Epic fail? 70-200s of all makes among least reliable lenses
As mentioned on the Leica forum, my friend's relatively new, but out of warranty, Nikkor 70~200 VR-II lens was not giving sharp results and the Nikon estimate is $600 for a repair. I've done some searches on common problems- the VR mechanism fails, the part alone is ~$150 to buy on Ebay. My oldest Nikon lens is from 1948 and works perfectly, took a few minutes to disassemble and clean when received. The Nicca III body that it came on needed new shutter curtains. I tend to use manual focus lenses on the Df, but have some of the original AF lenses made in the 1980s- they still work. These are mechanical lenses using the drive motor of the Body. It makes me think that a photographer on an assignment should back up the expensive new lenses with some older lenses.
Has anyone else experiences problems with newer AF Nikkor lenses? Do these lenses require frequent repair and calibration?
As mentioned on the Leica forum, my friend's relatively new, but out of warranty, Nikkor 70~200 VR-II lens was not giving sharp results and the Nikon estimate is $600 for a repair. I've done some searches on common problems- the VR mechanism fails, the part alone is ~$150 to buy on Ebay. My oldest Nikon lens is from 1948 and works perfectly, took a few minutes to disassemble and clean when received. The Nicca III body that it came on needed new shutter curtains. I tend to use manual focus lenses on the Df, but have some of the original AF lenses made in the 1980s- they still work. These are mechanical lenses using the drive motor of the Body. It makes me think that a photographer on an assignment should back up the expensive new lenses with some older lenses.
Has anyone else experiences problems with newer AF Nikkor lenses? Do these lenses require frequent repair and calibration?
