Thank you! I will forward you the tracking number after I ship it tomorrow morning.

Paul

Great! I have a paypal account: paaron.thomason@gmail.com. $550 includes the shipping. I will need an address to which I can ship it. This coming Monday I can take it to the UPS store. Please let me know when you receive the lens and that it made it in good shape. I will include the lens, the camo lens cover, and a case I bought for it. I think you will really like it. I would not be selling it if I did not own the 500mm prime - and want to buy another piece of equipment. Feel free to ask any questions you may have. Thank you.

Paul

Still have it if you are interested.
Paul

Thank you for contacting me - sorry for the slow response. The lens hood works fine. The crack did not go the whole length - it did not reach the attachment end of the hood. I have had no issues with the focusing since it was repaired. Works great. I am selling it because I don't use it. The 500PF is much lighter, I was almost always using the 200-500 at the 500 end of things and the prime is a bit better at that point. Where the 200-500 shined was esp at airshows when I needed the versatility of the range it provided. I do not want to discourage you from buying the lens but I don't know how much of an improvement you would see over the Sigma - that is for others to say.

Paul

Thanks. I really do love the lens - it is heavy was my biggest complaint. People may be shy b/c of the focus motor replacement. I did not drop it or get it wet or bang it against a tree. One day it simply stopped focusing. Posting it now is an indication of my reluctance to sell it. But, I have run across something else (a new telescope) I want to buy and i just retired and my wife has tightened my play money screws. So, there is that!

Asking $525 plus $25 shipping (was asking $575 plus $25 shipping) I am the original owner - purchased July of 2017 from B and H Photo. ($1,395.95) The lens was used primarily for birding and airshows. It was paired with a Nikon D500. Great Union! I purchased a Nikon 500PF lens a couple of years ago and the 200-500 has not seen much use since. I am including the lenscoating cover and an ape case. The lens hood has a crack - they tend to fall off and it did and was stepped on. I tried to JB weld it. See photo. Full disclosure - a focus motor went out on the lens four years (more or less) after purchasing it. I sent it to a Nikon Repair shop and it has worked great since. I cannot find the original invoice for the repair. I have the original box. Please feel free to ask questions. Paypal is preferred.

Yes!!! Awesome place

Yes - the camera repeatedly picked -17. I am beginning to wonder if the problems is with the lens. It is not an expensive lens. I do enjoy it.

I was able to spend some time using AF fine tune on the 35mm lens. The value the camera saved was -17! Repeatedly. To me, that is a large number - compared to the saved values for my 300mm (-5) and the 200-500 (-3). Do you think the number is telling me something? The proof will be in the photos. So, hopefully can shoot some later.

Well - best laid plans. My day was hijacked and I have not touched the camera. I want to post some pics for folks to evaluate. I am soon (hopefully) going to purchase a 500mmpf lens. But, if my body needs work - that will impact my purchase. I am a bird shooter and use a 300mmf4 and 200-500 (which I shall put up for sale to buy the 500mm). I was shooting an event at church in a parking lot with the 35mm and ended up discarding the vast majority of images b/c they were out of focus - not just soft. That is what started me down this path. The 35mm has been bullet proof until this experience. I use back button focusing. I did a camera reset but that did not seem to help. I am truly grateful for all your replies.

Yes - which is why I think something has gone amiss with the body. Neither the lens or the body has suffered a trauma such as a drop.

I have thought about sending the body in. Tomorrow I am going to do some test shots with both the D500 and the D7100 - and a couple of the lens I shoot most often. My oldest son who also loves photography told me the answer is to sell all the Nikon equipment and buy Sony! I love my D500, however.

Thanks. Yep - definitely cannot see as well at 63 as I did at 33. Last weekend I took my 35 year old daughter with me birding. I was amazed at what she saw verses what I saw.

I thought about that. Am in the office today. Will try to do so tomorrow. Appreciate the interest.

Thanks for the encouragement.