Nikon autofocus not working after trying second-hand lens

Softshoe

Softshoe

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Andy
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I've just tried a Nikon 10-24mm I bought second-hand from a reputable source but it wouldn't auto-focus so I tried it on two other cameras and it wouldn't auto-focus on either of those. I put back the normal lenses and found that none of the three cameras would now auto-focus. I've tried various different lenses and none will auto-focus. I've spoken to the people in the contact centre who say it's not possible for the lens to have damaged the cameras (D90, D7100 and D7200) in the way I was describing.

Has anyone else experienced anything similar and can offer a quick-fix solution before I send all three off for repair?
 
Softshoe said:
Has anyone else experienced anything similar and can offer a quick-fix solution before I send all three off for repair?
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Not to be silly but you have checked the AF/MF switches? That caught me just the other day.
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
Not to be silly but you have checked the AF/MF switches? That caught me just the other day.
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Thanks Andrew, that was the first thing I checked, immediately followed by checking the switch on the bodies. All was as it should be with focus hunting backwards and forwards but with focus lock not being achieved.
 
desf said:
Dust/muck on the contacts, now transferred to the bodies?
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Thanks Des, that sounded pretty plausible so I tried cleaning with DeoxIT Contact Cleaning Fluid which left an impressive amount of muck on the cleaning pad but didn't make any difference to the problem with auto-focus.
 
The only thing I can think of is that there’s something on that lenses (a protuberance ?) that might have switched something off on all bodies ,but never heard of anything like it before .. be worth phoning up a Nikon repair centre when they re.open to ask first
 
As an extra check, as well as cleaning both camera and lens contacts, why not clean the actual AF Sensors in case they have been contaminated ...

AF sensors on your camera are dirty – This is something you might not have considered. We might think that are lens is dirty, we can even consider that our main camera sensor is dirty but the AF sensor? well, yes. These are usually below the mirror – you can clean them with a rocket/pocket blower that you are using to clean your main sensor. Follow the steps that Perry suggest including putting your camera in a cleaning mode so that when you tell your mirror to go up it won’t come down accidentally on the tip of your blower.
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Source
 
gramps said:
As an extra check, as well as cleaning both camera and lens contacts, why not clean the actual AF Sensors in case they have been contaminated ...
Source
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Thanks for the suggestion but one of the cameras is new and unused (health issues have kept me pretty inactive over the last year) so I think I'll try as Jeff suggests before sending one camera for repair, just to see what the report says before sending the others.
 
Factory reset of the cameras?
 
Is there a hard reset option on the camera (reset to factory defaults)?
 
Softshoe said:
Thanks for the suggestion but one of the cameras is new and unused (health issues have kept me pretty inactive over the last year) so I think I'll try as Jeff suggests before sending one camera for repair, just to see what the report says before sending the others.
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But is it possible that the lens has contaminated the sensors on the camera even though previously unused?
 
Not sure but didn’t the older Nikon lenses have a lever to operate the screw drive AF ,but at least two bodies D7000 and 7200 should be capable of taking virtually every lens Nikon has ever made . Here’s where it might go tits up though IF the lens is a very old one ,it will still fit the Nikon throat/ mount BUT it might well have a part on it that’s pushed a lever out of the way .. if possible can you post a photo of rear of offending lens and a normal one side by side also the mount/throat on the d7200 . That way at least we can compare . If all cameras are non working take pics with phone
 
you should be able to reset the cameras by pushing both buttons with the green dot beside them together for at least 2 seconds. THe LCD control panel may switch off for a moment while the camera resets to factory settings. Just checked with one of my cameras and the display goes back showing "P" for program mode and the quality display goes to
normal . so if you wanted to shown RAW and Fine for example you will have to dial that in as usual. The other thing if it is faulty an error code may show up in the display which you have not mentioned

there is also firmware downloads here is one for the D7200

link

https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/products/197/D7200.html

M3610001a.jpg
shot of my Nikon 12-24 f1.4 G DX lens

lever at 12 o'clock position. Maybe this is what is sticking
 
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the black fox said:
Not sure but didn’t the older Nikon lenses have a lever to operate the screw drive AF ,but at least two bodies D7000 and 7200 should be capable of taking virtually every lens Nikon has ever made . Here’s where it might go tits up though IF the lens is a very old one ,it will still fit the Nikon throat/ mount BUT it might well have a part on it that’s pushed a lever out of the way .. if possible can you post a photo of rear of offending lens and a normal one side by side also the mount/throat on the d7200 . That way at least we can compare . If all cameras are non working take pics with phone
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That was my initial thought too Jeff but the 10-24mm is a G series so not "body driven".

The older lenses have a slot in the mount that the body side lever engages into.

GC
 
Unfortunately Andy doesn't say which version (if there are any) of the Nikon 10-24mm lens he bought . Always best to over do information than lack of, it helps with problem solving
 
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Sorry Bazza, I forgot that there had been earlier versions of the 10-24mm: the full name is AF-S DX 10-24 f/3.5-4.5G ED.

