Lens anatomy

Lenses have a lot of technology packed into them, let’s take a look at the components that make your lens work…

Front element

This may have coatings for protection, or to help maintain image quality. Screw-in UV filters can be used to protect the front element.

Zoom ring

Changes the focal length of a zoom lens by moving groups of lens elements forward and backwards to achieve the angle of view required.

Manual focus ring

Used to manually focus the lens if precise control of focusing is needed. Some Nikons have Focus Peaking, which provides manual focus assistance.

Vibration Reduction (VR)

VR lenses use gyroscopic sensors to detect and counter shakes, allowing you to shoot sharp images handheld at slower shutter speeds.

Normal, Active & Sport

Some lenses have extra VR options. Normal is for everyday photography. Active is used when in a moving vehicle. Sport is used when panning.

Lens mount

Attaches the lens to your camera. Contacts draw power to drive the AF motor and VR module, and allow the camera and lens to communicate.

Lens aperture

Controls how much light is let in. ‘D’ and ‘G’-series lenses control this mechanically. On ‘E’ series lenses it’s electronic, for more consistent exposures.

Focal length indicator

The focal length is indicated by a number on the zoom ring that lines up with a central mark. Some lenses have a corresponding distance gauge.

AF motors

AF-S lenses employ Silent Wave motors to move the focusing elements. AF-P lenses use stepping motors that are even faster and ultra-quiet.

Lens Function buttons

Some lenses have L-FN buttons that can be assigned functions such as AF-ON or ‘Memory recall’ buttons that jump to a previously set focus distance.

Control ring

On Z-series lenses you can assign a dedicated control ring (or the manual focus ring in AF mode) to set exposure compensation, ISO or aperture.

Focusing mode

A or M switches between AF and manual focus. Lenses with M/A mode set AF but give instant manual override; in A/M mode AF is prioritized.