Why won’t my Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 VR autofocus on a D600?
Asked 7/7/2017
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2 answers
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I bought a used Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 VR (first-generation "VR1") lens and autofocus is not working on my Nikon D600. The AF and VR switches are both set to ON, the lens contacts look clean, and I was shooting outdoors in daylight at about 5 meters from the subject. One example exposure was 1/100 sec, f/3.2, 102mm, ISO 100. I also tried with and without a tripod. What should I check to determine whether I’m missing a setting or if the lens may be faulty?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
9y ago
2 Answers
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It sounds like the lens may be faulty or broken.
That lens should autofocus with that camera. Even with the focus limiter switch set to '∞-3m' it should be able to focus on a subject 5 meters away.
Assuming your outdoor shoot is during daylight hours and your focus target has sufficient contrast there is no reason why the lens should not be autofocusing correctly.
Here are a few things to try before concluding the lens is faulty:
- Try another lens on the same camera in the same shooting conditions with the same subject. Does the other lens autofocus properly?
- Just to be on the safe side, set the focus limiter switch to 'Full' (Your 5 meter estimate may actually be just below 3 meters).
- Aim at a very high contrast target. Does the lens AF then?
Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user15871
9y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
That lens should autofocus on a Nikon D600, so if it won’t, the lens may be faulty—but first try a few checks.
- Test another lens on the same camera in the same conditions. If the other lens autofocuses normally, the camera body is likely fine.
- Set the focus limiter to Full. If it’s set to the longer-distance range, your subject may be closer than you think.
- Try focusing on a very high-contrast subject in good daylight. Autofocus can struggle on low-contrast subjects.
- Make sure the subject is beyond the lens’s minimum focus distance.
Your example settings and a subject around 5 meters away outdoors should not prevent autofocus. Clean-looking contacts and AF/VR set to ON are good signs, but they don’t rule out an internal lens problem.
If another lens focuses properly and this one still won’t focus even on a high-contrast target with the limiter set to Full, the most likely conclusion is that the used 70-200mm has a fault and may need service or return.
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