D60 Auto focus

[cheenman]

I have a D60 with a "comes with the camera 18-55" auto focus lens. I was recently practicing some close up shots and the autofocus stopped working. My question is, do you think the problem is with the lens itself or is it more camera oriented? The battery is fine. I can put my 50mm lens on and focus manually and it works fine. Any help is appreciated.

cheenman

[kirbinster]

Perhaps you were too close, there is a minimum distance for most lenses and if you get below that it cannot focus.

[autofocus]

Originally Posted by cheenman

I have a D60 with a "comes with the camera 18-55" auto focus lens. I was recently practicing some close up shots and the autofocus stopped working. My question is, do you think the problem is with the lens itself or is it more camera oriented? The battery is fine. I can put my 50mm lens on and focus manually and it works fine. Any help is appreciated.

cheenman

Maybe you were too close to the subject for it to focus...try backing up a bit and see if that works. If not, we'll try the next step

[cheenman]

I though there might be a limitation about being too close so I backed off and still is does not want to move. It seems like it's locked into a certain position. I have tried to use the manual setting and focus manually, but the lens barrel doesn't move. As I said my prime 50 mm works fine on manual focus. Thanks for the help

[autofocus]

Originally Posted by cheenman

I though there might be a limitation about being too close so I backed off and still is does not want to move. It seems like it's locked into a certain position. I have tried to use the manual setting and focus manually, but the lens barrel doesn't move. As I said my prime 50 mm works fine on manual focus. Thanks for the help

Is there a switch on the side of that lens for auto/manual focus? Maybe you accidentally switched it to manual

[cheenman]

I checked that and actually tried putting the setting on manual and still can't focus the lens manually, which leads me to believe there is something wrong with the lens and not the camera. I guess that leads me to the next question which is if I need to get that lens fixed should I do that or just buy a better lens and what would your suggestions be.

[autofocus]

Originally Posted by cheenman

I checked that and actually tried putting the setting on manual and still can't focus the lens manually, which leads me to believe there is something wrong with the lens and not the camera. I guess that leads me to the next question which is if I need to get that lens fixed should I do that or just buy a better lens and what would your suggestions be.

The 18-55 is a good all around general purpose lens, and it may be worth fixing. A few things to check...is it still in warranty? If it's not, and if Nikon repair is anything like Canon, you can expect it'll cost ~$125 just to put it on the bench. You should be able to get a repair quote from them, and then you can decide if the cost justifies the repair or not. Regardless, a new and somewhat equal lens replacement will probably cost more than the repair..Good luck

[OsmosisStudios]

You could have somehow gotten the AF mechanism off it's rails: if the lens tried too hard to focus on something very close, it could have slipped a gear off the track.

[cheenman]

That sounds like exactly what happened. I can hear the lens trying to do something when I push the focus button. It's like it's trying to focus but it's stuck. Is there something I can do about this or do I need to take it to a fix it shop? thanks

[OsmosisStudios]

Originally Posted by cheenman

That sounds like exactly what happened. I can hear the lens trying to do something when I push the focus button. It's like it's trying to focus but it's stuck. Is there something I can do about this or do I need to take it to a fix it shop? thanks

It'll have to go in for repair somewhere, either at NIkon or a local shop if you have one that's Nikon certified.

Nikon lenses, in north america at least, have 5 year warranties: you might be safe on that front.