Nikon 200-500 AF Question

[Replytoken]

Dug out my 200-500 for an upcoming outing and tried it out with my Z6iii. I like the new AF modes that this body offers, but I am still seeing a behavior in the lens that it did when mounted to my D500 which I still do not understand. My recollection from all of my older DSLR bodies and AF lenses is that when the lens does not have anything in focus, it racks through the entire focus range before it decides that it cannot find anything to focus upon. Quite often, but not always, the 200-500 just sits there when it does not have anything in focus and I press the shutter button. Sometimes it will rack through the focus range and acquire focus, but often it just sits there even if I re-press the shutter button. I am not saying this is not normal behavior, but I just do not understand the logic of it. I can accept a lens that cannot acquire focus AFTER it racks through the entire range, but not even moving just doesn't make sense. Any thoughts?

--Ken

 

[Charles Loy]

I recall that happening too, 200-500 on a D5 or D6. I would move for focus to a contrasty subject to get it working again. Very annoying, for sure.

 

[txstone]

I haven’t used my 200-500 on my Z bodies - only on D500 and D850. I don’t recall that happening. It was always good at racking when I tried to initialize on a new target.

 

[DRwyoming]

My first thought would be dirty electrical contacts on the lens mount or a loose lens mount such that the lens is not properly connected (electrically) to the camera.

I’d try cleaning the lens contacts with a clean microfiber cloth and checking to see if there’s much wiggle around the lens mount and if wiggling the lens when it doesn’t respond at all changes anything.

I’ve had plenty of lenses grab the background or go completely out of focus and stop hunting with mirrorless bodies but they typically respond to the initial AF activation even if they don’t respond to subsequent attempts without manually refocusing the lens.

If the AF does initially respond but not find focus and subsequently AF doesn't seem to activate then yeah, that's something that can happen with mirrorless bodies. If that's the case I'd refocus the lens manually if necessary and try again.

 

[Replytoken]

I recall that happening too, 200-500 on a D5 or D6. I would move for focus to a contrasty subject to get it working again. Very annoying, for sure.

Glad to know that I am not the only one who has experienced this. It has driven me crazy for quite some time, and I have wondered if it was just me.

--Ken

 

[Replytoken]

My first thought would be dirty electrical contacts on the lens mount or a loose lens mount such that the lens is not properly connected (electrically) to the camera.

I’d try cleaning the lens contacts with a clean microfiber cloth and checking to see if there’s much wiggle around the lens mount and if wiggling the lens when it doesn’t respond at all changes anything.

I’ve had plenty of lenses grab the background or go completely out of focus and stop hunting with mirrorless bodies but they typically respond to the initial AF activation even if they don’t respond to subsequent attempts without manually refocusing the lens.

If the AF does initially respond but not find focus and subsequently AF doesn't seem to activate then yeah, that's something that can happen with mirrorless bodies. If that's the case I'd refocus the lens manually if necessary and try again.

Good suggestions. I'll definitely clean the contacts and check the mount. As it has happened with two different bodies, I tend to believe it is a lens issue. I most often mount the lens on a monopod, so that should not stress the mount too much, especially with the Z6iii since is weighs less than my D500 w/grip.

--Ken

 

[fulltimewanderer]

Something that I’ll do if camera is searching and hunting for focus. Is to rotate the camera slightly ccw or cw to change the angle of approach between the camera focus point and the subject. Almost always corrects the issue.

 

[Replytoken]

Something that I’ll do if camera is searching and hunting for focus. Is to rotate the camera slightly ccw or cw to change the angle of approach between the camera focus point and the subject. Almost always corrects the issue.

I have done that as well, but in this instance, there is no racking when I press on the shutter button. It just sits there. I understand that the AF system would respond quite well if something in the screen was in a bit of focus, but it should still attempt to rack through the focus range before alerting me that it cannot find anything.

--Ken