[dcmsox2004]

good day all....(please note that i added, correctly i hope, a new listing for
this lens in the 3rd party lens review listings under vivitar zooms)
Vivitar 75-300mm MF Specifications

i just purchased this lens, for not too much money...... 60 bucks...ebay...
i found an older set of reviews on photography review, with an
average rating of 4.4/5.0.... so i took a chance.....
i've got a k200d, and have never used anything other than
a fully automatic lens....
i have already set the proper parameters within the camera body
for using manual focus lenses....
duh........ what else do i need to do to shoot with this lens..........
please keep it simple, cuz i'm stupid (actually too lazy to read the manual to it's full length and breadth)....
do i keep the body on 'af', i assume so, as there is the 'a' setting on this lens...
what do i do next to manually focus and get the pics i want to capture.........
regards and thanks.......... dcmsox2004

[Just1MoreDave]

Keep the aperture ring on the A position. In that position you should see an aperture on the top LCD, and the aperture can be controlled by the camera. If you move the ring off A, it will say "F--".

Once that works, all you need to do is focus. If the camera is set to MF, the shutter will fire whenever you press it. If the camera is set to AF and you've chosen the default AF-S mode in the menu, the AF sensors will not allow the shutter to fire unless they detect something in focus. The AF-C mode will be similar to MF. In all modes, the sensors are active, and the green hexagon will light up when they detect something in focus. With a lens with an A setting, all 11 focus points are active. Just like with an autofocus lens, the sensors only detect something in focus, not necessarily exactly what you want in focus.

[dcmsox2004]

thanks dave.... if i just leave the body setting on 'af', choose the af-s mode, manually focus on my subject, wait for my little green hexagon friend, press the 'trigger', i should be aok.....
is there any benefit to set the camera to mf versus af??? this is the part which confuses me when using a manual focus lens with an 'a' setting............ why not just af the body setting, and shoot away....
regards, dave meyers

[Just1MoreDave]

is there any benefit to set the camera to mf versus af??? this is the part which confuses me when using a manual focus lens with an 'a' setting............ why not just af the body setting, and shoot away...

In decent light, the AF sensors work well enough so there's no advantage either way. AF might be better, because you can hold the shutter button down and turn the focus ring until the camera fires. But in low light, the sensors can get in your way, not allowing a photo until they see something in focus. I hate it when "they" get in my way.

I have so many manual focus lenses that my camera is rarely set to AF.