 Nicole Kessel |
My Nikkor Zoom lens is sticking! Hi all! My Nikkor 28-80mm lens is sticking. I can go from 28mm to 80mm with no problems but, when I try to go from 80mm to 28mm my lens sticks. They only way I can get it back to 28mm is to tilt the lens backwards and giggle it. It happens every time! Any ideas? It almost feels like something is jamming it up and I have to shake it lose. But, I have checked the whole thing out and can't find anything! I use this lens all the time and would hate to have to buy another! Any help would be wonderful!
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Will Turner |
Is it a manual-focus SLR lens? In a MF SLR lens there are usually guide pins that keep the lens barrels in proper alignment, these can get loose and cause the problem you are describing. They can be tightened to eliminate the problem. It's also possible a gasket or seal is rolling up as you are retracting the lens to 28mm. Any camera tech should be able to fix this for a reasonable sum. You could try DIY but you risk not getting the lens back into perfect axial alignment, losing small parts, etc. Autofocus zooms use a different mechanism and a lot more parts - could be anything from a burned out IC or bad motor to a broken or chipped gear. Usually, AF costs a lot more to repair. If it's one of those consumer-level zooms, I'd junk it and get something better.
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Nicole Kessel |
It is an AF D-series lens and it is inexpensive. Unfortunately, I don't really have the budget to buy another at this time. I have no problems using the AF at any focal length. Do you think that makes a difference? When I do tilt it back and shake it a little it seems to move smoothly back to 28mm. So, I wonder if it is just the guide pins like you said. I may have to live with it for a while until I can buy another. Which really sucks because it takes so long for me to compose a shot with it like this. Thanks for the advice, Will.
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George Anderson |
With these kit lenses, the manufacturer had a tough choice in balancing optical and build quality. Nikon opted to bias towards optics on the 28-80. Doing both would have resulted in a camera package much more expensive than the nearest competitor. You could try a repair shop, but I would imagine anything involving replacement of parts is not cost-effective. These lenses go for as little as $50 at ebay or at KEH. Your AF-D brings more than the G version, but all of these lenses have durability issues, plus they're very slow in terms of aperture. Faster lenses can be very useful. I think if I had your problem, I would buy a single used AF-D prime lens, say 24/2.8, 28/2.8, or 50/1.8, and use that for now, later get myself a 85/1.8 or a constant speed (f/2.8) zoom.
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Nicole Kessel |
Thanks for the advice, George. I'm going to have to do something. I was messing around with it today and accidently droped it on the carpet... (ugh!) Now it won't move at all. I'm thinking of trying to take it apart myself. It's pretty much useless right now anyway and I don't think I could make it any worse. Thanks again for your replies Will and George. It is appreciated.
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Nicole Kessel |
Okay... um... Remind me not to DIY ever again! I am lens shopping now...
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