Infinity focusing issue at 80mm

[Asha]

Lens in question:

Nikon AF Nikkor 28 - 80mm 1: 3.5 - 5.6 D

It's the cheapo plastic that weighs less than 300g and feels like a "toy" lens yet can produce surprisingly good results.

Anyhow something I never noticed before is it's refusal to focus at infinity when zoomed over 70mm

Tried it on the F4 and D50

How nice it would be for you guys to tell me it's the norm but I get the feeling that aint going to be the case.......:nailbiting:

 

[dinners]

from how near to infinity ?

 

[Asha]

from how near to infinity ?

Close up is no problem as in 3ft

Once the distance increases to example about 20ft in order for the AF to lock, I have to pull back ever so slightly on the zoom from 80mm

As the distance increase ....50ft, 100ft the zoom has to be pulled back a fraction more to enable the AF lock.

At infinity, the zoom is being pulled back to nearly 70mm before the focusing is correct.

Hope some of that makes sense!

 

[abbandon]

Mine works fine on a F90X or F5 or D600 but doesn't play ball at all on a F4s

 

[Asha]

Mine works fine on a F90X or F5 or D600 but doesn't play ball at all on a F4s

Now that's peculiar ...when you say it doesn't play ball at all ...do you mean similar focusing issues like what I'm experiencing?

 

[Jao]

Asha, I had one of these as my first foray into AF Nikon. It was cheap and plasticity although it gave surprisingly good results. I had no issues focusing with it on my F100 and my F5. I moved it on before I got my F4 so can't comment on that but it sounds to me that yours might have a fault.

 

[Asha]

Asha, I had one of these as my first foray into AF Nikon. It was cheap and plasticity although it gave surprisingly good results. I had no issues focusing with it on my F100 and my F5. I moved it on before I got my F4 so can't comment on that but it sounds to me that yours might have a fault.

I've had this lens quite a while.

I picked it up as a lot with an F60 body and a longer lens, both of which have been moved on......Perhaps it's time for this lens to go to as tbh I never really liked it.
The only reason I held onto it was because of the quality it produces in images but I have other nikon lenses that cover the 28 - 80 range so to say goodbye won't be heartbreaking.

Besides the fact that it has what seems to be a fault will probably irritate me to death when shooting with it.

 

[abbandon]

Now that's peculiar ...when you say it doesn't play ball at all ...do you mean similar focusing issues like what I'm experiencing?

Just does not autofocous at all on the F4 at all.

Also works fine on a F801, F801S and D300.

I've found occassionally things that should work just don't, a few years ago I was at the sadly missed MXV and tried a 28-85mm AF on both the D300 and F4 it worked on neither camera some years later I picked up that lens on a F801 for £40 and it works fine on everything. I paid the same amount for the 28-80mm and personally do not rate it, not as good optically as the first 28-85mm AF and I find the 28-70mm f/3.5-4.5D generally more convenient for its closer focous distance.

 

[Asha]

Just does not autofocous at all on the F4 at all.

Also works fine on a F801, F801S and D300.

I've found occassionally things that should work just don't, a few years ago I was at the sadly missed MXV and tried a 28-85mm AF on both the D300 and F4 it worked on neither camera some years later I picked up that lens on a F801 for £40 and it works fine on everything. I paid the same amount for the 28-80mm and personally do not rate it, not as good optically as the first 28-85mm AF and I find the 28-70mm f/3.5-4.5D generally more convenient for its closer focous distance.

I blame gremlins or women when stuff dont work as it should

I take it you won't be interested in purchasing a cheap but faulty 28-80 then

 

[abbandon]

I always pick someone who isn't present after all its not like they can defend there-selves .....

Oddly enough I think I'll pass on that lens.

 

[pingu666]

can you manualy focus at 80mm ?

 

[excalibur2]

I blame gremlins or women when stuff dont work as it should

I take it you won't be interested in purchasing a cheap but faulty 28-80 then

Shame you are not in the UK Asha, as it might work OK on a F90s, but £8 postage ? from France is too much of a gamble to test it...and worse if you have to spend £8 sending it back

 

[Asha]

can you manualy focus at 80mm ?

