Auto focusing 3rd party lenses

[rockfall]

Hi,

Will the gh1 be able to auto focus third party lenses? e.g this one

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/product/default.aspx?sku=12869

The D90 etc has an internal focus motor, does the panasonic have one or will it only auto focus panasonic lenses with a motor build into the lens?

Thanks

[paulgandersman]

i would love to know the answer to this as well.

i'm thinking about buying one of these:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Nikon-lens-to-Panasonic-Lumix-G1-GH1-micro-4-3-adapter_W0QQitemZ250422526636QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLe ns_Accessories?hash=item3a4e5882ac&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C 240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

and am wondering A. how well it will work, and B. if it will work with Nikon AF lenses?

[paulgandersman]

anybody got any ideas? :/

[editman]

I don't think the GH1 has a focus screw and if it did you would have an adapter that worked not only with the mount but also so the screw fitted between GH1 and i.e Nikon lenses.

[paulgandersman]

meaning that you can't use AF lenses with it? does this mean you must buy manual focus lenses only? or can you still buy AF lenses and manually focus them? (somebody told me if its an AF lens it WONT allow you to manually focus it when using an adapter, is the the troof?)

[ydgmdlu]

The reason that you can't use autofocus on third party lenses is that the autofocus mechanism requires communication between the lens and the camera. Every camera system has its own communication protocol. Adapters don't make the communication work; they don't translate from one protocol to another. Adapters are only for physically mounting lenses to bodies.

Any AF lens with any value will allow you to manually focus with it. That's because no serious photographer uses AF all the time. I don't know of any AF lens that doesn't allow MF. However, the manual focus on certain AF lenses does not use the old-school mechanism. Instead, it's more of a simulated MF that relies on the internal focusing motor. (This is the kind of MF implemented in prosumer camcorders). Using this kind of lens with an adapter probably won't allow you to manually focus, because there won't be an electrical connection between camera and lens.

The real problem with using modern AF lenses is that many of them, including the newest Nikons, don't have aperture rings. And if you don't have an aperture ring, then there's no way to control the aperture on the lens, unless you made or found an aperture plunger.

[paulgandersman]

wow! thank you so much! that's the answer i was looking for for a while! so NO AF nikons for me then :) thanks!

[Martti Ekstrand]

Here's a list of Four Thirds lenses compatibility with GH1 functions when used with Panasonic's Four Thirds to micro Four Thirds adapter. A few support AF according to this.

http://panasonic.jp/support/global/cs/dsc/connect/g1.html

[admactanium]

Here's a list of Four Thirds lenses compatibility with GH1 functions when used with Panasonic's Four Thirds to micro Four Thirds adapter. A few support AF according to this.

http://panasonic.jp/support/global/cs/dsc/connect/g1.html

Good info. Thanks for that. That Zuiko 70-300 (140-600?!) seems interesting and somewhat compatible. If I ever make it back out to a Moto GP race I'm going to have to buy and adapter and that lens for the trip.