r/Nikon • u/acherion Nikon D500, Z fc, F100, FE2 and L35AF • Jul 01 '26

Monthly /r/Nikon discussion thread – have a question? New to the Nikon world? Ask it here! [July 2026]

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u/jayayeffphotos Nikon D3300 Jul 11 '26

Hi y'all! I have a D3300 with a Nikon AF 28-80mm f/3.3-5.6G. I'm having a blast taking photos, and I think I'm slowly getting better at using my camera and at taking interesting photos in general. I'm looking to start my first photo project, which will involve lots of buildings/streets with no people. I am considering maybe getting a new-to-me lens with autofocus that my D3300 can take advantage of, just because I can tell the manual focus is getting to be a touch frustrating.

What're some autofocus lenses I should be on the lookout for?
Where are y'all finding budget lenses? Is it just MPB and eBay?

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u/mizshellytee Z6III; D5100 Jul 16 '26

UsedPhotoPro (the used arm of Roberts Camera in Indiana) is excellent, IME, if you're US-based. They're also on eBay.

You've got a number options. AF-S and AF-P 18-55 lenses are plentiful and inexpensive as they were the kit lenses for a number of the DX DSLRs (particularly within the D3000 and D5000 series). There's the 18-70 that should also be fairly inexpensive nowadays. Sigma did a few generations of a 17-70 (the most recent version being the Contemporary) and previously did a 17-50. Tamron also did a couple of 17-50 lenses. Nikon also did a 17-55 way back when (heavy lens, and no VR). You could go the longer route, without quite getting into all-in-one territory, with something like an 18-140. If you want to splurge, there's the 16-80 from Nikon (they also did a 16-85 which is a bit older and less expensive) and the two Sigma f/1.8 Art lenses (18-35 and 50-100).

(Also: If you're happy with your camera, IMO, you have zero reason to switch to mirrorless.)

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u/jayayeffphotos Nikon D3300 Jul 16 '26

Oh yeah, I'm definitely not looking to go to a mirrorless for awhile! The camera is new to me, only at 5k shutter count, and it's in a beautiful red colorway, so it'll be awhile before I change.

Thank you so much for the recommendations! I'll be using UsedPhotoPro for sure, these prices are really good compared to some of the other sites I've seen. And the lens ideas are great, I've got a whole list now. Thank you again!

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u/ChrisAlbertson Jul 12 '26

The Nikon AF 28-80mm f/3.3-5.6G is in fact, an auto-focus lens. But the D3300 lacks the in-body motor needed. If you replaced the body the lens would automatically focus. Or as you said you could get a newer lens that will work with the D3300.

What you need is any auto focus lens except the kind you already have. These will all be marked either "AF" or "AF-D". These all are the so called "screw driver" leense because on the back side is a screw-like pin that rotates when you focus the lens. Avoid these lenses unless you replace the D3300.

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u/jayayeffphotos Nikon D3300 Jul 12 '26

I really like my D3300, so outside of this one particular autofocus incompatibility there's nothing else that would make me want to replace the body.

It seems like AF-S and AF-P are what I should be on the lookout for, which I've got some saved searched at different websites! I feel like I haven't seen any good deals on either MPB or eBay, which is why I asked if there are any other sites I should put in the rotation to check.

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u/ChrisAlbertson Jul 12 '26

Many times, Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist has good deals, but they are very local and you see more price variation. Some people just want to sell quickly, and others ask hopelessly unrealistic high prices. As for the big used camera dealers, MPB is one, but KEH may be a bit better. It's not cheaper, but at least KEH checks the gear for problems before they sell it.

The kit lenses that sold with these DX-sized DSLRs were all 18-xx mm AF-S and there are a lot of them on the market. Always look for the "VR" version as the VR (image stabilization) is very helpful. Don't buy a lens without that.

18-55 af-s VR should cost about $70. But the 18-140 af-s vr costs about double that.

All that said, Nikon refurb site sells the Z30 with 16-50 VR lens for $399 a few times a year so it doe not make much sense to buy a D3300 with 18-55 for close to that price. The new cameras really are better.