Hi--

>Thank you for the suggestions re my 200.

You're welcome! I hope they helped.....

>I just fiddled with the diaphragm lever and thought it didn't really give,
>it did stop down. But this is inconsistent. Incidentally, the diaphraghm is
>inside at least one element. I haven't seen any Nikkors with the "leaves"
>on the outside - that would worry me. (Actually, my 180/2.8 AF might've
>been that way, but well recessed.)

Yes - and I forgot about the rear filter on the lens, which is probably
the glass that you see (If you remove the filter....). Did the diaphram appear dry, or with oil on it, when you got it to stop down a bit? If
the diaphram lever does not move easily (with some spring tension),
and the diaphram shows no oil, it is my guess that the rod that extends
into the lens and catches the diaphram tab is displaced (was the lens
hit hard on the side?), or that the simple mechanism on the back side of
the bayonette is very dirty or corroded - both are easy fixes, if you dare
remove the bayonette (a drop of acetone on each screw, or a sharp tap on
the top of a well-fitting screwdriver in the screw head is necessary to
break the glue hold on the screws that hold the bayonette on). It is
tricky to reengage the rod and tab down inside the lens, and you MUST NOT
apply vertical pressure on the diaphram tab.

>It's always been a little weird between 2 and 2.8 (no real stop at 2 like
>my other Nikons wide open, and feels a little gritty), so I guess I had a
>warning. Since I shoot indoor sports mostly, it's at f/2 about 98% of the
>time.

Did you buy the lens used? It sounds like it is dirty.

>So I'll have it checked out and hope it's a simple clean/adjust type of
>thing. Repair cost vs. cost of replacing this lens ($4000 new these days,
>$1500-2000 if you can find one used) is a no-brainer.
>Thanks again for your advice.
>Nancy Raymond

Good luck!