Friend upgraded to Tamron SP 70-200mm 2.8 g2, I can buy this lens for good price but manual focus only, AF motor needs replacing, should I or should I upgrade to newer lenses, any help would be great
Don't buy a broken lens. Consider seriously if it's even worth your time if given free ... If you want action photos in focus, get an AF lens, not a manual focus lens.
Rookie 235 wrote:
Friend upgraded to Tamron SP 70-200mm 2.8 g2, I can buy this lens for good price but manual focus only, AF motor needs replacing, should I or should I upgrade to newer lenses, any help would be great
If it's a good price and you'd be saving a bunch over the newer lens, you may want to consider having the AF motor replaced, the 80-200mm is still a current production lens, I'd contact Nikon to see what that repair would cost, then compare the total of purchase price and repair cost to the cost of the new 70-200mm G2 and see if you'd still be saving money.
I have a Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 D AF ED which I paid $460 for on eBay; it performs like new. I've used it mainly for taking pictures at hockey games so far, and I'm very happy with the optics and the performance. The lens does not have a focus motor, so auto-focus only works with the Nikon bodies which have a focus motor. I have a D7000 and D7200; both will auto-focus with this lens. If I had the budget I would have gone with the newer 70-200 f/2.8. That lens DOES have an internal focus motor, so will auto-focus with just about any body.
olemikey
Loc: 6 mile creek, Spacecoast Florida
Hi Rookie 235, The Nikkor AF 80-200mm 1:2.8 lens (if that is correct model number) do not have a built in focus motor, and will not work (will not AF) with Nikon camera series D3xxx and D5xxx and any others that do not have an AF drive motor built in to the body. If it does not work with Nikon bodies that have the drive screw linkage (D90's and up D7xxx series, FF Bodies, higher level pro bodies, then it is likely the gear drive is stuck or misaligned, or a gear has stripped.
What camera does your friend have, and what camera do you have? It is a great lens, but will only manual focus on cameras w/o the gear drive (AF motor in body). I can look for a schematic if I have the proper full model number designation. You can also check with Nikon or a camera shop with good repair capabilities. Or you can use it manual focus.
If the price is right (low), I'd buy it either way, and fix it or have it fixed.
Rookie 235 wrote:
Friend upgraded to Tamron SP 70-200mm 2.8 g2, I can buy this lens for good price but manual focus only, AF motor needs replacing, should I or should I upgrade to newer lenses, any help would be great
The Nikkor lens does NOT have a focus motor. It uses the motor built-in to Nikon bodies except the D3xxx and D5xxx series. There is a mechanical coupling from the lens to the body.
Here's my approach to something like this. First, find out how much the motor replacement would be, done by Nikon. Then, look at the price of used models of this lens in similar optical condition. Then make your friend an offer that is slightly lower than the cost of a functioning lens. If he is agreeable to that price buy it and have it repaired. Once repaired it should work like new and you'll have a warranty due to Nikon having made the repairs.
--Bob
Rookie 235 wrote:
Friend upgraded to Tamron SP 70-200mm 2.8 g2, I can buy this lens for good price but manual focus only, AF motor needs replacing, should I or should I upgrade to newer lenses, any help would be great
Rookie 235 wrote:
Friend upgraded to Tamron SP 70-200mm 2.8 g2, I can buy this lens for good price but manual focus only, AF motor needs replacing, should I or should I upgrade to newer lenses, any help would be great
I do not have this lens, but I do have the 180mm f2.8D and the 300mm f4D. Both are outstanding lenses, and since they do not have an internal focus motor, they are smaller and lighter than the newer counterparts. They also do a beautiful job on every camera I own, even though they do not have the newer fancy coatings and lens element designs. I would expect that the 80-200 would be an outstanding lens. It is currently listed at $1224.95 on NikonUSA's website.
As a current model, repair parts should be readily available. You can check with Nikon to verify that. Since it has no focus motor, repair should be relatively simple. And as pointed out above, it is possible that there is nothing wrong with the lens except incompatibility with the current owner's camera. (Just make sure that it will work on yours.)
If you don't take it, I might want it.
Rookie 235 wrote:
Friend upgraded to Tamron SP 70-200mm 2.8
g2, I can buy this lens for good price but manual
focus only, AF motor needs replacing, should I or
should I upgrade to newer lenses, any help
would be great
I would buy it for dirt cheap as MF only
if it fit my needs. I don't need AF or 2.8
so my 80-200 is a 3.8 that I ripped the
electronics out from, cuz old firmware
causes new Nikons to shut down. It's a
f/3.8 constant aperture and is sharp, so
it works for me. You seem to be facing
a similar choice, but I don't know your
working style or needs, so ..... ? ? ?
.
CHG_CANON wrote:
Don't buy a broken lens. Consider seriously if it's
even worth your time if given free ... If you want
action photos in focus, get an AF lens, not a
manual focus lens.
Good advice, assuming his camera has
action-worthy AF abilities. Would be good
of him to specify that. The posted sample
pic, at-bat at home plate, doesn't happen
to need AF, but then there is more to the
game than that !
OTOH, budget may not allow f/2.8 for his
new AF purchase, so no harm in getting
the old crippled 2.8 for portraits if it's dirt
cheap or free.
Not much user input to go on here :-(
.
Thanks a lot of info there, I am currently shooting with a Nikon D3300 AF-S DX, saving for D850, what lens should I consider for action shots, in the $800-$1000 price range
The images I've seen from the Tamron SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD G2 are consistently excellent. Even used this third-party lens will eat into your budget for a full-frame camera, just as much as a broken lens that needs repair. You pay into the 4-digit range for the f/2.8 speed. Is that what you need for indoor sports or can you spend less for any of Nikon's 70-300 VR models and satisfy your needs for sports action with your D3300, such as the softball situation above?
I shoot photos for local adult baseball league and chairity softball events, currently using a Tamron AF 70-300mm 1:4-5.6 Tele-Macro (1:2 ) I used my buddies lens and loved it but some of the photos were blurred when bat and ball collided
CHG_CANON wrote:
The images I've seen from the Tamron SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD G2 are consistently excellent. Even used this third-party lens will eat into your budget for a full-frame camera, just as much as a broken lens that needs repair. You pay into the 4-digit range for the f/2.8 speed. Is that what you need for indoor sports or can you spend less for any of Nikon's 70-300 VR models and satisfy your needs for sports action with your D3300, such as the softball situation above?
The lens is NOT broken. It does not have an internal focus motor, so there is nothing to repair. It will only auto-focus on a camera body which has a focus motor (with the 'screwdriver' which engages the autofocus tab on the lens).
The attached picture was taken with this lens on a D7000 (focus motor in the body). The autofocus works great on the appropriate camera body.
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