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Krafty

macrumors 601
Original poster
Dec 31, 2007
4,440
308
La La Land
The stock Lens on my D40 seems to have trouble auto-focusing. It should like its struggling. The lens itself is fine, and I can maunal shoot perfectly, but it seems as the engine or motor inside is stuck or dying.
 

jaseone

macrumors 65816
Nov 7, 2004
1,245
57
Houston, USA
Try taking the lens off and looking at the contacts, it is possible they are dirty. If it looks that way then search online for the best method to clean them.
 

hogfaninga

macrumors 65816
Aug 16, 2008
1,305
0
Chestnut Tree Cafe
Try taking the lens off and looking at the contacts, it is possible they are dirty. If it looks that way then search online for the best method to clean them.

What he said. Many times it is as simple as that (I have read others having this problem as well). My wife's D40 had this problem and that fixed it.
 

jaseone

macrumors 65816
Nov 7, 2004
1,245
57
Houston, USA
You shouldn't need a cleaning kit as long as you stick to just cleaning the electrical contacts NOT THE GLASS OR THE FOCUSING MIRROR (sorry had to emphasize that), for the contacts I have read you can use something as simple as a pencil eraser to rub them clean in a pinch.

However that may well not be the issue especially as that lens has a plastic mount and they are known to become loose & need service. Did you register for the extended warranty on the lens? I've read conflicting reports as to whether you need to register to get the 5 year warranty or not.

EDIT: If you don't feel comfortable with this then I suggest just taking your camera to your local camera store even if you didn't buy it from them, just be nice and explain your situation, as long as they aren't busy I'm sure they would be happy to have a quick look especially if you can find something to purchase there even if it is a few prints.
 

Krafty

macrumors 601
Original poster
Dec 31, 2007
4,440
308
La La Land
Did you register for the extended warranty on the lens? I've read conflicting reports as to whether you need to register to get the 5 year warranty or not.
I did not, the sound seems to be coming from the middle of the lens.
 

103734

Guest
Apr 10, 2007
723
0
I did not, the sound seems to be coming from the middle of the lens.

What does it sound like? A rubbing? A grinding? Or is it just taking a long time to focus? Take the lens off the camera and look at the little metal pins on the bottom of the camera, get a q-tip and dip it in some rubbing alcohol then wipe the metal pints on the lens, let it dry and hook it back up to the body, then see if you still have problems.
 

Krafty

macrumors 601
Original poster
Dec 31, 2007
4,440
308
La La Land
What does it sound like? A rubbing? A grinding? Or is it just taking a long time to focus? Take the lens off the camera and look at the little metal pins on the bottom of the camera, get a q-tip and dip it in some rubbing alcohol then wipe the metal pints on the lens, let it dry and hook it back up to the body, then see if you still have problems.

Sounds like its grinding, like its struggling to focus. It seems as it cant move.
 

compuwar

macrumors 601
Oct 5, 2006
4,717
2
Northern/Central VA
If its a year, then no. I got it around October last year.

If you got a lens at a Nikon Authorized Dealer *and* sent in the registration card, then there's a five year warranty. If not, there's a one year warranty. In either case, you're under the time limit, so contact Nikon.
 

Phrasikleia

macrumors 601
Feb 24, 2008
4,082
403
Over there------->
If you got a lens at a Nikon Authorized Dealer *and* sent in the registration card, then there's a five year warranty. If not, there's a one year warranty. In either case, you're under the time limit, so contact Nikon.

Does anyone know if this is the case with Canon lenses too? I never send in my warranty cards. Perhaps I should.
 

Krafty

macrumors 601
Original poster
Dec 31, 2007
4,440
308
La La Land
They're asking for the receipt, not good.

And the lens are so expensive, I don't want to get the same one. I dont understand what happened, I don't remember dropping it.
 

Cliff3

macrumors 68000
Nov 2, 2007
1,556
180
SF Bay Area
They're asking for the receipt, not good.

And the lens are so expensive, I don't want to get the same one. I dont understand what happened, I don't remember dropping it.

If you purchased it online, you may be able to access an invoice at the vendor's site. B&H and Amazon certainly have this capability, for example. That should be good enough to provide proof of the date of purchase to Nikon.

There is nothing wrong with having a lens repaired, either. Though your D40 kit lens is cheap enough that it may cost Nikon less to replace it rather than to try to repair it.
 

Krafty

macrumors 601
Original poster
Dec 31, 2007
4,440
308
La La Land
I didn't, I purchased it at Targets. Now that I think of it, I was thinking about getting a D80 off of Craigslist or something, and if they wont replace the D40 just sell the body of it. I'm also selling other stuff to help out. I was going to save up for a MBP, but why replace my MB if it aint broke, ya know?

A few of my friends have them and I'm more in love with it than the D40.
 

compuwar

macrumors 601
Oct 5, 2006
4,717
2
Northern/Central VA
Does anyone know if this is the case with Canon lenses too? I never send in my warranty cards. Perhaps I should.

I'm pretty-sure that Canon only offers a 1 year body warranty. The upside is that Canon has a global warranty policy where Nikon allows each country-speciic company to make its own rules. I did see mention of Canon Singapore offering a 3 month extension, but not any of the other countries.

I didn't, I purchased it at Targets.

Target will only reprint receipts for 90 days. You didn't keep the receipt?
 

ChrisA

macrumors G5
Jan 5, 2006
12,834
2,040
Redondo Beach, California
The stock Lens on my D40 seems to have trouble auto-focusing. It should like its struggling. The lens itself is fine, and I can maunal shoot perfectly, but it seems as the engine or motor inside is stuck or dying.

By "stock" you mean the 18-55mm lens? You can buy a replacement for cheap. About $50. There is an over supply and little demend for that lens hence the low price on the used market.

If it were any other Nikor lens I'd say just take it to your local camera repair shop but the kit lens is cheaper to replace than fix
 

Krafty

macrumors 601
Original poster
Dec 31, 2007
4,440
308
La La Land
By "stock" you mean the 18-55mm lens? You can buy a replacement for cheap. About $50. There is an over supply and little demend for that lens hence the low price on the used market.

If it were any other Nikor lens I'd say just take it to your local camera repair shop but the kit lens is cheaper to replace than fix
Yes, but I'm also looking into other kinds of lens. I'm trying to sell, so I may get a wider pair of lens, if not a D80/90 in that case.
 

taylorwilsdon

macrumors 68000
Nov 16, 2006
1,868
12
New York City
Nikon said I can send it in for evaluation after I told them I didnt have a receipt.

Doh! You committed the cardinal sin of Nikon warranty work. Tell them you GOT IT AS A GIFT. NO receipt required. Good luck with your future endeavors, but if you can, just pretend none of this happened and mail it in with the warranty card with the gift box checked.
 

Krafty

macrumors 601
Original poster
Dec 31, 2007
4,440
308
La La Land
Doh! You committed the cardinal sin of Nikon warranty work. Tell them you GOT IT AS A GIFT. NO receipt required. Good luck with your future endeavors, but if you can, just pretend none of this happened and mail it in with the warranty card with the gift box checked.

How the hell was I suppose to know? All I said was that I didn't have the receipt, I didn't tell them I bought it at Targets.
 
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