AF-S or AF-P in nikon, ?
MY LENSE
OTHER LENSE I HAVE
23-1-2017 - HARD TIMES FOR CASH
SHOULD I BUY THIS OR NOT NIKON 5600 AT RM 3450 AT LOW YAT WITH FREE OFFER VALUED RM 1700
nikkor AF-P DX-NIKKOR
70-300 MM f/4.5-6.3 ED VR
VS- I HAVE THIS
nikkor AF -S NIKKOR 55-300MM
1.4,5-5.6 GED
MY OTHER LENSES
AF MICRO NIKKOR 55 mm 1.2.8
AND ANOTHER
AF-S NIKKOR DX 18-55 1 , 3.5 -G
Which lens is better AF-S or AF-P in nikon, overall practical use?
10 Answers
Richard Brown, DSLR to View Cameras. Got them and use them all.
Written 9 Dec 2016
AF-S and AF-P refer to the two types of autofocus systems used in Nikon SLR/Digital SLR cameras.
Some cameras can use either type of lens, but not all. AF-S is universal, as it refers to the silent wave focusing system, and should work with all autofocus capable cameras. AF-P requires a camera which provides camera body powered focusing, which is only in the higher end Nikons, like the D7100/D7200.
In terms of “better,” focusing systems do nothing to improve the quality of the optics. There is a third option, MANUAL lenses, with no autofocus whatsoever. Even these lenses benefit from the focus system, however. Sharp focus is indicated in the viewfinder as you manually focus. On the D7100, for example, which I have, the camera will even tell you which way to turn the manual lens barrel to achieve focus, and a dot appears when you are focused.
The good thing about manual lenses is they are very much required for professional cinema work.
Above, a MANUAL 800mm f/5.6 ED IF Nikkor. Because manual lenses are no longer favored, I was able to find this lens on Ebay for a price more than $10,000 less than the original cost of this lens. Before autofocus, there were many great lenses.
This Nikkor is mated to a Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema camera with a straight through adapter from Metabones. This enables massive telephoto effects with under 1/2 degree of vertical view.
This is a view through the rig, above. The moon is basically a half a degree in width, and you can see it does not fit in the frame. This is a frame grab from a 24p sequence. Even on this camera, focus assist exists, important for a lens which focuses PAST infinity like this one.
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Related QuestionsMore Answers Below
• What is the difference between the Nikon AF-P 18-55 VR and the AF-S 18-55 VR lens? Which is better?
• Which lens is better? (Nikon AF-S VR 70-300 mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED or Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G AF-S VR DX IF-ED Telephoto Zoom Lens)?
• Why is the Nikon 70-300 AF-S more expensive than the newer AF-P when the AF-P overall is a better improved lens?
• Which one to chose from "Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-200MM F/4-5.6G ED VR II" and "Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G AF-S VR DX IF-ED Telephoto Zoom "?
• Does the autofocus work on a Nikon AF-S lens?
Mohan Turaga, 20+ years experience with film and 10 years with digital cameras
Written 28 Aug 2016
Let us understand what is AF-P. It is a lens with a stepping motor which allows faster and quieter auto focus which is advantageous for video and also in quiet shooting conditions. Nikon is gradually introducing this technology in its lenses and I have a feeling that Nikon may introduce it in all its lenses. As AF-P lenses incorporate a stepping motor, the number of compatible cameras is limited. For compatible cameras, a firmware update may be required.
The following lenses are available with AF-P motors:
1. AF-P DX Nikkor 70–300mm f/4.5–6.3G ED VR
2. AF-P DX Nikkor 70–300mm f/4.5–6.3G ED (without VR)
3. AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR
4. AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G (without VR)
Please read the following links also and check if your camera is compatible with AF-P lenses. Nikon brings stepping motors to its DSLRs with two 18-55mm AF-P lenses
Optically they may be similar to older lenses but the speed of auto focus and silent operation are the advantages.
17k Views • View Upvotes • Answer requested by Viraj Singh Rathod
This is a view through the rig, above. The moon is basically a half a degree in width, and you can see it does not fit in the frame. This is a frame grab from a 24p sequence. Even on this camera, focus assist exists, important for a lens which focuses PAST infinity like this one.
Eduardo Barriga, Amateur photographer for the last 50 years. Nikon user since 1972.
