on 1/2/01 10:56 AM, Delano Mireles at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> this is probably a stupid question but here goes:
>
> I just received my first non-AF lens and I want to make sure I use it
> correctly. I guess my basic questions is whether I need to switch my camera
> to the MF setting BEFORE attaching the lens to the camera? I know that I
> can cause damage by to the camera or lens by not switching on an AF lens if
> I try to focus manually but not sure of the danger on a MF lens. Please
> excuse the 'newbieness' but just want to keep my camera out of the repair
> shop.
Hi Delano,
This response is from another "newbie" ;-) So more authoritative answer
might come from gurus.
I do not think you will damage anything when you are just attaching an MF
lens to an AF camera. AF cameras have a spring loaded drive shaft, about
the size of a lens mounted electrical contact, which will engage with the
counterpart of an AF lens. It is spring loaded because whenever you attach
"any" lens (AF or MF), lens mount surface will have to "run over" the shaft,
pushing it down flush with the mounting surface. In the case of AF lenses,
when it is properly mounted in position, the drive shaft from the camera
body will engage with the counterpart in the lens mount.
In the case of MF lenses, there is no matching engagement, so that the drive
shaft from the camera body stays pushed down and does no harm.
I do not think the shaft will rotate with an MF lens mounted as the auto
focus won't function anyway (I do not know if the drive shaft is disengaged
when it is pushed down. Probably is).
However, when the camera body is set to MF position, it retracts the drive
shaft slightly below the mount surface (probably disengaging from the drive
motor as well). So, if it makes you comfortable, you can set the camera
body to MF setting so that the mount surface of any lens, MF or AF, won't
even touch the drive shaft.
Hope above is correct.
Cheers,
Ken
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