F3AF Lenses

F3AF Lenses (circa '83-'86)



These are Nikon's first production autofocus lenses. I believe that they only autofocus with the F3AF and F4 bodies. I've heard various places that they should not be used on other electronic bodies unless the autofocus has been disabled, or that they may drain the batteries on electronic cameras. However, they seem to work alright on my D7100, so maybe these fears are unfounded.

Both lenses are internal focusing, which is nice, and the leatherette on the barrels is pretty attractive, especially compared to the plain plastic barrels of early AF and AF-D lenses. The buttons on the barrel and A/M switch were focus locks. It makes some sense both lenses are telephotos since the limited depth of field and usage for sports or wildlife might make autofocus very useful. Wide-angle lenses with their greater depth of field and ability to zone focus do not benefit as much. I do wonder why Nikon did not make something like a 50mm f/2 for the F3AF however.

80mm f/2.8 IF (circa '83-'86)

An uncommon lens, around 12500 made. Modest specifications compared to the manual focus 85mm f/2 and 85mm f/1.4.

200mm f/3.5 ED-IF (circa '83-'86)

A rare lens, around 5200 made. Very complicated design for the modest specifications: 8 elements in 6 groups, compared to 5 elements in 5 groups for the 180mm f/2.8 ED and 200mm f/4, perhaps some of this is due to the internal focusing design. Has selectable focus ranges, I assume this helps it focus faster and minimize hunting. Supposed to be a very good performer.

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