Sharpness of Nikon 200-500 at different focal lengths

So I just did this with a Nikon 300 lens that I was never too happy with sharpness . On my 7200 I Fine Tuned it and saw a slight better difference. A dumb question is -- I saved and numbered the lens but do I need to keep the Fine Tune on 'ON' in order for it to recognize the lens when I use it?

Eia wrote:So I just did this with a Nikon 300 lens that I was never too happy with sharpness . On my 7200 I Fine Tuned it and saw a slight better difference. A dumb question is -- I saved and numbered the lens but do I need to keep the Fine Tune on 'ON' in order for it to recognize the lens when I use it?

Yes, you do have to have it "ON".

Eia wrote:So I just did this with a Nikon 300 lens that I was never too happy with sharpness . On my 7200 I Fine Tuned it and saw a slight better difference. A dumb question is -- I saved and numbered the lens but do I need to keep the Fine Tune on 'ON' in order for it to recognize the lens when I use it?

I don't think you can do what is shown in the video with a D7200. I don't think it has the AFFT calibration features that the D850, D500 and D5 have??

Tim Zurowski wrote:

Eia wrote:So I just did this with a Nikon 300 lens that I was never too happy with sharpness . On my 7200 I Fine Tuned it and saw a slight better difference. A dumb question is -- I saved and numbered the lens but do I need to keep the Fine Tune on 'ON' in order for it to recognize the lens when I use it?

I don't think you can do what is shown in the video with a D7200. I don't think it has the AFFT calibration features that the D850, D500 and D5 have??

Thank you, I did not watch video. I tried this with directions from another site. So I found a slight difference when I fine tuned but I have read elsewhere to leave it alone? 

Karl Egressy wrote:

Eia wrote:So I just did this with a Nikon 300 lens that I was never too happy with sharpness . On my 7200 I Fine Tuned it and saw a slight better difference. A dumb question is -- I saved and numbered the lens but do I need to keep the Fine Tune on 'ON' in order for it to recognize the lens when I use it?

Yes, you do have to have it "ON".

Thank you...will try this with the lens. 

Out of curiosity, would a Sigma 150-600 or 60-600 not be a better choice than the 200-500? At least with Sigma as I understand, you can calibrate for different focal lengths and those lenses appear to be sharper?

Scott Fairbairn wrote:Out of curiosity, would a Sigma 150-600 or 60-600 not be a better choice than the 200-500? At least with Sigma as I understand, you can calibrate for different focal lengths and those lenses appear to be sharper?

I rented the Sigma 150-600 Sport for a full day. I calibrated it for 600mm and shot ducks at a local pond for a few hours. I also shot the same day, back and forth, with my Nikon 500 VR. The Sigma was so far behind the Nikon 500 VR that I was very disappointed with it. While the Nikon 200-500 is not perfectly sharp at 500mm, for me it is much sharper throughout the range, than the Sigma was. For me, I find the Nikon 200-500 to be every bit as sharp as my 500 VR was, except at 500mm, where it is about 15-20% less sharp.  Plus, I do not want an f6.3 lens. F5.6 is much more usable, especially with a TC. My friend also shot with the Sigma, and he had the same results and he bought the Nikon 200-500 and is very happy with it. Furthermore, the Sigma was over $1000 more expensive. As I am aging, I am looking for smaller and lighter, which is why I am on two wait lists for the Nikon 500 PF.

Scott Fairbairn wrote:Out of curiosity, would a Sigma 150-600 or 60-600 not be a better choice than the 200-500? At least with Sigma as I understand, you can calibrate for different focal lengths and those lenses appear to be sharper?

YES and it's dramatically sharper than the 200-500, Tim's experience is different then this, but in general the 150-600 Sport is superior in just about every way.  The 60-600 is not!  Sigma themselves say that if you need IQ, get the 150-600, if you need convenience get the 60-600.  A 4 to 1 zoom will always be sharper than a 10 to 1.

I have the 200-500, and I am very pleased with it. I usually shoot it at f/6.3 @ 500mm, and I've found it to be very sharp, i.e., when looking at images at 100% in Photoshop the images where I did my job are tack sharp. For a relatively light weight & easily hand-holdable lens, I love the lens.