Fast lens done with itself?

[dugarner]

Aargh!

I bought my 50mm 1.8 last summer---I haven't even had it a year---and last week, at the high school rodeo, I noticed it wasn't focusing. The red blinking focal area lights come on, but when I press the shutter release halfway, the motor doesn't kick in to autofocus.

I can still focus manually, but the glass isn't high quality enough that I can get tack-sharp when I focus manually.

Has anyone had this happen before? It seems to be intermittent. It will work, then it won't. It doesn't seem to be related to whether or not I've just put the lens on or not.

My sensor is really, really dirty. Can dust/dirt on or near the sensor or lens thread (whatever it's called, where the lens attaches to the camera) affect the autofocus? Come to think of it, I did take it to the beach before the problem started, but I didn't use my fast lens there.

[mugsbigsis]

Sarah, if it's a Tamron it's got a 6 year warranty.

[tylertooo]

Sarah, I have a canon 50mm f1.4, which is not the most expensive lens, but it wasn't cheap either. Unfortunately, I have bad eyesight, and I often rely on autofocus to do it's thing, but I have noticed it wont focus - it tries, but it is like it doesn't find anything it can focus on. I know my camera is probably due for a good cleaning, so I am taking it to the camera shop hopefully tomorrow, and am hoping that it being dirty is causing the problem. It is frustrating.

[dugarner]

It's a Sony. I discovered it does have a one-year warranty, but I didn't save the box or the receipt.

Sometimes it hunts and focuses, sometimes it doesn't hunt at all. I have found when it hunts and doesn't find something, it might be because the contrast between the subject and background isn't high enough and it doesn't know what to look for. In that case I will just focus manually.

I don't even have 5,000 frames on this lens---that's what is so frustrating. I'm hard on it, but it should hold up better than this.

[esther_a]

My tamron doesn't focus either - but that is because I dropped it and must have snapped some gears in the mechanism. It tries and fails. How very annoying for you. The warranty is worth a try. I sent one Tamron lens back and had it repaired under warranty for a manufacturing fault (that was BEFORE I dropped it!).

[dugarner]

Originally Posted by esther_a

My tamron doesn't focus either - but that is because I dropped it and must have snapped some gears in the mechanism. It tries and fails. How very annoying for you. The warranty is worth a try. I sent one Tamron lens back and had it repaired under warranty for a manufacturing fault (that was BEFORE I dropped it!).

Grak! If I had saved the original receipt I would go ahead and send it in. But I didn't---or if I did, I have no idea where it is---so I can't.

[mugsbigsis]

Originally Posted by dugarner

Grak! If I had saved the original receipt I would go ahead and send it in. But I didn't---or if I did, I have no idea where it is---so I can't.

Sarah, if you got it from a camera store they will sometimes have the receipt on record for you. It might be worth a call. So sorry.

[home in ottawa]

The two stores where I have bought camera equipment here in Ottawa register the purchase as they enter the info in the cash register/computer. Perhaps the store where you bought it does the same thing?

Hate to ask the obvious, but camera battery charge is OK? Good luck.

ETA: posting at the same time as Kelly!

[dugarner]

Originally Posted by home in ottawa

The two stores where I have bought camera equipment here in Ottawa register the purchase as they enter the info in the cash register/computer. Perhaps the store where you bought it does the same thing?

Hate to ask the obvious, but camera battery charge is OK? Good luck.

ETA: posting at the same time as Kelly!

This is just getting worse---the store I bought it from went bankrupt (Ritz Camera). I paid cash for the lens, so I know they wouldn't have a record anyway.

Battery charge was at 75% when the problems started. Today it is down around 12% but I can still get about 100 frames on that charge. I'll charge it up tonight and see how it does tomorrow. I'm crossing my fingers that that might be the problem. The camera is old, it's got about 20,000 frames on it, so it could be getting old, too. But the auto-focus motor is actually in the lens on Sony cameras, so that could be a downside too. Earlier death.

[home in ottawa]

The lens motor has to get its' power from the camera battery, though. Perhaps your theory that the contacts are dirty is right. The strange thing to me is that it is intermittent. If the battery charging doesn't resolve the issue, I'd contact Sony customer service. They can tell from the serial number that it is not an old lens.....worth a try!

[home in ottawa]

Sarah, what happened with your lens?

[dugarner]

Originally Posted by home in ottawa

Sarah, what happened with your lens?

I charged the camera up to 100% and stuck the lens on, and still no focus. It will autofocus about 1 out of 20 tries. I contacted Sony and they gave me the run-around, no definitive answer about warranty without the receipt, but they sent me to their knowledge base which didn't tell me anything I hadn't already tried.

I'm going to be bummed if this lens is kaplooey, it's my favorite lens and I haven't the $$ to buy a new fast lens right now. It's better that it's getting into spring and summer and most of my photos will be outdoors, but if this lens does die, it may be the catalyst I need to switch systems to Nikon or Canon. I thought I'd have bought another couple of lenses by now, so this may be a blessing in disguise.

Thanks for asking!

[AllynD]

Sarah, even if you don't have a receipt, the lens has a serial number, so they are able to tell when they manufactured it. Talk to them about that. The warranty should be good, assuming it didn't sit on the shelf for years. Unless it was grey market, which maybe Ritz sold you, and then you are sunk.

Hoping for the best,

Lynn

[dugarner]

Lynn, this is making me wonder. Sony said they wouldn't grant a manufacturer's warranty repair without the receipt, regardless of the serial number. And it wasn't on the shelf for years because I think Sony only started manufacturing this particular lens two or three years ago. Then again, Sony lenses don't move fast, so maybe it was manufactured several years ago even though I bought it last summer.

So I called the store where I bought it and they can't help me, but told me to call corporate.

So I called corporate and they said they could look it up, though their system doesn't normally keep track of cash transactions. Seems funny since this is major inventory---it's not a photo printing order or something like that. They only ever have 2-3 of these lenses in a store at any given moment. You'd think they'd want to know where they went.

She couldn't find the transaction, and when I gave her the model number---SAL50F18--she said, "Oh, that's a ritzcamera.com model number. So you bought it off the internet?" No, I bought it in a store. I'm confused. Could it possibly be grey market?

Either way, I'd have to pay 100% of the repair value for this lens. I am SO close to giving in and changing systems altogether, though the thought of saving up another $1200 for a body and a lens or two makes my stomach hurt. The quality is a little lower than comparable major market cameras, and for this lens to fail after just 9 months (and only about 8,000 frames or so) is discouraging.

I wonder what I could get for this system? Body, kit lens, long lens, and a fast lens that doesn't autofocus . . .

[mommy07jana]

mine did that when my son pulled my camera off of the end table. It suddenly wouldn't focus, it was like the lens was confused and didn't know what to focus on or something. Took it in and had to get a new lens. BUT mine was the kit lens so it wasn't to pricey