I have a D70 and I use it with very old manual focus ai lenses all of the time. You will get "F--" displayed on the top LCD all of the time since the camera can't tell what aperture the lens is at but that's not an error. However the shutter only trips when in "M". In all other modes the "F--" will blink and the shutter won't release. While in "M" manual mode the "F--" still appears but does not blink. You can then select different shutter speeds with the command wheel on the camera. The aperture has to be set on the lens only.

In all other modes the shutter will not fire. Also the autofocus selector switch "AF-M" has nothing to do with it. I leave mine on AF all the time and my manual focus ai lenses work just fine. I don't have to put it on manual focus at all. The autofocus motor screw drive is spring loaded so it automatically retracts when a manual focus lens is attached.

If she's getting a blinking "F--" in Manual "M" exposure mode then the lens isn't properly attached to the camera. Tell her to take the lens off and then reattach it firmly to the camera. It will work.

hmm, i haven't been able to find any mention online of that possibly being the issue, it seems that a lot of people have this problem with the d70, with all sorts of lenses. hopefully that's a fix, although it would be a bit strange if it was, as no one with this problem mentions it as a fix.

excellent, that sounds like that may be whats at fault. I've never handled a d70 before, so it's hard to go through it just over the phone.

and I know she is pretty frustrated. hopefully this will help!

The focus mode selector is just below the lens release button. It is a 2-position switch with AF-M settings. It should be set to M with manual focus lenses. Doing so retracts the AF drive screw into the lens mount. If a manual focus lens is attached with the focus mode selector switch set to AF, this may be what is preventing the shutter from being released.

The physical AF switch on the front body should be in the M position.

that's why I'm confused, the shutter won't release. What do you mean if they camera af is set to mf?

Does the camera itself have to be set to manual focus in a menu or something? I assumed by choosing the M mode, and the fact that these lenses are old and are both manual focus, that this would be pretty straightforward.

also keep in mind that this is taking place 3000 miles away from me, which is pretty aggrivating, haha. I want to touch it so badly and try to figure it out.

That is normal, the camera will not meter non-CPU lenses, although the shutter should release if the camera AF selector is set to MF.

ugh, so she got the camera today, and trying both of the lenses in Manual mode, she gets an "f--" error and the shutter won't release. She has tried playing with the aperture on both lenses, taking the lenses off and on. They are both non cpu lenses I assume so the contacts can't be at fault...Is there anything I am missing, or should we just cut our losses now and return it?

unfortunately the 18-55 isn't scheduled to get there until monday, so she can't test that...

The reason they got rid of the autofocus motor on the D40, D5000, etc. is to make the camera body much smaller and lighter. Plus the new AF-S lens motor is virtually silent and very smooth. While the on camera autofocus motor tends to be loud and, depending on the lens, kind of clunky.

No, no, I get it now. I was just confused because I didn't realize there was a distinction between AF and AF-s. It just seemed strange to be because calling something an AutoFocus lens, that doesn't autofocus on cameras without the cameras help seemed counterintuitive. I understand the designations now, thanks.

Lenswork is right. Both lenses are manual focus and don't have AF abilities with any camera. I was thinking of the 35-80 which is an autofocus lens. Both of the lenses you mention foofie will mount to the D70 but will only work in "M" mode and with no autofocus.

There are two types of lenses, manual and autofocus. Manual lenses are older and were made before cameras had autofocus abilities. AF came around in the 1980s and 1990s. There are also two types of autofocus lenses, AF and AF-S. AF lens are autofocused but do not have internal AF motors so they rely on the camera body to power the gears. AF-S lenses have internal AF motors and don't need the camera body for power.

The D70 has an AF motor so it can autofocus both AF and AF-S lenses. However it can not autofocus manual lenses. No camera can. A camera like the D40, D60, D3000, and D5000 can only autofocus with AF-S lenses because they do not have an internal AF motor like the D70, D80, D90, D300/S, D700, D3/S. etc. have.

Think of it this way. If you put a brand new AF-S lens on an oldtimer Nikon F from the 1960s it's not going to autofocus even though the lens has an internal motor either. So same thing with older lenses on newer camera bodies.

thanks, I'm not new to photography though :). Just was a bit confused about the AF capabilities.

