«

Hi everyone, I'm new to this group and wanted to say HELLO to you all
before I start posting and reading, so hi.

I'm just getting back into photography after a long time out and a
very good friend bought me a Nikon d50 for my 40th birthday. (I know,
i was gobsmacked too) As the father of 3 young boys I'm very careful
with my camera and its "kit" lens the 18-55 AF-s. I noticed about a
month ago, I've had it about 3 months now, that the autofocus was being
a bit erratic and infact the focus ring moves in and out under gravity
when i tip the camera toward the floor or ceiling, also the zoom has a
problem rotating from in to out, getting caught on something inside
when the focus ring is centered (all the way in) at about th 25mm-35mm
mark. Obviously it has had a knock somewhere along the line but there
are no visible signs of damage..... but heres the crunch...as I live on
a tiny island with no dealership or even a "camera"shop as we would
know it in the UK, neither do i have the reciept though I could get
it, does anyone know if it would be something actually broken or
snapped off inside the lens, or could something have come "off the
rails" as it were. Does anyone think I should attempt to repair it
myself? I build PCs for a living so i'm no stranger to a screwdriver
but I know a lens is completely different, but the thought of trusting
my lens to our postal system is abhorrent and only a person living here
could understand why. It MAY make it back to the UK after a couple of
weeks or less, but then it would have to get back after it was repaired
and that could take a month or more.

Anyone..............?

Great forum by the way, some great reading, better than any book.

On 5 Aug 2006 10:57:10 -0700, in rec.photo.digital "studiodude"
<> wrote:

>Hi everyone, I'm new to this group and wanted to say HELLO to you all
>before I start posting and reading, so hi.
>
> I'm just getting back into photography after a long time out and a
>very good friend bought me a Nikon d50 for my 40th birthday. (I know,
>i was gobsmacked too) As the father of 3 young boys I'm very careful
>with my camera and its "kit" lens the 18-55 AF-s. I noticed about a
>month ago, I've had it about 3 months now, that the autofocus was being
>a bit erratic

What exactly do you mean by erratic? First thing to do is unmount the lens
and give the contacts on the lens and the camera itself a good cleaning.
We've just had a terrible speel of heat and humidity in VA and I've had
intermittent issues with the AF not working until I slightly twisted or
unmounted and remounted my 70-200mm and/or TC-2. A good cleaning getting
rid of all the conductive sweat and anything else on the contacts made all
the difference.

and infact the focus ring moves in and out under gravity
>when i tip the camera toward the floor or ceiling, also the zoom has a
>problem rotating from in to out, getting caught on something inside
>when the focus ring is centered (all the way in) at about th 25mm-35mm
>mark.

Does it get caught or just get a bit stiff? Both my 18-70 kit lenses are a
bit stiff at some point in their zoom range.


--
Ed Ruf ()
http://edwardgruf.com/Digital_Photog...ral/index.html

> What exactly do you mean by erratic?

At first it refused to auto focus, then when the auto focus beep
sounded, nothing happened when i pressed the shutter release all the
way down to take a photo. I can only use the camera in manual focus
mode now, though it does autofocus in a certain range, but I have
decided not to use it at all until I get it fixed.

> Does it get caught or just get a bit stiff? Both my 18-70 kit lenses are a
> bit stiff at some point in their zoom range.

It actually gets caught on something, I can feel it and could force it
past if i wanted, but a tiny shift of the focus ring either way and it
releases completely.

The lens is not un-usable, just a pain not having the auto focus,
especially at night, and on so new a camera its heartbreaking, and i'm
loath to ask for the reciept as I feel a bit embarassed that I might
have damaged such a beautiful gift. I have a small vision problem and
find autofocus very useful in a hurry, if i'm not rushing i dont mind.
But I do know It wasn't like this when I received it, It behaved
perfectly. I may have been a bit rough putting a polorizing filter on
for the first time, but I don't think so as I'm quite careful with
anything of this nature because of my job.

