Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 VRII lens

have purchased second hand nikon 70-200mm f2.8 lense and need assistance on best settings
i have manual focus which speaks for itself but also havs A/M and M/A focus
it also has normal and active switch need some help here as i donrt seem to get good focus results whichever settings i try it on
im only a keen enthusiast so any advice is welcome

​Tom

Try to find the user's manual for this lens and read it first. It contains all the info you are looking for. There is no way I would re-type it for you.

Is it on here https://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/13948#Anchor-17

I'm not sure if you have version 1 or 2. But the settings should be the same. The m/a -m switch is manual/automatic and manual. Manual/automatic means its in auto focus mode but you can overide it and manually focus by grabbing the focus ring and turning it. The full/00-2.5m is the focusing range. If your focusing on subjects that are say 8' or more from you all the time than choose 00-2.5m because the lense will not hunt to auto focus below 2.5 meters. It will only hunt from 2.5 meters and above. But if you're closer than 2.5 meters than switch it to full because the lense will hunt to focus through the full range of the focus ring. The vr switch you probably know what that is so I won't get into it. The normal to actice switch works with the VR switch. If you're shooting from say a car window, or somewhere where you're actually moving than choose active. If you're stationary and not moving but standing in one fixed spot but you're subject is in motion than choose normal. The active mode simply is a more aggresive version within the VR mode and can cause blur sometimes if theres not allot of movement coming from the person holding the camera. Hope this helps.

What camera are you using this lens on?

Hi Dave on Nikon D4

Hi Fast Glass

i thank you for your help and i am using the newer version 2
if i could trouble you one more time i have a A/M switch and a M/A switch alongside the Manual switch im a bit confused as to the purpose of the two them although thefully manual swith speaks for itself
i understand now the importance of the full/00-2.5 switch and appreciate your help
and thanks again for the explanation of normal/active switch

Tom

Hi Marcel

Thanks for advice i have the manual alright but it seems a bit vague or maybe its just me will go through it again as you suggest and thanks again for assistance

​Tom

Hey Tom, the m/a position is for normal use. The a/m position is more sensitive to accidental overide should you bump or hit the focus ring. Seems pretty silly to me but who am I. The M mode is for manual. Have fun with you're lense. I'm actually looking for this lense as I have the first version. Post some shots when you can.

Part of the problem could be the settings within the camera and/or the use of those settings. The autofocus systems are great, when you keep in mind the points are typically in the center of the viewfinder unless you have accidentally moved them.

When using the lens, when i'm not adjusting the zoom i keep my fingers off the zoom and focus rings. I typically wrap my thumb and index finger around the metal, from the underside, that has the focus window in it. The inset of the metal also helps keep the fingers away from the focus ring.