Problem with 18-55 AF-S DX lens

M

MD1032

Senior Member
Hello,

The kit lens from my D50 suddenly stopped working for no reason at all. As far as I can tell, there is nothing wrong with the lens itself. In manual mode, the focus and zoom rings respond normally and operate smoothly. The AF-S mechanism feels as if it is jammed internally. It will only focus in one direction, and it sounds as if it is working very hard to do so. It will become "stuck" and I can still hear the motor in the lens grinding and trying to work (I had never heard it before this point). I'm not sure what's wrong, but I got a repair estimate off Nikon's website and it is significantly more than the price of a new lens. My other lens, which is body-driven, operates normally, so there is nothing wrong with the camera.

My instincts tell me to simply seek the purchase of a new lens. I was hoping someone could recommend a replacement. My first thought was to simply pick up an 18-55 DX VR AF-S as a pseudo-upgrade, but I don't want that one to burn out in another 5 years. Perhaps a body-driven lens would be more reliable. The range isn't especially important to me. As you know with the D50's sensor placement, my 18-55 mm is really more of a 27-83 mm and when I use it, I find myself shooting mainly with it bottomed out at 18 mm, and occasionally somewhere in the middle when shooting people. The 3.5 minimum aperture of my current lens is not ideal, but not crippling.
 
E

evan447

Senior Member
seeing as you mostly shoot with the wide end why not consider the 16-85 vr? or even the tamron 12-24. then again, a used 18-55 would be dirt cheap.
 
D

Dave_W

The Dude
I've had something similar happen to a lens but it was still under warranty so I didn't have to pay for it to be fixed. In my case they had to replace the barrel which I suspect the price to repair it will be more than buying a new one. ​That said, right now you can both replace your lens and camera with a D3100 or D5100 at a very reasonable price until May 22 when Nikon's promotional discount ends. The D50 is an okay camera but there's been a lot of changes since then and perhaps it would be a good time to pick up one of these new cameras along with a kit lense or two.
 
M

MD1032

Senior Member
Thanks for all of the recommendations. I have a 70-300 so I do not think I really think I need a wide range lens like an 18-105. I tried a 55-200 once and I felt like the range would be useless for me. It neither had a wide enough view nor an especially close one.

I would love to get another body but honestly I do not see myself benefiting from an upgrade, and I don't want to spend the money. I have never felt any real restrictions about my camera setup other than myself. The 1600 speed on the D50 is more than enough for me. Also, the D50 has the built-in autofocus motor pin (what do you call that?) necessary to drive my 70-300 mm G Nikon lens, which does not contain a built-in motor like the AF-S DX. I see that the D3100 and D5100 lack this feature.

I forgot to mention that the thing I least liked about the 18-55 DX was that it had no ability to shoot macro whatsoever. I really would love to have a lens that could shoot macro so I don't have to bring along my little Canon P&S. Honestly, I don't think I would really need anything more than an 18-35 mm. I'm not opposed to buying a non-Nikon brand, either, nor a non-AF-S lens.

I looked at some different sized lenses online and I am perplexed as to why the 18-55 DX's seem to be so cheap compared to everything else. Is it simply because they are more mass-produced?

Ken Rockwell likes the VR. It's cheap and can give me the same quality as my old 18-55 but going 3 F-stops lower? Sounds very tempting indeed.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/18-55mm-vr.htm
 
Last edited:
Horoscope Fish

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
MD1032 said:
I forgot to mention that the thing I least liked about the 18-55 DX was that it had no ability to shoot macro whatsoever.
Click to expand...
Magnification ratio for the 18-55mm VRII is 1:3.2 so it will do macro, just not all that well.

You might like the Tamron AF 90mm f/2.8 Di SP if you want true 1:1 macro shooting. On DX sensor camera, with the 1.5x crop factor, it'll be like using the old standby 135mm tele.
 
M

MD1032

Senior Member
Well, I went with the 18-55 DX VR and I have to say, no regrets. This is a way better lens than my old 18-55. I can take clearer pictures at 1/20 now than I could at 1/60 before. I really cannot believe how well the VR works on this lens. Apparently the optics are basically the same but honestly I feel like the images are a tiny bit sharper. Maybe this is also a function of the VR. Anyway I will be enjoying this lens for years to come. Only drawback I would say is that the autofocus is not as fast or as quiet.
 
Top