Thanks for the reply BTW, i appreciate your time.

studiodude wrote:
>> What exactly do you mean by erratic?
>
> At first it refused to auto focus, then when the auto focus beep
> sounded, nothing happened when i pressed the shutter release all the
> way down to take a photo. I can only use the camera in manual focus
> mode now, though it does autofocus in a certain range, but I have
> decided not to use it at all until I get it fixed.
>
>> Does it get caught or just get a bit stiff? Both my 18-70 kit lenses
>> are a bit stiff at some point in their zoom range.
>
> It actually gets caught on something, I can feel it and could force it
> past if i wanted, but a tiny shift of the focus ring either way and it
> releases completely.
>
> The lens is not un-usable, just a pain not having the auto focus,
> especially at night, and on so new a camera its heartbreaking, and i'm
> loath to ask for the reciept as I feel a bit embarassed that I might
> have damaged such a beautiful gift. I have a small vision problem and
> find autofocus very useful in a hurry, if i'm not rushing i dont mind.
> But I do know It wasn't like this when I received it, It behaved
> perfectly. I may have been a bit rough putting a polorizing filter on
> for the first time, but I don't think so as I'm quite careful with
> anything of this nature because of my job.
>
> Thanks for the reply BTW, i appreciate your time.

Could it be dirt on the contacts, either on the lens mount or on the lens
flange? I picked up 2 of these Nikon auto-focus lenses for my F3
(non-focussing but auto-exposure) camera quite cheap on E-Bay. Maybe you
should look for a different zoom lens whilst yours in in repair. Of course
if it's the camera body, that won't work.

"studiodude" <> wrote in message
news: ups.com...
>
>> What exactly do you mean by erratic?
>
> At first it refused to auto focus, then when the auto focus beep
> sounded, nothing happened when i pressed the shutter release all the
> way down to take a photo. I can only use the camera in manual focus
> mode now, though it does autofocus in a certain range, but I have
> decided not to use it at all until I get it fixed.
>
>> Does it get caught or just get a bit stiff? Both my 18-70 kit lenses are
>> a
>> bit stiff at some point in their zoom range.
>
> It actually gets caught on something, I can feel it and could force it
> past if i wanted, but a tiny shift of the focus ring either way and it
> releases completely.
>
> The lens is not un-usable, just a pain not having the auto focus,
> especially at night, and on so new a camera its heartbreaking, and i'm
> loath to ask for the reciept as I feel a bit embarassed that I might
> have damaged such a beautiful gift. I have a small vision problem and
> find autofocus very useful in a hurry, if i'm not rushing i dont mind.
> But I do know It wasn't like this when I received it, It behaved
> perfectly. I may have been a bit rough putting a polorizing filter on
> for the first time, but I don't think so as I'm quite careful with
> anything of this nature because of my job.
>
> Thanks for the reply BTW, i appreciate your time.
>
I only have the 18~70 and it's smooth all around. I've heard some of
Nikon's zooms hang up a bit around the middle of the range, but as for the
rest of your problems it definitely sounds like the lens needs repair. Any
problems with focus on other lenses? Some use the motor in the camera to
focus, while others have a motor in the lens. Makes sure both the camera
and lens are set to autofocus.

As for doing it yourself: I fix PC's for a living, and I wouldn't attempt
to fix a lens unless I was willing to accept the fact that I might wind up
with a basket case. And many repair depots charge extra for basket cases.
Now, if you told me you dabbled in watch repair I might say go for it.
You're comparing sawing off a leg to amputate it vs. brain surgery.

