Noisy AF on 80-400 f4.5-5.6G VR

MrFotoFool

I rented an 80-400 f4.5-5.6G VR and tried it out this afternoon. The autofocus is rather noisy and feels kind of jittery (like the lens is shaking when you press the shutter halfway). At first I thought it was the vibration reduction mechanism but I turned off VR and when I hit the button to autofocus it was the same. Is this normal for this lens?

mhedges

I’ve noticed jittery AF on my 70-200 VRII lens but it seems to work fine.

gene_mcgill

I had an 80-400 f4.5-5.6G VR and its autofocus was just as you describe. I had occasion to have the lens repaired for another issue. Since I was sending it to Nikon anyway, I asked Nikon to check the autofocus. They said it was normal. It did seem to work OK in spite of that jitter.

MrFotoFool

I tested it in a controlled way the following morning by focusing on a mountain acrosss from my home (with saguaro cacti on the ridgeline). I used a tripod and fast shutter speed and repeated the same shot at the same focal length with a Sony 200-600 that I own. The Nikon image was grossly out of focus and the Sony was tack sharp. I sent the lens back to LensRentals without using it further and told them it needs to be checked out. Even if a new one works better (as I assume it would) I decided not to buy one and stick with my somewhat large and heavy Sony. (I still use Nikon D850 for shorter lenses).

MrFotoFool

LensRentals confirmed the lens does not focus properly at infinity. They are going to repair it and issue me a refund for my rental.

MrFotoFool

@mhedges @gene_mcgill and anyone else who has or had this lens. Other than the jittery AF in continuous focus mode, are there any issues? Is the lens sharp? They have a good deal on a refurbished model now (additional 10% off) and I may grab it this weekend before the sale ends.

gene_mcgill

MrFotoFool said:

@mhedges @gene_mcgill and anyone else who has or had this lens. Other than the jittery AF in continuous focus mode, are there any issues? Is the lens sharp? They have a good deal on a refurbished model now (additional 10% off) and I may grab it this weekend before the sale ends.

My experiences:

- Sharpness: Best all around from 80-300mm, but usable out to 400, in particular on close subjects. It was definitely sharper if I turned off the VR and shot at an appropriately fast shutter speed. At 300, it was on par with my 300 f/4D. I never had higher-end primes or third-party lenses in that range so I cannot compare to them. Within its range, my 70-200 f/2.8G VRII was a tad sharper. https://www.flickr.com/photos/126560387@N02/29157501076/
- Bokeh: Nice when used at close distances: https://www.flickr.com/photos/126560387@N02/16407179786/ but busy at longer distances: https://www.flickr.com/photos/126560387@N02/20173920689/
- Build: That repair I had done was for a failure of the lens shade mount - easy to cross-thread that - be careful. Over time I did see some dust inside the lens - not surprising for an extending zoom - but no impact on image quality.
- Other: CA was well controlled. However, sometimes I would see a slight glow around the subject (a BIF, for example). Usually had to view at 100% to see it, but still.

If I was sticking with DSLRs, I probably would have kept the lens. But I am moving to the Z system. Trading in the 80-400G helped fund the 100-400 S, which is noticeably better.

Hope this helps!

mhedges

MrFotoFool said:

@mhedges @gene_mcgill and anyone else who has or had this lens. Other than the jittery AF in continuous focus mode, are there any issues? Is the lens sharp? They have a good deal on a refurbished model now (additional 10% off) and I may grab it this weekend before the sale ends.

Sorry I have never had this lens. Apologies - my experience is with the 70-200 2.8 VRII which does sometimes chatter when it focuses.

MrFotoFool

Thanks for replies. I have decided not to get it but to stick with my Sony 200-600. In spite of the larger size, it is so sharp and has extended range that I think it's too good to give up.

MrFotoFool

I am once again looking at this lens (for a couple reasons I won't get into). The founder of LensRentals - whose opinion I trust more than most reviewers - confirms the jittery continuous focus but also what some of you have said that it does not affect picture quality.
From their website: "Using this lens in AF-C is not as smooth as other Nikon lenses... noisier when tracking and the view... may jitter... this doesn't the image quality."
https://www.lensrentals.com/rent/nikon-80-400mm-f4.5-5.6g-ed-af-s-vr

MrFotoFool

Update - I bought the lens and put up my Sony gear for sale. Sony was just too heavy and I like my D850's so much more than the Sony body that I wanted to get back to an all Nikon setup. I have had the lens for a couple weeks and very happy - the compact size and wider end (80mm vs 200mm) is ideal for my needs.

mhedges

Nice enjoy!