Monday, July 25, 2011

Repair A Nikon Zoom Lens

Nikon has been producing lenses and cameras since the early 1900's.


Nikon has been lenses since the early 1900s. When they introduced their single lens reflex cameras in the 1950s, they produced lenses to fit those cameras. One hallmark of Nikon is the ability to use just about all Nikon lenses on any Nikon camera. Whether your camera is manual focus, film or digital, your Nikon lens can be used on all of them. This means there are a lot of Nikon zoom lenses still being used. When a zoom lens needs repairs, there are a few things you can look for yourself, but it is usually best left for a trained repair technician.


Instructions


1. Inspect the lens, and try to determine why it is not working. If the lens is a newer autofocus type of lens, cleaning the electrical contacts on the back of the lens may fix your problem. Clean these contacts with a cotton swab that is moistened with rubbing alcohol. Dry the contacts using a micro fibre cleaning cloth.


2. Inspect the inside of the lens by looking through the front and rear elements. You may be able to see what is causing your lens to stop functioning by this visual inspection. Taking a zoom lens apart is best left to a trained technician, especially if the lens is still under warranty.


3. Look at the front and rear elements themselves, and see if there is any dust or debris on these elements. They can show up as white or dark dots in your pictures, and fixing this problem is as easy as cleaning the lens elements with a microfiber cleaning cloth.


4. Look in the small gap around the outside of the lens barrel when it is extended into the zoom position. This opening is very small, but dust or sand grains can become lodged in there and prevent the lens from functioning properly. Try to remove the dust or debris using a small toothpick or needle. Do not use compressed air, as this may drive the debris further into the lens and create more severe problems.

Tags: best left, best left trained, cleaning cloth, dust debris, front rear, front rear elements