It's the same problem if manually focused...the zoom has to be pulled back slightly otherwise the image remains OOF

 

[Asha]

Shame you are not in the UK Asha, as it might work OK on a F90s, but £8 postage ? from France is too much of a gamble to test it...and worse if you have to spend £8 sending it back

Thanks for the offer Brian but as you say £16 in postal costs ....it probably isn't worth much more than that if it is faulty.

Should I not move it on in the meantime, I am visiting a friend later in the year who has lots of Nikon bodies so can take it with me to try it out.

 

[excalibur2]

My idea of getting a AF kit for photographing fast moving kids is falling apart as the digital guys use the lenses...well it all started with getting the crappiest camera I've ever used..... a F401 ( a camera that tells you want you can do and not the other way round) but lucky the Sigma 70-210 that came with it is a decent zoom and it goes on.........:banghead:

 

[Asha]

My idea of getting a AF kit for photographing fast moving kids is falling apart as the digital guys use the lenses...well it all started with getting the crappiest camera I've ever used..... a F401 ( a camera that tells you want you can do and not the other way round) but lucky the Sigma 70-210 that came with it is a decent zoom and it goes on.........:banghead:

Is the F301 along similar lines to the 401 ?? A friend has asked me to check one out for hime to see if it works ok.

I can't say i'm looking forward to the experience

 

[excalibur2]

Is the F301 along similar lines to the 401 ?? A friend has asked me to check one out for hime to see if it works ok.

I can't say i'm looking forward to the experience

Well I'm being dragged into a being a Nikon fan with all these Nikon cameras I'm accumulating ...I have the F301 and it is not an AF camera and haven't tried my AF lens on it. Stop press: Tried the AF lens on the F301 and seems to work.

 

[NickT]

Is the F301 along similar lines to the 401 ?? A friend has asked me to check one out for hime to see if it works ok.

I can't say i'm looking forward to the experience

I wouldn't be too quick to dismiss the F301. I was given one and bought a second as they go for very little money indeed. They wouldn't last 5 minutes as a pro's tool, as the build quality is very lightweight. It's only the built in power wind and battery pack that give it any heft. Having said that, it's a perfectly serviceable aperture priority SLR with a decent top shutter speed and flash sync speed and represents a lot of bang for the buck.

They are cheap because the retro Nikon jewellery fans wouldn't touch them with a bargepole, but if you have the lenses to fit, why not have one to have loaded with some infrequently used film stock that you might have? I feel that it is one camera I don't like carrying without it being in a half case for some protection. As long as you don't try using it as a weapon or body armour, I can't see why it wouldn't give decent service. One tip if you are checking one out: both my 301s wouldn't fire when I got them owing to imperceptible amounts of dirt on the battery carrier contacts. They might be be prone to this as a generic fault (based on a sample size of two!)

 

[Asha]

I wouldn't be too quick to dismiss the F301. I was given one and bought a second as they go for very little money indeed. They wouldn't last 5 minutes as a pro's tool, as the build quality is very lightweight. It's only the built in power wind and battery pack that give it any heft. Having said that, it's a perfectly serviceable aperture priority SLR with a decent top shutter speed and flash sync speed and represents a lot of bang for the buck.

They are cheap because the retro Nikon jewellery fans wouldn't touch them with a bargepole, but if you have the lenses to fit, why not have one to have loaded with some infrequently used film stock that you might have? I feel that it is one camera I don't like carrying without it being in a half case for some protection. As long as you don't try using it as a weapon or body armour, I can't see why it wouldn't give decent service. One tip if you are checking one out: both my 301s wouldn't fire when I got them owing to imperceptible amounts of dirt on the battery carrier contacts. They might be be prone to this as a generic fault (based on a sample size of two!)

Thank you for the heads up re the battery contacts ....He's given me 3 bodies to test, the other two being minoltas ....foreigners to me they are!

 

[RaglanSurf]

both my 301s wouldn't fire when I got them owing to imperceptible amounts of dirt on the battery carrier contacts. They might be be prone to this as a generic fault (based on a sample size of two!)

I've got one sitting on my desk withe same problem, it appeared to be dead but a little cleaning of the battery compartment terminals seems to have cured it.