Electronics problems with Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VR?

StewartR

StewartR

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I'd like to know whether anybody out there has a Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VR (not the VR II) which has experienced problems with the electronics.

I have SIX of these lenses (all between 1 and 3 years old), and FOUR have had problems. It's often intermittent, and there have been a bewildering variety of symptoms: iris stuttering, VR juddering, AF stuttering, aperture setting not recognised, etc. I have one in for servicing at Nikon now for the THIRD time: they still insist they can't reproduce the fault, but as soon as we put it on any of our test cameras it plays up.

Am I just unlucky? Has anyone else experienced anything like this?
 
No problem here with mine. Approx 3 years old.
 
Stewart, I have two very, very intermittant issues with my Mk1 VR; one where it'll produce a massive shift in colour (over to magenta). I generally shoot on a custom setting or on cloudy, and never on auto WB. It happens generally when I change lens and stick the 70-200 on. It's not happened for a while so can't remember the specifics of what I was doing at the time.

The other is the lens not engaging focus. It'll do it and then I'll flick the AF/MF selector switch and it'll start workimg as normal. Again, this happens one time in a hundred and thankfully hasn't compromised me.

Suppose little things like this keeps me on my toes, but from your perspective I suppose it's a worry as a provider of a service :)
 
specialman said:
Stewart, I have two very, very intermittant issues with my Mk1 VR; one where it'll produce a massive shift in colour (over to magenta).
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That is REALLY weird. I'm glad I've never experienced that, because if that were to happen to an unsuspecting customer then their shoot could be ruined. At least all the problems I've seen have been such that you notice them as soon as you touch the shutter button!
specialman said:
The other is the lens not engaging focus. It'll do it and then I'll flick the AF/MF selector switch and it'll start workimg as normal.
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That sounds like a slightly faulty AF/MF switch. I'm not saying it is - there are all sorts of electronics issues which could have the same effect - but the obvious thing to do turns out to be the correct fix. So if that happened to one of my customers I might not even get to hear about it.
 
I can live with these quirks and I'm rarely in a position where if I miss a shot I'm shafted - I usually do get another opportunity :)

But for you, like you say, it can spell a whole host of issues.....
 
StewartR said:
Day-to-day: D70 and D90.
Available when needed: D2 and D3.
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Are the faults present on the Dx models? The lens mount on some of the old bodies consumer bodies, such as the D70 can be the source of all sorts of errors with some of the heavier pro lenses. Shouldn't really be an issue with the D90 or the D2/3 though.....
 
Brought mine s/h a few years ago, so don't know how old it actually is, but has worked perfectly through all sorts of weather conditions with no problems, taking up to 1500 images a day and some of my racing events.
 
Flash In The Pan said:
Are the faults present on the Dx models? The lens mount on some of the old bodies consumer bodies, such as the D70 can be the source of all sorts of errors with some of the heavier pro lenses. Shouldn't really be an issue with the D90 or the D2/3 though.....
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Interesting idea. But I'm afraid I don't see it myself. We don't have any problems with any of our 200/2, 300/2.8, 400/2.8, 500/4, 600/4 or 300-800/5.6 lenses - all of which are bigger and heavier than the 70-200. And the problems we've experienced only seem to affect the 70-200 VR model, not the 70-200 VR II.....
 
I used to have the very occasional issue with the aperture setting, but I put that down to a poor contact and it always resolved very quickly, and never happened often enough to worry me. Never any of the other issues you describe though.
 
StewartR said:
Interesting idea. But I'm afraid I don't see it myself. We don't have any problems with any of our 200/2, 300/2.8, 400/2.8, 500/4, 600/4 or 300-800/5.6 lenses - all of which are bigger and heavier than the 70-200. And the problems we've experienced only seem to affect the 70-200 VR model, not the 70-200 VR II.....
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It's not that then! Tbh, I've only ever seen it with the 80-200, not the 70-200...
 
StewartR said:
I'd like to know whether anybody out there has a Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VR (not the VR II) which has experienced problems with the electronics.

I have SIX of these lenses (all between 1 and 3 years old), and FOUR have had problems. It's often intermittent, and there have been a bewildering variety of symptoms: iris stuttering, VR juddering, AF stuttering, aperture setting not recognised, etc. ...
Click to expand...

I've had no experience of this myself but some early batches reportedly had a ground fault, but I would have thought they'd have checked for this. Google will bring up reports.
 
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