Nikon vrs. Canon DSLR autofocusing

[duraace]

At the risk of this sounding like a dumb question, do Canon DSLR bodies control lens focusing similar to Nikon?   I've never owned a Canon and just assumed both Canon and Nikon lenses employ a motor in the lens to autofocus.  I came across a post that regretted buying a Nikon, because "There is no autofocus in the body".  Is it me or is this statement meaningless?

[bob mccarthy]

meaningless for most part.

A non issue for almost everybody, as only the very bottom of the camera line (D40/x) are w/o the in-body motor. All other Nikons have both systems so any lens can be used.

Canons are in lens motors only. Nikon switched to same system years ago, but retain the ability to focus lenses from prior setup.

Bob

[joneil]

meaningless for most part.
A non issue for almost everybody, as only the very bottom of the camera line (D40/x) are w/o the in-body motor. All other Nikons have both systems so any lens can be used.
Bob
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-snip-

  Agreed.  Wanna know something - despite these limitations, I really like my D40.  I think some people do not do their homework or expect too much for too little.   There's a reason why a D40 is a lot less money than a D300 or D3.  

    The irony for me reading these statements is that I specifcially bought the D40 because it takes all my old, MF Nikkor lenses.  Take a couple of test shots to get my shutter speed set right, and away I go.

   However if quick and accurate auto focus is what you need - such as in "action" shots for sports games, auto racing, birding, etc, then save up your money and get either a good Canon or Nikon with the best autofocus you can afford.

joe

[duraace]

meaningless for most part.

A non issue for almost everybody, as only the very bottom of the camera line (D40/x) are w/o the in-body motor. All other Nikons have both systems so any lens can be used.

Canons are in lens motors only. Nikon switched to same system years ago, but retain the ability to focus lenses from prior setup.

Bob
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Interesting. Thanks

[Tony Beach]

-snip-

  Agreed.  Wanna know something - despite these limitations, I really like my D40.  I think some people do not do their homework or expect too much for too little.   There's a reason why a D40 is a lot less money than a D300 or D3. 

    The irony for me reading these statements is that I specifcially bought the D40 because it takes all my old, MF Nikkor lenses.  Take a couple of test shots to get my shutter speed set right, and away I go.

   However if quick and accurate auto focus is what you need - such as in "action" shots for sports games, auto racing, birding, etc, then save up your money and get either a good Canon or Nikon with the best autofocus you can afford.

joe
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Something else that the D1, D2, D200 and D300 cameras do that your D40 and all of the other Nikon consumer DSLRs don't do is meter (both exposure and flash) with those old MF Nikkors.  There are a host of other features, but that would be OT to discuss here.

The difference between Canon and Nikon in this regard is that the D40, D40x and D60 do not have internal AF motors and there are lots of Nikkor lenses (including nearly every prime lens) that will not AF without this; whereas all of Canon's modern lenses have internal AF motors and none of their cameras do.  If you buy any Nikon DSLR except for the three motorless consumer models I mentioned, then AF compatibility is a non-issue.