Written 23 Oct 2016
Hello. This is what Nikon says about the two types of lenses:
“AF NIKKOR lenses use a mechanical coupling between the lens and the camera body. On several Nikon DSLR camera bodies, the focus motor is in the camera and a series of gears drives the lens' focusing mechanism, which allows the lens to focus.
A benefit of AF-S NIKKOR lenses is that they use a "Silent Wave" motor (SWM) for focusing. The Silent Wave motor uses ultrasonic vibrations—rather than a gear system—to focus the lens, providing incredibly smooth, silent and precise autofocus operation.
AF-P lenses use a “Pulse” motor or “Stepping” autofocus motor and are even quieter and smoother to autofocus than an AF-S lens, making these lenses ideal when shooting video with a DSLR.
The DSLR camera bodies that do feature a focus motor can utilize AF and AF-S lenses. Or, in other words, because AF-S NIKKORs have the focus motor built into the lens, they can be used on any current Nikon camera body, whether the body has a focus motor or not, because the lens itself controls the focusing function.
Consumer level Nikon digital SLR cameras are designed without built-in focus motors, which allow them to be smaller and lighter than the larger, more professional models. Consumer DSLRs that do not incorporate a built-in focus motor, therefore need to use an AF-S or AF-P NIKKOR lens to get the full autofocus capabilities from the lens.
But what if you own one of the aforementioned consumer level camera bodies and really want to use an AF lens. You need to know if your camera can accept the lens—and the answer is yes. An AF NIKKOR lens can be used on a consumer camera, with limited functionality. You will have to manually focus the lens, using the focus ring on the lens barrel. The electronic rangefinder, which is visible in the lower left portion of the viewfinder, will confirm that your subject is in focus. Rotate the focus ring on the lens and when it lights up green, the subject is in focus.”
So it depends, on the camera you have and the type of shooting you want to do. Best wishes!!
6.3k Views • View Upvotes • Answer requested by David Dumashie
Vashistha Pathak, Shutter Bug
Written 18 Nov 2016
AF-P is better
Just Like Canon announcing new lens with stepping motor that also compatible with video (silent AF operation) Nikon too announcing silent AF lenses under the AF-P name. That’s all.
New AF-P lens designation
AF-P is the designation used to distinguish these new lenses from Nikon's existing AF-S models. The full model name is 'AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G' and the only difference between the two new AF-P models is that the cheaper lens does not have Nikon's VR image stabilization system.
Both lenses have a retracting mechanism that saves space and bulk when they're not being used. This was first seen on the 18-55mm VR II lens that first appeared with the Nikon D3300. But Nikon's also saved weight and bulk by ditching the AF/MF and VR switches on the lens barrel. Instead, these options are set via a menu on the camera body.
Nikon says this is a good thing because it means you won't accidentally change the lens settings through clumsy camera handling, but it could also be interpreted as a bit of cost saving - and it does lead to an additional complication. These controls will be available only on the Nikon D3300, D5300 and D5500 models, and even these may require a firmware update.
It's not the first time Nikon has created additional complications by cutting back on physical features - its D3xxx-series and D5xxx-series DSLRs dropped the autofocus drive mechanisms built into the body on other models, so you are restricted to lenses with autofocus motors built in. Most modern lenses do have AF motors, but some older and still useful lenses don't.
The new lenses are made for Nikon's DX format cameras and priced pretty keenly, though most users are likely to get them as part of a kit.
The AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G (non-VR) weighs 195g and will cost £149.99 (about US$220). The AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR weighs 205g and will cost £199.99 (about US$293).
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Arvin Chang, Making images for decades - some of them were not terrible ;D
Written 11 Aug 2016
AFAIK, there are only two Nikon AF-P lenses (lenses with stepping motors) in existence: the AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR and the AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G (non-VR version). Those two lenses are better than their AF-S counterpart the AF-S Zoom-Nikkor ED 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G DX as they focus faster, quieter and more smoothly (the latter being very important when shooting video).
However, there are many aspects of a lens aside from focusing motor and they tend to be more important in “overall practical use”.
