AF Stopped Working--Nikon 70-200mm AF-S VR II f2.8 G, ED-IF

[joseph_smith3]

I just tried to use my Nikon lens 70-200mm AF-S VR II f2.8 G, ED-IF lens on my D850 and discovered that the auto focus is dead. It is not the camera as other lenses with AF work just fine on the D850. And the 70-200mm AF is dead on my D500 too. I purchased the lens in 2012. 

I cleaned the contacts on the lens and camera and I toggled the A/M switch on the lens too. Nothing resolved the issue. Manual focus on the lens works just fine. 

The lens is worth only about $900 if all is working.

Any idea if any AF parts are still available from Nikon?  

If yes, what might be the approximate repair cost? 

I hate spending big bucks to fix it as the lens is old.  

Any other options I might consider? 

My Nikon bodies are Z9, D850, D500 and D800e. 

I will contact Nikon for possible repair/parts available next week. 

 

Thanks 

[mike_halliwell]

Time to get the much better FL or Z version....😉

[joseph_smith3]

Mike, yes, that thought has occurred to me. I have the Z mount Nikon 24-120mm and the Z mount Nikon 100-400mm S. I am not sure I need or could justify the cost of the Z mount 70-200mm f2.8. 

I have a friend who has Z mount Nikon bodies and he uses these Nikon Z mount lenses: 24-120mm; 24-200mm and the 100-400mm. None is f2.8. 

 

Joe 

[mike_halliwell]

39 minutes ago, joseph_smith3 said:

am not sure I need or could justify the cost of the Z mount 70-200mm f2.8. 

Grey price here in the UK, is ~ £1600

Not too painful...😉

Edited May 7, 2023 by mike_halliwell

[tonybeach_1961]

2 hours ago, mike_halliwell said:

Time to get the much better FL or Z version....😉

Yeah, it has been my (painful) experience that acquiring old lenses is problematic because of the lack of parts, and the costs of repair to get lower quality output simply doesn't make sense compared to buying newer gear and abandoning the sunk costs of the older gear (applies to cameras too).

[mike_halliwell]

I've got a 500mm f4 AFS and a 600mm f4 AFS that are now MF bookends. One is an irreplaceable AFS motor and CPU failure, the other just the AFS motor. No spares. If I head cross the pond to Midwest Cameras, apparently they can rebuild AFS motors. But Z is the future.

However, mirrorless peak focussing has given them a new lease of life, if the action isn't too fast.

[ShunCheung]

The VRii version was introduced around 2009 and I bought mine in 2010. It seems a little soon for that AF-S motor to fail after 11 years. I have had a couple of motor failures, but those were on early AF-S lenses with an aperture ring, after 16, 17 years.

Repair cost used to be ~$400 or so say 5 years ago, but it is hard to say with current inflation.

I have that same lens model and never bought the FL version. At this point I wouldn’t repair any F-mount equipment.

Earlier this year, a friend had his 500mm PF AF motor fixed. He has a really early one from late 2018 and is still under the 5-year warranty. I guess AF-S motors can fail quite soon. 

 

[joseph_smith3]

Shun, thanks for the information in your response.

It so happens that my copy of the Nikon 500mm f5.6 pf is at Nikon (West Coast) for repair right now as I dropped it (a short distance) with a 1.4x III tc attached.  Nikon has informed me that the 500mm pf needs repair too. Once I know the costs I will share them. I am sure it will exceed $400 for the 500mm pf alone.   

I doubt I will spend the $$ to fix my version of the 70-200mm f2.8, but I plan on asking Nikon how much that might be.   

Thanks to all for your suggestions. 

 

[mike_halliwell]

16 hours ago, joseph_smith3 said:

Nikon Z mount lenses: 24-120mm; 24-200mm and the 100-400mm. None is f2.8

Fast apertures' main benefit in the film past was to get a fast (enough) shutter speed to prevent subject blur caused by the film sensivities limited to ~ ASA 1600; 400 was the highest 'preferred' speed.

Now, it's primary function seems to be for blurring the background via limited DoF. ISO only starts getting scary at 6400.... that's at least 4 stops more.

[hjoseph7]

Stop guessing call Nikon !

[joseph_smith3]

On 5/7/2023 at 9:37 PM, joseph_smith3 said:

Shun, thanks for the information in your response.

It so happens that my copy of the Nikon 500mm f5.6 pf is at Nikon (West Coast) for repair right now as I dropped it (a short distance) with a 1.4x III tc attached.  Nikon has informed me that the 500mm pf needs repair too. Once I know the costs I will share them. I am sure it will exceed $400 for the 500mm pf alone.   

I doubt I will spend the $$ to fix my version of the 70-200mm f2.8, but I plan on asking Nikon how much that might be.   

Thanks to all for your suggestions. 

 

I just got my 500mm pf and 1.4x tc back from Nikon. Repair costs were about $210 for the 1.4 Tc III and about $350 for the 500mm f5.6 pf. Both had bent bayonet tabs or something similar. 

[ShunCheung]

52 minutes ago, joseph_smith3 said:

I just got my 500mm pf and 1.4x tc back from Nikon. Repair costs were about $210 for the 1.4 Tc III and about $350 for the 500mm f5.6 pf. Both had bent bayonet tabs or something similar. 

Those are probably moderate repairs with some sort of mount damage. $350 seems reasonable for the 500 PF, and $210 is not bad but that is almost half the value for the TC-14E.

Way back in 2009, once my 70-200mm/f2.8 AF-S VR version 1 fell from tripod height onto the ground. Only manual focus was affected, AF wasn't. I took that to Nikon in Los Angeles and they wanted $550 to fix the helicoid, and I declined, since AF was totally fine. I didn't even notice the damage until two months later when I tried manual focus. You may face a $500 or so repair bill for the 70-200/2.8. I would rather use the money for a Z-mount or the FL version if you need to use that on DSLRs.