Just a quick heads up about an issue with this lens. Mongo bought it new in Oct 2015. By September, 2016 he noticed that the lens was not rotating smoothly inside its collar while on the tripod/monopod. It felt like it was catching and then jerking free on rotation.
Took it to Nikon under warranty. From memory, it took about 6 weeks to repair it. Nikon had no replacements parts. The lens should have been replaced but Nikon decided to cannibalise a replacement collar/foot from a new lens they had on hand. Not sure if the small brass pins under the collar required changing also but in the end, Mongo thinks only the collar was changed (which showed some wear). This part of the warranty process was not what was expected and was disappointing.
When Mongo first reviewed this lens he considered that the collar and foot were “OK’ for the job - neither great nor inadequate. From memory, Bjorn thought the foot/mount arrangement was not adequate. At the time Mongo was only talking about the steadiness/movement of the foot/collar to do the job. However, Mongo had noticed that there seem to be a lot of cantilevered weight on this assembly; particularly when fully extended to 500mm. Time has shown Bjorn to be more correct about this assessment.
As a result of what occurred, the “fit for purpose” design and specifications of the collar/foot mount have to be in question. Mongo’s 200-500 gets medium amateur use only and still, the parts appear to have worn out long before they should have.
The only good thing about the experience (if there can be any) was that Mongo was told that they (Nikon) would not be looking too closely at the warranty period if this happens again and it will be replaced should it reoccur. Mongo hopes Nikon remembers its undertaking if he does have to take it back for the same issue in future.
Hope others have better luck with their copies after some use.
