focus problems

After, many thousands of shots, my D300 quit focusing. Two times into the El Segundo Ca shop and $400 later it still doesn’t focus. I get 70 to 80 pulls and it quits focusing again. I’m thinking the lens motor has gone bad. I have a Nikon 300 mm f/4 ED-IF Auto Focus Silent Wave Nikkor Lens. The second time it was in, Nikon said they replaced the motor but it’s worse now than it was when I started and it has to go in for the third time. Anybody have problems with silent wave motor?
This will make six weeks of prime time wildlife photography in the middle desert with no camera… I am getting REALLY unhappy.

Do you think maybe someone(s) dropped it,or it overjiggles in the elevators?I avoid my elevator becouse it gets the shakes harder than most.I dropped my beloved Sony digicam once,and caplow! it stopped focusing.

When it exhibits this behaviour: Is it running from stop to stop without ever focusing? Is it failing to run at all and can you feel the motor in the lens housing? Is the lens motor running but nothing is moving? Is it draining your camera battery?

It’s never been dropped. It’s always strapped to me. Although I do travel rough country. I have fallen with it but have managed to protect it with my body so it has never taken a direct impact. They said it had sand damage, probably from the sand storms I photographed.
Mostly I photo birds in flight so a high shutter speed is required, normally 1000 to 2000. The first two times it went into the shop, as the shutter release button was pulled the shutter speed indicator dropped somewhere between 3 and 5 and there was no motor action. I could turn the lens on the body until a contact was made and the shutter speed went to normal, then it would focus and shoot. i told them cleaning the contacts was only a temporary solution I think they did it anyway so it had to go back for the second time. The second time they said they said they put a new motor in it, so now “the third time” as the shutter release button is pushed the shutter speed indicator remains at my setting but no motor sound. The AF-ON button produces nothing, no indication a button has been pushed.

It could be a number of things, by themselves or in concert with each other: bad F mount contacts, intermittent GF, bad motor, stuck gearing, etc.

I am surprised NSC/El Segundo couldn't solve it, but it is somehting that is going to take experts to resolve. Perhaps a call to Melville and copies of the work performed is needed to solve it.

I can recommend C.R.I.S. in the Phoenix, AZ area for authorized Nikon service, to include lenses. www.criscam.com

Do you think it is a commun focusing problem as described in the user's manual?My camera came with 3 or 4 of those.I never had those issues with my digicam.

I am going to give Segundo another try. If they fail I'll follow your recommendations for Phoenix. i didn't know about Phoenix or I would have driven there only 8 hours away, better then 6 weeks. thanks. I'll post the results.

4 times in for the same focus problem. Now, suddenly the camera has impact damage. El Segundo charged me $400 to fix the focus and they are trying to back out of their warranty. Trying a general manager Monday. I am beginning to wish I would have bought a CANNON!!!!!!

Maybe you should find a new camera shop.

Great advise!!. Except have $400 of mine, if I can get that back maybe I can find a shop that knows how to repair a Nikon. I'll never go to El Segundo again.

I found the right person and got me camera fixed, but I’m afraid to use it on hikes doing wildlife photography, which is what I bought it for. I think the problem pertains to a small bodied camera and a long lens. I think I'll do a small essay under the general discussion topics.

Birds in Flight said:

I think the problem pertains to a small bodied camera and a long lens.

Click to expand...

I haven't seen your essay, but what makes you think this is the problem? The D300 is pretty rugged in my experience.