HELP! AF Lens gives F - - . What can be done?

[Igor]

OK, I've got my first ebay mishap. The seller with great 100% positive feedback sold me a 85mm f/1.4 Like New lens. Today I received it, really looked great, like new. Put it on S2 and suddenly... a blinking " F - - " .
Cleaning contacts, nothing, checking other lenses - work fine.
We all know F - - means non CPU lens, or no lens at all.
So I understand the CPU inside the lens is dead, right?

Shot in M mode OK, optics is fine.

There's no any Fuji shop or store to fix the problem around.

What would you suggest to do?

Thanks.

[pauly99]

Igor, I imagine that you've locked the lens
itself in the lowest or highest aperture?

[killians913]

Igor,

pauly99 is right. Your lens has to be locked in at f22 (smallest aperture possible) if your camera is to recognize the lens in AF mode.

That's why you're getting the error msg.

[Wilm]

I would suggest too, to doublecheck your aperture settings.
Sometimes you can´t get highest aperture without pressing a little knob.
Don´t got that lens in my hands. Otherwise I might could help.

Wilm
(I´m keeping my fingers crossed )

[Igor]

Thanks guys,
but check your S2 manual at page 114:
FEE blinks when lens is not set to a minimum aperture, while "F - - " blinks if NON-CPU lens attached.

Anyway the lens is set to min. and locked. It's not the reason evidently.

[Wilm]

Igor,

so you´ve 3 chances :

#1 Try to get the lens repaired somewhere. Might be quite expense with all the shipping

#2 Get a bad Ebay-member too and sell it

#3 Try to get your money back and quote later on the seller als bad.


still crossing my fingers for you
Wilm

[HulaMike]

Igor,

Did your seller advertise it as totally functional? Or was it "as is"?

You should always contact the seller first in this situation to work it out. If he has an unblemished feedback rating he will work with you. Ask him if he had any problems with this lens. If it was misrepresented perhaps you can arrange to return it.

Also, could you post the auction link here? I'd like to review it for you, I have a lot of ebay experience with camera equipment.

[Igor]

Here's the link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2970323971

It was presented as like new.
The seller hasn't replied yet, but we had quite nice emailing while auction was on, so I'm 99% sure he's an honest person...

[HulaMike]

Igor,

I might have passed on this auction. He mentions using this lens only a few times, that it's been stored in a hard case for three years but there's some wear on the lens shade. Sounded a bit odd to me.

He also states all sales are final. Kind of hard to get around that unless he buys into the fact that you didn't receive it in "as new" condition as advertised. I only bid on such things when the seller states "money back if not as advertised" or "guaranteed not to be DOA", etc.

The other thing I noticed is that while he does have a !00% positive rating on 77 auctions, on 76 of them he was a buyer, not a seller. That would have caused me more than a little concern.

Still, most ebayers with no negatives will try to work things out. Ask him. If he balks you can mention that you'll be forced to issue him his first negative.

You paid a lot for a used lens, I hope it works out for you.

[moo750]

hi igor
my sigma 70-200mm ex has developed the problem recently and it appears that the lens does not appear flush on the mount. wiggling it about does however get rid of the F-- sign and replace it with f8.0 etc however the slightess movement and its back to f--. does the autofocus work on yours?

cheers

[S_Leeper]

I seem to remember having this problem a while back...
In a bit of controlled fustration,
I removed lens,
unlocked apature ring,
twisted back & forth several times (while chanting a few magical words that I won't allow my children to repeat.).
Stuck it back on & it worked.
Doesn't make sense I know...

p.s. Are you using a flash???

[ianmcc]

how could an AF lens NOT have a CPU inside?... The pics show a lens that would appear to work on an S2, no?

Check to make sure the lens is fully mounted properly. I have had a few not fully "click" and get that same reading,...

Maybe clean the contacts on the lense also?

[Igor]

Thanks all for the input.
Still no joy. Contacts are clean. The fit is very tight, no chance for unproper alignment. Tried to twist the aperture ring, still nothing.

Tried it in manual mode (AF doesn't work) with 80DX flash. Flash sets to TTL, but doesn't set 85mm as it ougth to.

Do you think it's possible to open the rear lens cover and check the contacts?

[VA_Shooter]

Igor,

At this point, I think I'd send this seller one more email to see if he'll respond to your complaints. If he won't, then I'd report him to eBay as a fraudulent seller who is misrepresenting his wares, leave him very negative feedback for the transaction and try to do everything you can to report his behavior to PayPal. You are not stupid, Igor, this is not the first CPU lens you have ever held in your hands or attached to a camera body. The lens is likely defective and your seller knew it when he sold it to you. Do not reward his behavior. You have other remedies available to you in the US if you are interested in persuing them...let me know and I can point you in the right direction.

[Swampy]

Igor, like Paul said, you'd not stupid. You know what you're doing. There's two things that this could be. An incompatible lens? Don't think so. Bad lens? Probably.

You said AF does work on it? You don't know anyone or you don't happen to have another Nikon based body over there to try the lens on other than your S2, do you?

I would try the lens (preferably on a Nikon, not Kodak or Fuji and not digital) on another camera if you can. If it doesn't work, then send the lens back. That's the last logical step to take.

[Wichita Wayne]

Send the guy another email and ask for a "read Recipt" so you know that he has received it. Most people do not want to sell a bad item and will work with you if they can. The problem that you may run into is that he has already spent the money and is now broke. But give him a chance to make good on the deal.

