Has anyone purchased the lens since June and used it on a D7100 or D7200. I would consider buying this lens if the VR issues have been resolved.
If the new firmware only provides a slight improvement, I may hold off. I think Nikon needs to be accountable, when a large portion of the lens cost is specifically related to the VR feature, and that doesn't work as intended.
Is it the case that the new firmware just helps a little, can anyone confirm that with a D7200, you can use the lens with VR on at 1/200 sec and obtain sharp photos?
I was on a boat today and gave a try at shooting birds. Around where I live, I generally only see pigeons so birds are not really my subject of interest much
and I rarely take pictures of birds. Here is my attempt with 300/4 PF and D810 anyhow. I tried 3D tracking which kept at least parts of the bird in focus but not always where I want it to focus though
WestcoastHD wrote:
Has anyone purchased the lens since June and used it on a D7100 or D7200. I would consider buying this lens if the VR issues have been resolved.
If the new firmware only provides a slight improvement, I may hold off. I think Nikon needs to be accountable, when a large portion of the lens cost is specifically related to the VR feature, and that doesn't work as intended.
Is it the case that the new firmware just helps a little, can anyone confirm that with a D7200, you can use the lens with VR on at 1/200 sec and obtain sharp photos?...Show more →
Yes I have the 300PF with new firmware installed via Nikon/Europe and have NO problems getting sharp images with VR on at ALL s/s right down to 1/15s, having said that I had no problems prior to the firmware update, but wanted to be absolute 100% certain that there would be no issues with any other body that I may purchase in the future.
I can comfirm that I have NO slow s/s VR issues (hand held) with either my D4s, D4, D700, D810 & D7200.
Thanks Marc, I appreciate your experience. Maybe the latest versions are truly fixed, the earlier comments that I read indicated the firmware helped, but that VR wasn't 100% at those shutter speeds.
I waited for months until a Nikon Rep referred me to Best Buy for a copy of this lens. The notion of having a 300mm precision lens that was light-weight, fast, and could be used hand-held -- one that could replace my Nikon 300mm f/4.0D, was something I could not resist. The 300mm lens I tested had the newer serial #28021xx (supposedly manufactured after the firmware "fix").
Everything about this lens is 5-star except severe inconsistencies when utilizing VR at moderate shutter speeds.
I shot over 300 images with this lens mounted on a D800E. I shot outdoor subjects as well as a carefully mounted lens test chart using multiple exposures at various shutter speed. I got generally consistent results at around 1/160sec. And, even better results from 1/40 -1/100 sec! Unfortunately most of the images between 1/250 - 1/320 were unusable.
I then shot over 100 images with the lens mounted on a D7100. The results were unexpectedly wonderful at 1/40 - 1/100 sec! That's wonderful if you have a quiet landscape. The images taken at faster shutter speeds deteriorated, even unusable at 1/640 sec. I never bothered to try the lens with the TC-14E. I returned the lens in utter frustration and disappointment.
I could have found ways to work around these issues. But, a lens costing $2K, which I'm happy to pay for, should work as advertised.
Since Fukushima, it appears that Nikon would rather not concentrate on Quality Control and have their customers deal with it. Furthermore, if Nikon released another version with a different VR module, who would purchase the present version? That, I cannot afford.
During the past three years, I have purchased five new Nikon lenses:
14-24 f/2.8G -- had to exchange it.
70-200 f/4.0G VR -- perfect.
18-300 f/3.5-6.3G DX -- had to exchange it.
20mm f/1.8G -- superb!
300 f/4E PF -- returned.
I think if everyone who has the issue returned the lens as defective. Nikon would do more, to fix the design issue. When people are willing to accept a design problem, and not take the time to let Nikon know they are unhappy, Nikon will continue business as usual.
If the lens is returned, but not noted as defective, the issue is masked and repeated when the lens is resold. It would interesting to know often that happens. It would also be worth knowing if the low inventory, is because of the rework. Some people have reported recent lenses work ok, so we don't know how much is a design issue, versus software or quality control.
WestcoastHD wrote:
I think if everyone who has the issue returned the lens as defective. Nikon would do more, to fix the design issue. When people are willing to accept a design problem, and not take the time to let Nikon know they are unhappy, Nikon will continue business as usual.
If the lens is returned, but not noted as defective, the issue is masked and repeated when the lens is resold. It would interesting to know often that happens. It would also be worth knowing if the low inventory, is because of the rework. Some people have reported recent lenses work ok, so we don't know how much is a design issue, versus software or quality control....Show more →
Yes, after so many months there are still many questions. The 'low inventory' does not seem to be a universal problem though, some of the big Dutch internet shops have had the lens in stock for some months now (maybe it helps that they are geographically close to Nikon Europe?).
My impression from several threads on the forums is still that lenses that work 'perfectly' are the proverbial exception, and more likely the result of a lucky lens-body combination or a less critical user. Most users who reported problems before are still having problems after the fix/exchange, although sometimes less significant and possibly 'acceptable'. Problems are reported with some of the latest serial numbers just the same. Clearly it is NOT easy to test for the issue as the affected shutter speed range seems to vary with the body (or maybe with the 300PF version or other unknown factor).
