Nikon 300mm F/4 AF-s arrived and it's noisy

wack61

wack61

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I've been looking for a 300mm AF-s, I found one in a shop for £600 which was a very good price considering how much they've gone up.

It came this morning and the condition is mint, not a mark on it, I connected it to the D40 and straight away something wasn't right, the AF worked Ok but sounded rough, like a cog wasn't connecting properly.

I phoned the shop who couldn't be more helpful , they offered to take it back and either get it fixed or refund all my money including the cost of returning it.

Before I sent it back I had another go with it on the D700 and it's the same, so I thought right it's going back, then I tried it again and now it's fine on both cameras,

I thought it might be an internal motor problem, does the D700 use the in camera motor or the lens motor,the D40 doesn't have a motor so I know that's using the lens motor

AF is very fast, it just snaps between subjects close and far away and is really quiet.

I've rung the shop again and they've offered to extend the warranty from 3 to 6 months in any case and said I should try it for a few days to see if it does it again.

It was pretty well packed so I can't see it having taken a clonk in the post.

Has anyone come across anything like this before:)
 
Its not the quietest lens around, or the fastest AF-S either but it should'nt be noisy as such, and the camera body won't make a difference.

If it does need a new motor,you'd be looking at about £350+ so you'd "need" it to go within 6 months.

Not sure what do advise - great lens...but
 
Would the shop give you a bit of a discount as well as the extra warranty if you kept the lens?
 
I'd suggest you have them take it in for a quick look. After all, if you're happy with the lens and the service from the store, why return it?

Also, the warrantee isn't worth much really if you end-up having to send the lens for service at a critical time when you may badly want / need the lens.

Have it taken care of now, and enjoy it for the years to come with your mind well rested :)
 
Flash In The Pan said:
Would the shop give you a bit of a discount as well as the extra warranty if you kept the lens?
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I doubt it, I think i'll do as they suggest and try it for a few days, it may be a manual/ Af switch problem, it was on AF when I first connected it , i'll try switching between the two to see if I can recreate it
 
Do you have a TC you can try with it?

I've got a theory...if you have a TC try it and let me know what happens :)
 
heard great things about these lenses

hopefully all is well and you enjoy it for years to come
 
Make sure you've got the aperture setting ON THE LENS set correctly... it needs that on your body... make sure its fully locked into place!
 
I had mine for about 2 years, I would describe that in AF-C mode the focusing made a ticking or chattering sound. Kind of hard to describe, but you definitely heard it working compared to say a 70-200 which was silky smooth.

Focussed great though in AF-C, great image quality, so I personally wouldn't worry!
 
Yeah its a little older than the 70-200 VR, so that probably explains the difference... the aperture control ring gives it away a bit...

But don't be fooled into thinking its old and crap, its lighting fast in focusing and the results are gorgeous! Very much an under-rated piece of glass by those who for some reason think zooms are superior to primes (which they aren't!)
 
bigNeil said:
I had mine for about 2 years, I would describe that in AF-C mode the focusing made a ticking or chattering sound.!
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I'd say that's the noise it's making now which is what I would expect, i'm going to keep it for a few days to be sure,but I think there is something wrong with it, once today it screeched slightly as it went from close focus to infinity.

It hasn't sounded anything like it did 1st thing this morning though,

I was wondering if it might have something to do with it not being used for a while,having been been sat on a shelf for a few weeks :thinking:
 
Maybe it hasn't been af'd in a long time, and things had got a bit....sedatory.
Not what you'd expect but :shrug:, I'd give it a right good workout for a few days...force the issue since the retailer is being so accommodating.
 
Mine is just back after being away for 5 months.You hardly hear it now. It got new motor, circuit board, mr unit (whatever that is) & the slides inside the barrel renewed. Cost £380. They did not charge me the extra £80 for the circuit board as I had waited so long for the lens to be returned!
 
sawman said:
Mine is just back after being away for 5 months.You hardly hear it now. It got new motor, circuit board, mr unit (whatever that is) & the slides inside the barrel renewed. Cost £380. They did not charge me the extra £80 for the circuit board as I had waited so long for the lens to be returned!
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That doesn't sound good , what symptoms did you get
 
wack61 said:
That doesn't sound good , what symptoms did you get
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Well it used to squeak a bit. The af got very slow until finally I had to "rough focus" manually & it managed the last bit itself. Finally it started clicking as if the gears were stripping. Then it just stopped!
 
wack61 said:
I'd say that's the noise it's making now which is what I would expect, i'm going to keep it for a few days to be sure,but I think there is something wrong with it, once today it screeched slightly as it went from close focus to infinity.
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Hi Wack,

when I had my Sigma 500mm prime it made a squeaking noise too and I sent it for repair as I read somewhere that it could be a sign of the AF motor failing, one returned it never made it again. Funnily enough it tended to to it more in portrait mode.

My advice, get it looked at under warranty and remember and get a detailed invoice as to what has been done, or it will be VERY costly in 7 months time if it fails, as Charlie confirms above.

Mike.
 
My 300 F4 is virtually silent mate,give it a work out and send it back if it is still noisy.
 
It's going back today, I tried it this morning, it sounds terrible and won't lock on to anything, I think i'll just ask for a refund, they seem really good at the shop but once it's been repaired I won't have any confidence in it, unless it goes back to Nikon for the repair then I might consider having it back

Shame as I doubt i'll find another for the price I paid
 
I wouldn't rule it out! If it's to be repaired by a Nikon authorised service centre, then that's just as good as Nikon themselves doing the repair. Also, it will come back with its new warrantee which would give you months of mental-rest!
 
Wail said:
I wouldn't rule it out! If it's to be repaired by a Nikon authorised service centre, then that's just as good as Nikon themselves doing the repair. Also, it will come back with its new warrantee which would give you months of mental-rest!
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Hi,

I agree, if it was mine and I bought it at a good price then I would definitely get it repaired :thumbs:

The replacement parts will be warrantied again anyway.

Mike.
 
sawman said:
Well it used to squeak a bit. The af got very slow until finally I had to "rough focus" manually & it managed the last bit itself. Finally it started clicking as if the gears were stripping. Then it just stopped!
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Oomaagawd, you let that go right to the end didn't you.

was it a "to destruction" test..:lol:
 
Which shop was it? Once it's been repaired, i might be tempted to go and buy it ;)
 
That's why I haven't said where I got it :lol:
 
they've received it back now and have refunded my money while they get it checked out so it's wait and see now
 
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