Have the lens for about a year. Have not incurred that, or any other, problem. Love the lens as it provides a wide range of focal lengths, is convenient, easy to use and not heavy. It also saves weight by not having to take other lens when traveling. Must be careful to hold it steady, or use a mono pod or tripod when the lens is fully extended to 400mm, which is the case on any long lens. I have had pretty good results hand holding it or bracing myself occasionally. Taking an tripod, or even a mono pod while traveling, however, can be inconvenient when traveling, depending on the type of traveling, particularly with a tour / group. Use it with my Nikon D7200. Recently took it with me to Spain and Portugal with great results and will be also taking it next month to Northern Italy. Overall, great lens!
As an aside, couldn't figure out why, on a few occasions, the pop-up flash kept popping up and then the flash going off when taking a picture. The reason, the wide brim on my hat to protect against the sun caused a reduction in the light being picked up by the camera. The flash filled in close shots, which I did not like the results of, and of course did nothing on longer, landscape shots. Removing my hat cured that. Live and learn!
Last year I bought a Nikon d7200 to upgrade from my D300 and D70 models, which I still have and work fine. I bought it refurbished by Nikon, after researching the differences between a new one and refurbished one, which is mostly the length of the warranty, 3 years vs. 90 days. I was concerned about the short warranty on the refurbished model so I called B&H and was told that Nikon only performs random tests on their new cameras at the factory, but fully tests all features on all refurbished models it refurbishes, after fixing whatever may have been wrong with the body to require refurbishing. I tested all of the features I normally use after purchasing it and they all worked as they should.
About a month ago I returned from a trip to Spain and Portugal where I took about 2000 shots with the D7200, using a new Tamron 18-400 lens I had previously purchased to obtain a wide range of settings, while reducing the number of lenses I had to carry. I was pleased with all of the results and had no issues with the camera or lens.
I have also played with this combination camera body and lens locally around SE Mass. and Cape Cod since I purchased the camera and lens and, so far, am pleased with the results of both.
JoeC
This is a good time of year for a visit as it is before tourist season which can get very crowded. Forget the comments about the "Cape Cod Tunnel", which are smart a.. . There is no such thing. It is used as a subtle joke to confuse tourists.
I live in Plymouth just 7.5 miles from the CC Canal and the beginning of the Cape so go there frequently. The best advice I could give is to orient the directions of the Cape in your mind. It sticks out from the mainland to the east. At the heel is Chatham. Very lovely with beautiful views facing East, like Plymouth. Provincetown at the end of the Cape faces several directions as it hooks around to the north. So it depends on where in P Town you stand as to the direction. There are many beaches and marshy areas. Some of the beaches are very long and straight, such as in Sandwich, Dennis, and Brewster on the north side and Truro & Provincetown on the east.
Don't get caught up in terms like "Upper, Lower, and Outer" Cape, as they can be confusing, just think in terms of north, south & east. The best thing might be just to familiarize yourself with a map layout of the Cape and then Google a variety of terms, such as best Cape Cod beaches, marshes, parks, sunrise & sunset locations, to see what is there and what you might be most interested in during your visit. There are also some areas that have long boardwalks that go over beautiful marsh areas such as in Sandwich and Dennis, but the one in Sandwich has been damaged by our recent storms. I don't know about the one in Dennis, but the areas are lovely anyway, with lots of photo ops.
The best preparation is to do your homework in advance and make a list of the areas your may want to visit. The Cape is not that large and if you have a plan you can save time and visit many areas. If you have an I phone, bring it, and use the GPS capability (one good app is Ways) for getting around as you can just drive along its coasts and turn in on any road that ends at the water to see what is there. Also don't forget Woods Hole which is part of Falmouth and a fun and interesting little community. The ferry to the Vineyard and Nantucket runs out of there, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute w/ museum is there.
Do your advanced research, make a plan and you will have a most enjoyable time. Ask a lot of questions to find out more as the locals are typically very friendly and helpful. Have fun when you are here!
Recently I purchased one of the pacsafe camera toploader bags camsafe v6, because of their security features. Although I have several different camera bags, and have not had any security issues yet, I do travel internationally and thought is might be a good idea to try this product. If your are concerned about airport security issues regarding their machines picking up the SS wires and mesh in the pacsafe products, you might want to simply keep the two product info./ marketing pieces that come attached to their bags, in one of the pockets in their bags. Then if an issue arises where airport security personnel are confused, simply pull out these items that clearly show and explain their safety features, including showing the ss wires in both narrative and diagrams. if that doesn't work, don't return to that country!
I had done a lot of research on the Nikon d7200 and the D500. In the end I decided on the D7200. I wanted to upgrade from my D300 and D70, both of which are good cameras and still are working well, just old. For the photography I do, mostly travel, amature, I decided that the D7200 was better for me. I also like cameras to have a built in flash, which the D500 does not have. Also the MPs were just too high for me. I have several Nikon external flashes so that is not the issue. Once I decide on the model the model the next consideration was cost. The cost I found on the internet at such stores like Adorama and B&H was around $1,000. A friend of mine had been considering one also and decided on a refurbished D7200. I had never considered anything refurbished as I considered it far inferior to a new model, especially due to the differences in the length of the warrantees. I then decided to call Adorama to get more information on refurbished models. I have purchased other cameras, lenses and accessories from then in the past and have always been pleased.
Much to my surprise I was told that their refurbished models are refurbished by Nikon, at their factory and are put through a complete check of all parts and electronics. They said that Nikon only does that to a sampling of their new models, but every refurbished model gets that thorough check. They said that if Nikon finds any thing wrong, they fix it by either replacing the part or adjusting any setting that may be necessary so that when they finished their refurbishing process, the camera had to meet all of their specifications for their new cameras of that model. That impressed me! My friend bought his refurbished D7200 and so did I and neither has been disappointed. We both paid about $729 about four months apart by just waiting for a sale. I still occasionally see that price for the refurbished D7200, but only occasionally. As such, I will always consider refurbished models in the future. I just received a new Tamron 18-400 lens for Christmas and am waiting for the weather to improve to try it out with the D7200. I wanted more of an all in one lens for travel so I could eliminate multiple lenses, and the extra weight and hassle of changing lenses back and forth from wide to long, while still having a wide choice of settings from wide angle to long telephoto. I expect that I will be pleased with the results. All of these choices fit my needs well. There is no such thing as the best camera or the best lens. It is whatever camera and lens fits the user and his or her needs best!