I am grateful for all the help, from, everyone but I'm resigned to initially sending one camera off to Nikon for a repair as nothing seems to make any difference.
 
did you try the two button reset? or a fresh download as per link I posted, or check that lever in the photo to see it it sticks? sometimes a pencil lead over the contacts works as it is a mild abrasive ,wiped afterwards of course with a micro lens cloth
 
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Softshoe said:
Thanks Andrew, that was the first thing I checked, immediately followed by checking the switch on the bodies. All was as it should be with focus hunting backwards and forwards but with focus lock not being achieved.
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Did the AF on the secondhand lens also hunt back and forth, or did it not move at all? With one of the other lenses in MF mode, does the focus confirmation indicator light up when you achieve sharp focus visually? Can the D7200 achieve focus using the rear LCD in live view mode?
 
steve_lyt said:
im sure the d7200 and the d7100 require focus motors in the lens, so many older lens wont autofocus, as to why the d90 wont work , I dont know
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In fact the D7xxx cameras have the 'screwdriver' for lenses without motors, as does the D90. All of them should work with AF, AF-D, and AF-S lenses. The D90 doesn't work with AF-P, though. As far as I know there is only one 10-24, an AF-S lens that should work with all three cameras.
 
Gosh, there's so much confusion and misinformation in this thread. @Softshoe, have you made any progress with this?

Softshoe said:
I've just tried a Nikon 10-24mm I bought second-hand from a reputable source but it wouldn't auto-focus so I tried it on two other cameras and it wouldn't auto-focus on either of those. I put back the normal lenses and found that none of the three cameras would now auto-focus. I've tried various different lenses and none will auto-focus. I've spoken to the people in the contact centre who say it's not possible for the lens to have damaged the cameras (D90, D7100 and D7200) in the way I was describing.
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The people in the contact centre were right. It's not possible. To be honest, this looks like "user error", because there are multiple cameras and multiple lenses involved here but the only common factor is you.

Can you describe the situation is a bit more detail? You say the lenses won't auto-focus but that's really not a very helpful description of the problem.
  • Have you reset the cameras (pressing and holding the two green buttons simultaneously)?
  • Have you checked that the AF/MF switches on the cameras and lenses are all set to AF?
  • What happens when you press the shutter button? Does the lens try to focus? If it does, but it doesn't achieve focus, are you trying it in good light, with a high contrast target, that's not too close to the lens?
  • Can you focus the lens manually (on a high contrast target, in good light, not too close)? Can you get it so that it looks through the viewfinder like it's in focus? Does the camera confirm that it thinks it's in focus? If you take a picture, is it actually in focus?
  • What about using Live View? Can you focus manually (on a high contrast target, in good light, not too close) in Live View? Can you use autofocus in Live View? What happens?
Sorry if some of these questions are a bit obvious, but there really is so little to go on here, we're starting from Square One.
 
Stewart
I tried factory resets although one of the cameras was brand new and unused so I couldn't see what good this would do. I've just tried reset again and, as our building work is now complete and I can go downstairs in the lift, I was able to go outside to check in bright sunshine. I found that the D90 now works OK so I tried a reset on the new D7200 and that didn't seem to do any good: although I was getting the "in focus" dot it clearly wasn't in focus. As I was putting it away I happened to notice the diopter adjustment control on the viewfinder and realised that I hadn't yet adjusted it to my eyesight, once I did that it all snapped into focus. I can't check the D7100 as that's away at Nikon Repairs so I guess I'll just have to wait for the report telling me that they can't find anything wrong and try a reset when it's returned.
Thanks to you and the others who have tried to help, as you said "user error", at least in part.
 
Softshoe said:
Stewart
I tried factory resets although one of the cameras was brand new and unused so I couldn't see what good this would do. I've just tried reset again and, as our building work is now complete and I can go downstairs in the lift, I was able to go outside to check in bright sunshine. I found that the D90 now works OK so I tried a reset on the new D7200 and that didn't seem to do any good: although I was getting the "in focus" dot it clearly wasn't in focus. As I was putting it away I happened to notice the diopter adjustment control on the viewfinder and realised that I hadn't yet adjusted it to my eyesight, once I did that it all snapped into focus. I can't check the D7100 as that's away at Nikon Repairs so I guess I'll just have to wait for the report telling me that they can't find anything wrong and try a reset when it's returned.
Thanks to you and the others who have tried to help, as you said "user error", at least in part.
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Firstly, sorry if I have missed understanding your OP and other posts about this "issue".

I have made bold the part above that stood out to me, as follows:-
The diopter adjustment has nothing to do with the camera focusing to take the picture................if you have been getting the focus confirmation but a fuzzy image in the viewfinder did you actually press the shutter and examine the picture on the LCD or computer???

The diopter adjustment is there to ensue that your eye can view an "in focus" image in the viewfinder and that is its sole purpose and nothing to do with the camera AF system focusing properly.

PS what I have said above on the face of it may not completely explain what you have described but for sure is 'user error' rather than a camera fault that even a reset will cure ;)

PPS if you are a spectacles wearer and adjust the diopter with your glasses on...........................then use the camera again with your glasses off, you will have to adjust it again to suit ~ and vice versa as appropriate ;)
 
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Thanks Box Brownie
I was relying on what I could see through the viewfinder without glasses on, as I always do (I never wear glasses when photographing) and without taking a picture. Adjusting the diopter adjustment brought what I could see through the viewfinder into focus. Taking a photo and then examining it on the computer showed good focus achievement. As you say "user error".
 
Expensive lesson!

For future reference, always include as much detail as possible when fault finding. No one mentioned the diopter as it was assumed the images being taken were out of focus.
if you’d have said images are fine but the viewfinder is blurry, it would have been solved by someone almost instantly for you without the hassle of sending bodies away for repair that didnt need it.
 
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