Nikon 18-200mm problems - need help

[vettenfun]

My 18-200mm is acting up. Autofocus is gone; zoom ring turns but lens won't zoom; aperture won't stop down. The lens was working fine last week. It is now almost completely dead. It has no sign of damage on the outside. The lens is out of warranty. Any idea, friends?

[tc95]

Vette, if you have the original reciept the lense has a 5 year warrantee...on it...you just need to send it to Nikon with the reciept....

If you don't...I would still send it there...I sent a second-hand one I bought and dropped...opps...stoped autofocusing....sent it in and they charged me $145.00 for repairs, and cleaning...not bad since the lens is still 450 to 600 used.....and now with the new price it is 700+.....

Nikon Repair California.....800-645-6678 or 310-414-8107
Online form to fill out

Good luck...also make sure your camera and lens are both set to Auto-focus....also try to clean the contacts...might help...

[J Mitchel]

Let me see if I understand: Two separate issues 1) zoom ring spins, but lens will not zoom 2) focus ring spins, but lens will not focus.
Both of these are manual issues and happen with the lens on and off the camera. Switches and contacts would have no impact. Since zoom and focus are separate physical gears, strange that they both suddenly stopped working.
While a different lens, I think this link will prove helpful:
http://www.lesliewong.us/blog/2008/0...8-70mm-repair/

These lenses have a 5 year warranty. But, if you are not the original purchaser (or don't have a receipt to say it was a gift), then you may want to try to fix it yourself.

Mechanics charge by the hour and they don't care if you bring in a bag of parts, or a single lump of parts that doesn't work.

[vettenfun]

Sending the lens to Nikon is a very good suggestion. However, i don't like the idea of shipping the lens. Is there a good camera repair shop in Houston? I really need an exp tech to look at it. If it is worth the repair, I'll pay for it. If not, I'll get a new one :-)

[J Mitchel]

Not criticizing your decision, but why don't you want to ship the lens to Nikon?
Sending it certified, or Fed ex/ UPS with tracking should make it safe. I life a few miles from Nikon in Melville, NY and I dropped of a D80 to get repaired there...facility was clean and orderly. The had it fixed within a few days and quickly shipped it back to me.
Have you had a bad experience?

[vettenfun]

I never have had problems with Nikon equipment till now. I am a kind of guy that wants to talk a the tech in person; want to see the tech checking out the equipment while I'm there; want to know the results in couple days instead of week(s).... :-)

[J Mitchel]

I can understand that. I like to know how stuff works too and see how it gets fixed.
As far as time though, I found Nikon's Melville facility to be pretty quick.

[shnitz]

I think you're ascribing too much personal value to the lens. At the end of the day, it is just a consumer-grade hunk of metal, plastic, and glass (not knocking the lens, I own and regularly use it myself). Nikon has a tiered repair system. They will look at what isn't working and lump it into a certain category.

I know you would love to sit with a repairman and learn about what exactly is wrong with your lens and how it works, but they are extremely busy. It comes down to a dollars-and-cents model of running a business. I would recommend sucking it up and send in the lens to Nikon. I have done so for a wide variety of products, ranging from defects to accidental damage. they are quick, and they do their best to keep you updated.