter. This is with the newer Minolta bodies that have the AF (and possibly some of the newer MF bodies), the older Minoltas (SRT, etc.) have industry standard shoes.

snapguy · Feb 8, 2015

dusted off

I have just dusted off my state-of-the-art Minolta AL rangefindfer (made about 1961). Its top advanced feature is manual focus which I love. It has a 45mm f2 lens and 1/1000for a top shutter speed. Don't need no stinkin' auto focus or focus-pocus. Your experience may vary from this model.

PentaxBronica · Feb 8, 2015

If you buy one of the better Pentax AF bodies then the light meter will work with any K mount lens (from the original Ks to the FA-J series).

Look for a PZ-1 or PZ-1P, also sold as the Z-1/Z-1P. This was their top 35mm camera at one point and can now be found for very little money.

Also worth looking for an MZ-S, but they're less common and more expensive.

If looking lower down the range, avoid the other MZ/ZX bodies as they have a weak spot in the form of a cog. This frequently cracks and renders them paperweights. The SF and Z series seem a lot more robust.

Personally I like my SFX. It's an '80s brick and the AF isn't the fastest, but it handles surprisingly well for such an angular beast. Also fond of the Z-50P I picked up for a few £s last year, as it can control the FA-J 18-35mm to give me a super-wide-angle (rectilinear, not a fisheye).

waynecrider · Feb 8, 2015

All in all I think it comes down to which lens system and body you might like, not which AF system. Most of the late model bodies can do a good job auto focusing, mostly.. Where your going to find differences is in speeds, especially with longer lenses without limiters when they can hunt. Btw, I believe there is an adapter for the Minolta which will allow the use of the older strobes.

Which autofocus system to buy into

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