Need help on this one. I have the Nikon 500mm AFS-II & the Nikon 1.4X TC-14EII that don't always seem to talk to each other when mounted on my D7000. I can't get the lens/camera to focus when I press the shutter release or try back button focusing (AF-on). It just goes dead- not even searching. If I remount the 1.4x on the camera it will sometimes work for a few shots but then go dead again. So it is somewhat intermitant though it now seems to be getter worse. When I try the lens & 1.4X on my D3s it all works fine. When I just have the 500mm on the D7000 it works fine. There is something about the 1.4X & D7000 & my 500mm that must be causing this. No obvious loose screws or damaged pins. ANY ideas???

Thanks

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Does the TC14E-II work with the 70-200?

Jon Kandel
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Yes, works fine with 70-200 on both bodies.

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By the various tests, you've eliminated the TC, the lens, and the body as the problem. That actually sucks.

Any chance the A-M focus switch on the lens isn't fully in the A position?

Jon Kandel
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I have checked & re-checked the A-M switch & it seems to be fine. Yes, agree about this sucks since I can't seem to isolate the problem.

Thanks for trying.

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It's not unusual for the camera to "give up" if AF is not close. Try using the center AF sensor and manually focusing to get close enough for the camera to recognize the subject.

I've had a similar issue with the D7000 and my 600 f/4 with a teleconverter. I am able to get AF to work most of the time with the 1.7 and 2.0 teleconverters and 600 f/4 even though it is outside of the aperture range where Nikon says AF will work reliably.

What percentage of the time does the problem occur? Does it occur with easy AF targets and the center sensor? Does it matter how close to correct focus you are before attempting AF with the back button?

Nikon maintains the center AF sensor will work at f/5.6. Other sensors will not necessarily work - but they usually do. For other sensors and lower light it depends on how good an AF target you are using and how easy it is for the camera to find the correct subject.

Eric Bowles
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Eric-

You make some interesting points. I will run some experiments to see if it may be a matter of AF "giving" up. Feels kinda like that. Is it possible the D7000 gives up far more easily than the D3s? I do always use the center focus & this happens in bright light. With the 1.4X & 500mm f/4, it also meets Nikon's criteria for reliability so I'm not pushing it beyond what it is suppose to do.

Thanks for the comments

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