It sounds to me like the CPU in the lens is bad. If it gives you the f-- error and will not autofocus the flash then I would think that you have proved that the CPU is bad.

I could always try to look this guy up and call him to see what he intends to do. Any reasonable purchaser that read his add would assume that the lens was in working order and would not be dead on arrival. As a last resort I could help you find a local lawyer send him a letter. If he knows you have local representation then he might be more motivated to fix the problem.

I have sold things in the past that did not work and paid for the repair. It's really the only honest thing to do, and I bet that he will agree to fix the lens. When this happened to me I had the buyer send it to my repair shop and the shop fixed it, returned it to the buyer, and sent me the bill. That way I knew that the lens was really broken and that it was properly fixed. If you don't have any repair facility near you you can send it to me and I can have my repair shop look at it. They are a Nikon certified repair shop so they will know what to do. The seller might also have a Kansas City repair shop that he uses that you can send the lens to. I also suspect that the repair would not be too expensive for such a lens, If you want I can call my repair shop and get a quote for a CPU replacement.

[Igor]

Connie,
your absolutely right, but the lens was shipped to me not directly, but via my U.S. firend (the seller refused to ship directly). This complicated the matters a bit. I trust my friend absolutely, he is not a photog, just re-shipped the lens to me, but the seller can accuse my friend in causing damage, or something like that.

Regarding feedback. I can post a neg for him, but I'll most probably get a reciprocal neg from him. Since I'm an "international" buyer/seller, my ebay feedback is MOST important to me. Even more than $$$ I lost for a bad CPU. Please understand I'm not a coward, but "international" from the same "bad rep" region as Russia.

Bryan,
good idea about testing. Must find some photog with Nikon SLR (not an easy job over here :) )

Wayne,
thanks a lot for your offer.
I still have no reply from the seller, so I think the only way for me would be to repair the lens at my own cost.
Please inquire about the cost at your repair facility and let me know.

Thanks all!

[HulaMike]

I'm afraid the third party reshipment is a killer Igor. Your seller "could" claim that he had no control over how your friend handled the lens. He's technically out of the loop now and a negative feedback would be inappropriate in this situation.

At this point I would take Wayne up on his offer to have it fixed in the US at your cost. I'm sure it would be under $100. You'd end up with a Nikon certified repair with a total cost still less than a new lens.

PS: I sent you a private message offering help. Did youi see it? Look at the bottom of the Main Page.

Good Luck!

[Igor]

I agree Mike.
Hopefully the lens won't be killed again during its second "voyage over the pond and back" :)

Yes, I read the PM, sent you a reply. Thanks.

Looking to Wayne's reply....

[Sneakyracer]

I read somewhere that installing cpu and contacts on older mf lenses is not that expensive si dont believe it will be for rechipping your lens.

[Igor]

Just received a message from the seller. He claims the lens worked OK when he shipped it.

[Swampy]

Find another camera to try it on... Maybe a camera store can help you really quick?

[Igor]

Don't laugh! Just visited our BEST photo store. There was one Canon EOS30 and NOT A SINGLE NIKON SLR !!! Will need to find some photog with Nikon camera.

Anyway, the seller AGREED to pay the bill for the lens repair!
Wayne, where are you??????

[Sneakyracer]

Originally posted by Igor
Don't laugh! Just visited our BEST photo store. There was one Canon EOS30 and NOT A SINGLE NIKON SLR !!! Will need to find some photog with Nikon camera.

Anyway, the seller AGREED to pay the bill for the lens repair!
Wayne, where are you??????

..And i though we had it tough here in Puerto Rico. Guess i was spoiled by NY.

[Igor]

Yeah, our local photogs aren't spoiled yet! :)

[HulaMike]

Originally posted by Igor
Anyway, the seller AGREED to pay the bill for the lens repair!
Wayne, where are you??????

The seller is a good guy! Congrats. If Wayne isn't able to handle this for you can't you contact an authorized Nikon repair facility in Europe or the US?

[Wichita Wayne]

I see that the seller agreed to pay for the repair. I still can help you but I was not able to get in contact with the repair shop yesterday and I may not be able to get in contact with them till tomorrow morning. I am swamped with long hours and meetings where I work. I sent you an email earlier but the thing is still in my outbox. My mail server is having some kind of trouble and I cannot send personal email from work. I also cannot make personal long distance calls or email from work. It is a security thing. I am posting this on my personal laptop through a dial up connection. I will get you the quote within the next 24 hours. My repair shop is called Pho-Tech and is a small one-man operation in Heston, Kansas that is a certified Nikon repair facility. The seller can even send the payment directly to the repair shop to speed things along. There might be a wait of several weeks before he gets the parts and your lens gets to the front of the line. He is not fast but he is the best in the business. I could also send it to another repair facility that might be quicker but I would not be able to vouch for their work. With your remote location I think his work would be the best you could get. Once it is repaired I can check out the lens on my S2 to make sure that it is fixed and in good working order before I send it back to you. That way you will know it is right before it is shipped. I can even email you with the test pictures so you can see for sure.

[Igor]

Thanks Wayne, I'll be looking forward to the quote.
Please send me your address to ship the lens to.

Whenever you get access to direct email please write me to:
igor@shestakov.mk.ua

Thanks again.