Are just "AF" lenses compatible with the Nikon D3100

here is the official Nikon chart :

Only the higher end DSLRs have a AF motor in the camera, the D3100 needs lenses that have a focus motor in the lens and doesn't work with AF-D lenses where the motor in the camera rotates a screw in the lens. AF-P use a pulse motor and are not compatible as well.

A used 300 AF-S f4 shouldn't be too expensive (before the PF model). Other alternatives are 100-400 and 150-600 Tamron and Sigma zooms. Better check reviews to see how they perform in the focal lengths you use the most.

400 primes only f2.8 and expensive (and difficult to handhold). A 300 f2.8 VRII should cost around $2500-$3000 used in excellent condition, a bit less for a VRI, and there is also an AF-S without VR, but it's still a lot of money and they are heavy.

LASR said:

Only the higher end DSLRs have a AF motor in the camera, the D3100 needs lenses that have a focus motor in the lens and doesn't work with AF-D lenses where the motor in the camera rotates a screw in the lens. AF-P use a pulse motor and are not compatible as well.

A used 300 AF-S f4 shouldn't be too expensive (before the PF model). Other alternatives are 100-400 and 150-600 Tamron and Sigma zooms. Better check reviews to see how they perform in the focal lengths you use the most.

400 primes only f2.8 and expensive (and difficult to handhold). A 300 f2.8 VRII should cost around $2500-$3000 used in excellent condition, a bit less for a VRI, and there is also an AF-S without VR, but it's still a lot of money and they are heavy.

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If I was looking to buy lenses at that price, I wouldn't be using a D3100 to hook them up to . . !

To The OP: Only lenses with the "AF-S" prefix will autofocus on a D3100.

For various reasons all others will still allow you to focus but only manually.

"AF" lenses will generally be more reasonably priced as they're older.

I've got a very old AF 50 which I used on my D3100 many years ago and I was more than happy with the results. In fact, I'm still using it (manually) on my Z7,


"It's good to be . . . . . . . . . Me!"

I can't afford thousands of dollar lenses...

Newbie Aviation Photographer said:

Heyo everyone. I recently bought the Nikon D3100, and so far I am EXTREMELY pleased with it. I have a nice secondary lens that reaches to 200mm. I am into aviation photography, so more zoom is very helpful. Anyways, I have been searching around for a 300mm or 400mm lens, and all of the AF-S lenses, which are the ones that are compatible with the D3100, are all super expensive.

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Once you get above 300mm (for a slow lens), or get to 200mm or more (for a fast lens), all lenses tend to be very expensive.

There may be Sigma, Tokina, or Tamron lenses with built-in motors that would work on your camera – and cost a bit less than their Nikon counterparts – but check compatibility closely.

Be careful of what you buy in the longer than 300mm lenses range .

There is always the temptation to buy "cheap" but after you buy the second or third lens because the previous ones were not good enough, cheap becomes expensive.

One way of overcoming that is to, once you get your lens, not to compare your results with those that use pro type stuff.

Independent manufacturers make lenses that are compatible with the Nikon D3100, and these will typically be less expensive than Nikkors, especially used.

Lenses such as the Sigma HSM and Tamron USD types are the equivalent of Nikon's AF-S, and both companies make a 100-400mm zoom. These have optical image stabilisation systems (OS and VC respectively, equivalent to Nikon's VR):

https://www.dpreview.com/products/sigma/lenses/sigma_100-400_5-6p3_dg_os_hsm

https://www.dpreview.com/products/tamron/lenses/tamron_100-400_4p6-6p3_di_vc_usd

As I commented on another thread, a mate of mine has that Tamron. Maybe not as good as the best but a lot less expensive and much better than the kit type 70-300mm and similar.

Newbie Aviation Photographer said:

I can't afford thousands of dollar lenses...

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Not many people can, but that's the cost of fast tele primes. But the 300 f4 (before the PF) used should be around $400 - $500, same for 100-400 zooms, the Nikon 200-500 f5.6 used, around $900-$1000, same for 150-600 zooms.

I am not a Nikon shooter but know enough to have an opinion. When I hear aviation photographer I am thinking going to airshows and taking pictures of the planes flying as well as the static displays.

You mentioned manual focus is ok. For action of planes flying I would want auto focus.

To be perfectly honest I question if your body is up to the job. A entry level, 2010,12mp, 3 shots per second. By all means use it since you own it but have realistic expectation. I am not familiar how good the af is with keeping up and the 12 mp might limit cropping.

Nikon has a 55-300 with a variable aperture. New that is going to be $400ish. Outdoors in daylight it should be fast enough. As others have mentioned above 200 if you want fast you will need to pay.

As mentioned I am not a Nikon shooter. But I have thought about picking up a d500 and bigma lens for some wildlife and motorsports. I have also thought about getting a bigma and a m43 system

AF and AF-D lenses with fit and meter, but they won’t autofocus.

LASR [B]wrote:[/B] [QUOTE="LASR said:

Newbie Aviation Photographer, post: 65187032, member: 1829673"]
I can't afford thousands of dollar lenses...

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Not many people can, but that's the cost of fast tele primes. But the 300 f4 (before the PF) used should be around $400 - $500, same for 100-400 zooms, the Nikon 200-500 f5.6 used, around $900-$1000, same for 150-600 zooms.
[/QUOTE]
And a D3100's worth about 50 quid.

I doubt that I could give mine away.

"It's good to be . . . . . . . . . Me!"

An alternative to an expensive "long" DSLR or MILC telephoto lens might be a superzoom bridge camera like the

• Nikon CoolPix B600 (16 megapixels, 24-1440mm (equiv.) f/3.3-6.5 lens, no viewfinder, LCD doesn't tilt or swivel, $327
• Nikon CoolPix P950 (16 megapixels, 24-2000mm (equiv.) f/2.8–6.5 lens, $800
• Nikon CoolPix P1000(16 megapixels, 24-3000mm (equiv.) f/2.8–8 lens, $(OVER BUDGET)

These cameras both have small sensors and the noise disadvantage that goes with that … and autofocus at the telephoto end may not have the greatest performance, due in part to the limitations of contrast-detect AF in dealing with the effects of atmospheric haze. (But when a "real" full-frame Canon 1200mm f/5.6 lens costs as much used as a small house, one might learn to live with some limitations to get the cost savings!)

DPR writes: "The P950 doesn't operate exactly like a Nikon DSLR, but the experience of using it alongside (say) a D3000-series camera is close enough that anyone who's used to one should pretty quickly be able to get to grips with the other."