Being a D70s owner myself, I can safely say all Nikon lenses honor the autofocus.

If you're looking for a low budget and versatile lens, look at the 50mm f1.8D lens. Depending on where you shop you'll find it between $99 - $140 US. due to it being a normal lens and also a very fast lens, it fills the void for many types of photography including low light, portraiture, and panoramic (via stitching) as there is very little light loss or distortion in the corners of the image. I use it frequently for sports photography in low light (dance events, for example) where I can't use a flash. the lens is very sharp and is also very small so it can be taken anywhere without getting in the way or adding weight to your camera.

If looking for a general purpose zoom, try the 18-70mm F3.5. Also a very sharp lens for the money.

oh boy, not sure what the hell I was thinking, haha. thanks for the help.

foofiebeast said:
Many of nikon's bodies above the immediate consumer level have internal focus motors, which allow autofocusing with non AF lenses.

Sorry, but that is not correct. Nikon bodies that have internal focus motors allow autofocusing with screw-drive type AF lenses, not non-AF lenses. The only way for a manual focus lens to "autofocus" is with the TC-16A http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/nikkoresources/teleconverter/tc16a/index.htm . And in this case, the lens is not doing the focusing, the TC-16A is actually doing the focusing.

And if you are considering the TC-16A, sorry but it will not work with the two lenses you mentioned. It only works with selected lenses have a maximum aperture of 2.8 or faster.

Many of nikon's bodies above the immediate consumer level have internal focus motors, which allow autofocusing with non AF lenses.

Neither the Nikon 35-70mm 3.5-4.8 nor the Kiron lens are autofocus lenses. Therefore, no they will not autofocus on the D70, or any other camera for that matter.

1)gracias
2) manual is no problem, just worried about the AF or no AF situation
3) that's kind of what I figured too, it looks like the sell used for about 60-80 so i'll probably go that route for her
4) Correction, my girlfriend has a very very broke/unemployed boyfriend :)
5)es la verdad. However we have done a year apart, then a year together and now are doing a summer apart. :)

I assumed that with both of these lenses, only "M" would work, interesting. Either way I guess i'll pick her up an 18-55, and then figure out what to send out to her.

thanks niko

1 should work fine
2 I'm not familiar with that lens but it might only work in "M" mode on the D70
3 18-55 would be a better choice for her than the 35-70 since it's waay wider.
4 Your girlfriend has a cheap boyfriend :^)
5 Long distance relationships never work ;^)

The D70 has an auto focus motor so just about any lens should work. However she'll have to lock the aperture at f22 or whatever max aperture is on the lens to use it with the D70. Otherwise she'll have to leave the camera on "M" for total manual control. Yes the AF can be noisy and depending on the lens it might also be sluggish.

I just helped my girlfriend pick up a d70 (used obviously) and am trying to figure out what to do about her lens situation (we are currently living across the country from eachother for the summer).

Her mom is going out to visit her soon and I was thinking about just sending along 2 spare lenses I have. (As some of you may know, I do not currently have a nikon dslr so this would be no inconvenience at all). Here are the lenses I am considering sending out:

1) a 35-70mm 3.5-4.8 nikkor zoom. (It took me awhile to figure out what exactly this lens was, I guess it was the lens sold standard with the FM-10)

2)a (superbly sharp) Kiron 80-200mm 4.5 w/ macro (also, putting this on a d70 won't damage the camera will it? I can't figure out what year it is from, but the fact that it has coupling rings (which let's me shoot with it on my ftn fantastically) scares me, but theres no way its from before 77 right?)

Now my question is (I have never used a d70), will these lenses autofocus on the d70? I believe the answer to that is yes, but I'm not sure. If it is in fact yes, how well do they autofocus? is it extra slow and noisy?

second question: she still has about 100 bucks left over in her camera budget, should she just spring for a cheap newer autofocus lens? Like just an 18-55 or something? If the above lenses won't autofocus, I would assume the answer to this is a yes.

She's not a hardcore camera nut, but she shoots on her ae-1 with me sometimes, and borrows my cameras sometimes and has a pretty good eye, but now she needed one of her own because she is going to be the head photo editor for the school paper (don't ask, hah).

thanks everyone, sorry about the long post, just want to do this right.