D7200 with the 24-120 f4 FX lens

[Steve in Oz]

I have a D7200 and D750 and a number of DX and FX lenses and often use FX lenses (80-200 f2.8, 50mm f1.8G, 85mm f1.8G) on the D7200 for extra 'reach' and get good results. I tried the 24-120 f4 which usually 'lives' on the D750 on the D7200 recently and I found the results to be... disappointing. I have the 16-80 f2.8-4 DX and I think that would have out-performed the 24-120mm where sharpness is concerned.

Has anyone else had this experience with the D7200 and 24-120?

 

[hark]

Did you use the AF Fine-Tuning capability of the D7200 to see if that would help the sharpness?

 

[Steve in Oz]

No... I did consider that, but I'm not sure what then happens when I change lenses on the D7200 - all my other FX lenses are giving me good IQ on the D7200.

 

[Needa]

I used one for a long time on a D7100. The D7200 will recognize which lens is attached and adjust accordingly, I have sittings for five lenses saved in the 7100. One thing to remember about the AF fine tune is it changes nothing in the lens it only adjust the front to back focus point of the lens, but this can make a big difference as now your focus is where you have actually put it. It is worth a test to see if this will help.

 

[Woodyg3]

What was disappointing? Not sharp? If the focus was back or front focused, then fine tuning could help. If everything was soft that is not the issue.

 

[Steve in Oz]

Circling back to this, I tried the 24-120 f4 with the D7200 again over the weekend in good lighting conditions - it performed really well. What I was doing wrong originally, I have no idea. Very happy with this combination.

 

[hark]

No... I did consider that, but I'm not sure what then happens when I change lenses on the D7200 - all my other FX lenses are giving me good IQ on the D7200.

When calibrating a lens, nothing should change how the other lenses work on the same body. The camera body will remember the calibration based on the serial number of the lens. So even if you have 2 identical lenses, the calibration will only be affect the lens you adjusted.

Glad to hear the lens is working better for you. I still have my D7200, but my primary DX body is my D500. I use my 24-120mm f/4 VR lens on my D500 for many public events such as parades and outdoor activities. It yields a comparable FX focal length of 35mm to 180mm which really suits those photo opps.

My primary FX body is a D750, and I also rely on the 24-120mm f/4 VR lens for that body. The lens is a great, versatile lens that works well on both DX and FX.

 

[Steve in Oz]

I’h going to the UK later this year but don’t want to lug my 70-200 f4 for one day of plane-spotting, so I’ll take my D750, 16-35 f4 and 24-120 f4… and my D7200 body but only use it for aircraft with the 24-120.