7.6k Views
Richard M. Fidler, I have been a photographer both amateur and professional for more than 40 years
Written Nov 21
They both achieve the exact same end result. The AF-P is just a little faster, and Nikon being the company it is, they don’t adopt new technology unless it’s proven to make for a better experience. Nikon puts it this way :
These AF-P lenses, for which a stepping motor has been adopted to drive autofocus, ensure fast and quiet AF. The benefits of smooth and quiet AF are also demonstrated with movie recording. These lenses were also designed to be compact and lightweight, making them extremely portable, despite the fact that they are telephoto zoom lenses.
That is the take on the 70–300 zoom that incorporates the new tech. It’s on others too of course. Most of the time I use manual focus (when the scene allows it), so it’s kind of a moot point for me.
3.1k Views • Answer requested by A. Elizabeth Evans
Prasanjeet Choudhury
Written Oct 3
Currently Nikon only has 4 AF-P lenses of 2 focal lengths, with and without VR, meaning 2 variants of each.
1. AF-P DX NIKKOR
18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR
2. AF-P DX NIKKOR
18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G
3. AF-P DX NIKKOR 70-300MM F/4.5-6.3G ED VR
4. AF-P DX NIKKOR 70-300MM F/4.5-6.3G ED
AF-P lenses have a stepping motor, which makes autofocusing faster and smoother.
18–55mm is the standard kit lens focal length. And I can tell you that AF-P 18–55 is clearly superior to the AF-S 18–55. Faster, smoother and quieter focus. Since it’s faster, it helps still images, since it’s quieter, it’s good for video recording, as it doesn’t have the annoying autofocus motor noise. So this IS better than the equivalent AF-S version.
70–300 one is a new in which they tried to emulate the focal length of the FX lens 70–300 f4.5–5.6 but he AF-P one is f4.5–6.3 so it is inferior comparatively. But then again, this is offered as a kit lens instead of the 55–200. And I would say either of them in this range is fine. If you want more range(telephoto) and quieter focus, but compromising on the aperture on the tele end, then you can go for the AF-P 70–300.
Points to remember -
1. There are only 4 total AF-P lenses Nikon has and they have just started manufacturing it.
2. You only get the VR variant, as an option in the kit lens with some D3xxx and D5xxx series cameras, the newer ones. I don’t think there is any reason one would want to buy the non-VR one anyway.
3. These lenses don’t have a physical switch to change turn VR on and off or to change between manual and auto focus. You have to do it inside the camera, but for that you have to update your camera firmware. Me personally, I don’t like this move Nikon decided to do. I’d prefer physical buttons, they make it much faster.
4. These lenses are currently only compatible with a very few cameras. The entry level ones. I’m not sure if they will make it compatible with others via firmware updates or not in the future or if they will make more lenses with stepping motor. We have to wait and see. So you should google which cameras AF-P ones are compatible with.
5. They are all OK lenses, as they are kit lenses. Out of the 2, I would say 18–55 one is sharper. 70–300, well, the range would be quite helpful, especially for wildlife things like that, as it’s versatile. But don’t expect much from it in low light conditions, as it has variable aperture.
6. They both have plastic mounts. Something I don’t like. Overall they aren’t that durable, but then pretty much NO kit lens is made to be durable like the more expensive pro lenses anyway.
I think I have the best answer here ;) And I hope that helped. :)
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Rafael Suarez, 17 years taking and missing pictures
Written Dec 13
It all depends. If you are going to need ultra fast focus, maybe the P are the ones you need. But if you are into product or food photography, maybe this is not that relevant. I mean the only difference I notice is the focus speed. No better optical formula, no better crystal… Just a different motor… Faster. If you are an amateur, buy the normal ones. And if you want to get better at focusing, buy a manual one.
1.1k Views
Navin Prasath, Enthusiastic photographer
Written Wed
i am being practical in this case
AF-P lenses use stepping Motors for focus. They offer a better ,smooth and silent operation in focusing.
only 4 lenses are available.(that too only two 18-55kit,70–300 both with or without vr).
so obviously,if u are in need of any one you have a choice. but ,about me AF-P or AF-S they are not going to make a lot of difference.
101 Views • Answer requested by Mohana569 .
Paul Preston, Professional wedding and nature photographer living in Wisconsin.
Written Oct 19
I’d go with the AF-P but its use depends on your camera body. Easy enuf to find out. If you buy used, make sure the lens is clean, namely no fungus etc. Good luck.
