✦ Focus ring: This is the ring to turn
when manually focusing the lens. If
the autofocus/manual switch
(AF/M) on the lens or camera is
set to Auto, this ring has no effect.
Some lenses, such as the kit lens,
allow manual override of the cam-
era’s autofocus setting, and are
marked with an M/A-M switch
instead. By convention, turning the
ring toward the right (when look-
ing down on the lens from above)
increases the focused distance.
✦ Distance scale: This is a scale that
moves in unison with the lens’s
focus mechanism (whether acti-
vated by manually focusing or by
the autofocus system) to show
approximately the distance at
which the lens has been focused.
It’s a useful indicator for double-
checking autofocus, and for
roughly setting manual focus.
✦ Zoom ring: This is the ring turned
to change the zoom setting. With
many lenses, turning this ring to
the right increases the focal length,
but you may find that the opposite
is true with some lenses (which
can be very frustrating!).
✦ Zoom scale: These markings on
the lens show the current focal
length set.
✦ Lens hood alignment guide/bay-
onet: Used to mount the lens
hood for lenses that don’t use
screw-mount hoods.
Figure 1.7 shows a single focal length, or
prime lens, a 105mm Nikkor macro lens
used for close-up photography. This particu-
lar lens has some features not available on
the kit lens, but that are found on some
other zoom and non-zoom lenses. Of
course, because it doesn’t zoom, this lens
lacks the zoom ring and zoom scale. Other
components include the following:
✦ Lens thread: Most lenses have a
thread on the front for attaching fil-
ters and other add-ons. Some also
use this thread for attaching a lens
hood (you’d screw on the filter
first, and then attach the hood to
the screw thread on the front of
the filter).
✦ Limit switch: Lenses with an
extensive focus range (such as this
macro lens) often have a switch
that can be used to limit the range
used by the autofocus system. For
example, if you’re not shooting
close-up pictures, you can set the
lens to seek focus only at more
distant settings, which can save a
bit of time.
20 Part I ✦ Using the Nikon D70
Zoom scale
Distance scale
Lens hood alignment guide
Lens hood bayonet
Focus ring Zoom ring
1.6 Key components of a typical zoom lens.
06_596780 ch01.qxd 6/16/05 7:20 PM Page 20
To Next Page