Sheldon wrote:
> "studiodude" <> wrote in message
> news: ups.com...
>>
>>> What exactly do you mean by erratic?
>>
>> At first it refused to auto focus, then when the auto focus beep
>> sounded, nothing happened when i pressed the shutter release all the
>> way down to take a photo. I can only use the camera in manual focus
>> mode now, though it does autofocus in a certain range, but I have
>> decided not to use it at all until I get it fixed.
>>
>>> Does it get caught or just get a bit stiff? Both my 18-70 kit
>>> lenses are a
>>> bit stiff at some point in their zoom range.
>>
>> It actually gets caught on something, I can feel it and could force
>> it past if i wanted, but a tiny shift of the focus ring either way
>> and it releases completely.
>>
>> The lens is not un-usable, just a pain not having the auto focus,
>> especially at night, and on so new a camera its heartbreaking, and
>> i'm loath to ask for the reciept as I feel a bit embarassed that I
>> might have damaged such a beautiful gift. I have a small vision
>> problem and find autofocus very useful in a hurry, if i'm not
>> rushing i dont mind. But I do know It wasn't like this when I
>> received it, It behaved perfectly. I may have been a bit rough
>> putting a polorizing filter on for the first time, but I don't think
>> so as I'm quite careful with anything of this nature because of my
>> job.
>>
>> Thanks for the reply BTW, i appreciate your time.
>>
> I only have the 18~70 and it's smooth all around. I've heard some of
> Nikon's zooms hang up a bit around the middle of the range, but as
> for the rest of your problems it definitely sounds like the lens
> needs repair. Any problems with focus on other lenses? Some use the
> motor in the camera to focus, while others have a motor in the lens.
> Makes sure both the camera and lens are set to autofocus.
>
> As for doing it yourself: I fix PC's for a living, and I wouldn't
> attempt to fix a lens unless I was willing to accept the fact that I
> might wind up with a basket case. And many repair depots charge
> extra for basket cases. Now, if you told me you dabbled in watch
> repair I might say go for it. You're comparing sawing off a leg to
> amputate it vs. brain surgery.

Also, with camera repairers charging $80 an hour or more, it's often better
to buy a new lens.

Well I checked the contacts but the problem happens with the lens not
on the body, so its definatly the lens. To put it in a nut shell, I
can't take photos of things either high or low past a certain angle,
say 30 deg, without holding the focus ring in place to stop it from
running to either all the way in or all the way out under its own steam
(gravity). Once again thanks for the reply and your time.

> You're comparing sawing off a leg to amputate it vs. brain surgery.

thats what i was afraid of...........
thanks guys.......up to now i dont have any other lenses for the same
reasons as I dont use our post service, ebay is a no-brainer cos of the
extra postal cost. but this may prompt me to look on one of the bigger
islands next time i hit the city lights. I can't just pop into town
and go to the local cameramart. to give you an example, my mobile
phone took seven weeks to be sent to las palmas and back for a repair
they couldn't do, but didnt say so till it got back in the same
condition it left.
I think I'll wait till someone i know and trust comes out to make sure
it gets back to the UK safely, and the same for its return, that could
take a few months but its my choice to live in the middle of the
atlantic!!

once again thanks to all of you

"studiodude" <> wrote in message
news: oups.com...
> Hi everyone, I'm new to this group and wanted to say HELLO to you all
> before I start posting and reading, so hi.
>
> I'm just getting back into photography after a long time out and a
> very good friend bought me a Nikon d50 for my 40th birthday. (I know,
> i was gobsmacked too) As the father of 3 young boys I'm very careful
> with my camera and its "kit" lens the 18-55 AF-s. I noticed about a
> month ago, I've had it about 3 months now, that the autofocus was being
> a bit erratic and infact the focus ring moves in and out under gravity
> when i tip the camera toward the floor or ceiling, also the zoom has a
> problem rotating from in to out, getting caught on something inside
> when the focus ring is centered (all the way in) at about th 25mm-35mm
> mark. Obviously it has had a knock somewhere along the line but there
> are no visible signs of damage..... but heres the crunch...as I live on
> a tiny island with no dealership or even a "camera"shop as we would
> know it in the UK, neither do i have the reciept though I could get
> it, does anyone know if it would be something actually broken or
> snapped off inside the lens, or could something have come "off the
> rails" as it were. Does anyone think I should attempt to repair it
> myself? I build PCs for a living so i'm no stranger to a screwdriver
> but I know a lens is completely different, but the thought of trusting
> my lens to our postal system is abhorrent and only a person living here
> could understand why. It MAY make it back to the UK after a couple of
> weeks or less, but then it would have to get back after it was repaired
> and that could take a month or more.
>
> Anyone..............?
>
> Great forum by the way, some great reading, better than any book.
>

Hi.

It is fairly obvious the lens needs attention, and it should still be
covered by Nikon Warranty. It could be something very simple, but under no
circumstances should you try taking it apart.

If you have its original packing, it should be safe enough to post, with an
additional layer or 2 of bubble wrap on the outside of the Nikon Box. If
you are going to delay its return, then you should phone the Nikon Service
Centre and advise them now. You do not want it to arrive there the day
after the Warranty expires.

Roy G