dropped Nikon 17-55

[hughes]

<p>Well we've all heard it before, I dropped my camera about 3 feet on to a concrete drive landed on the front of the lens, it seemed to work fine with a little stifness in the zoom I tested it and it seemed okay but now after this shoot it seems there is a major problem please see attached images. I have two questions why would the problems be intermittent and would it change at differrent focal lengths. I have many shots that don't show such dramatic problems.<br>

Steve</p><div></div>

[hughes]

<p>part of the frame</p><div></div>

[hughes]

<p>Forgot to mention this shot was at 55mm @ F7.1 this next shot was at 18mm@ F5 no evidence of problems to me</p><div></div>

[epp_b]

<p>It looks like dropping it may have caused some misalignment in either the lens or the mount. Having one side softer than the other usually indicates that the lens is not perfectly perpendicular to the sensor.</p>

[david_mcniven]

<p>Hi Steve, the mechanical & optical construction of zoom lenses is so complex that almost anything could be the cause - but it seems clear that the elements are no longer on axis.<br /> R/H side of your pic is soft, at other focal lengths or distances or apertures this could show at top, left, bottom etc. or not at all - the apparent intermittency of the fault may be due to a loose element/group or to a jamming or binding of a sliding/rotating group.<br /> The likelihood of economic repair is low - not worth paying for an estimate I would say.<br /> Most people seem unaware of this but in the UK some "home contents" insurance policies cover this circumstance even outside the home. Sometimes claiming is economic, sometimes not.<br /> Always worth checking first.<br>

DoF is much greater at 17 than 55mm which may mask the fault.<br>

Damaged camera mount is a possibility but a zoom lens often acts in the same way as a car's crumple-zone...</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>Back in 2005, I was in Paris and had my 17-55mm/f2.8 AF-S on my D2X, all inside a Lowepro "top loader" bag. Suddenly the shoulder strap came off and the whole bag fell straight down from about my waist level, say 3 feet. The bag was well padded and the lens inside hit the concrete floor first.</p>

<p>Initially I saw no apparent damage but later on I notice that on the 17mm end, the lens no longer worked with the lower right AF points on the D2X. Subsequently I noticed that images captured after the fall were no long even. See the attached image as an example. I need to attach a rather large image to make the problem obvious, so it will appear as a link rather than in line.</p>

<p>It is a Paris street scene. It was captured at 24mm, f5.6. The middle and the left side of the image are in focus, including a building in the background on the left side. However, you can see the right side of the fountain is out of focus and so are the buildings in the background. Clearly it is not an issue of depth of field since both sides of the fountain are about the same distance from the camera.</p>

<p>I sent the lens to Nikon in Los Angeles. They determined that the mount was bent and they charged me like $130 to fix (replace) the mount.</p>

<p>Steve, I suggest you make some quick tests:</p>

<ul>

<li>Shoot a flat wall parallel to your camera, at 17mm, 28mm and 55mm. Check for uneven sharpness from left to right, top to bottom.</li>

<li>If you have a D300 with 51 AF points or D200/D90 with 11 AF points, verify that all AF points are usable at 17mm and 55mm.</li>

</ul>

<p>If the zoom ring is also stiff, the holicoil inside may be damaged. I was at Nikon USA in Los Angeles last Monday. I found out from them that they charge at least $450 (could be $550 if the damage is serious) to fix the holicoil inside the 70-200mm/f2.8 AF-S VR.</p><div></div>

[ramon_v__california_]

<p>ouch!!</p>

[robert_hooper1]

<p>Steve,<br /> Send your lens to Nikon and send that Jaguar XKE to me.</p>

<p>Shun,<br /> Are you somewhere in the background of this shot?</p><div></div>

[ShunCheung]

<p>Ouch is the right answer.</p>

<p>I hate to say this, but there is obvious optical problems with the OP's 17-55mm now, even though it is intermittent. I know it is easy for me to spend someone else's money, but I would definitely get it fixed unless it is so expensive that it exceeds the value for your lens. Otherwise, your lens is pretty much useless and unless you hide the problem, it'll be hard to find a buyer for a damaged lens. 5 years ago I was surprised that Nikon only charged me $130 to fix the mount. However, this past week I was equally surprised how much Nikon charges to replace the holicoil to fix a stiff focusing ring.</p>

<p>Very nice shot Robert. Your image is far better than mine at that same location.</p>

[robert_hooper1]

<p>Thanks Shun. I think I was just lucky and got a sunnier day.</p>

[hughes]

<p>well thanks for the input after further tests I am sure lens is damaged this will be the second time it's been to El Segundo I figure the lens is worth $850 so a repair up to $500 makes sense. I believe my last repair was $370. The sheer size of these lenses makes them vulnerable to damage, I used a 35mm F2 Nikon lens for 15 years heavily with out a problem but I've had two 18-70's fail and this lens repaired once already. I suppose I will just have to be more careful. Thanks for the good info and a shoulder to cry on I am always amazed at the fund of knowledge and sympathy available at this site and Shun your wisdom and patience is always appreciated.<br>

Steve </p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>Steve, I have used SLRs for 30+ years and I have dropped 3 lenses. Unfortunately, 2 of the 3 were within the last 5 years, and that is why I am now familiar with the repair costs.</p>

<p>I visit my parents in Los Angeles 2, 3 times a year, and Nikon's office in El Segundo is like 5 minutes from the LA Airport. I try to stop by once in a while. When I was there last Tuesday, they explained that they have 3 levels of service for the 70-200:</p>

<ul>

<li>If they just take it aparat for cleaning, it is $300+.</li>

<li>Since I had impact on the focusing ring, which is now stiff, the minimum repair charge is like $400+.</li>

<li>If they find more damages after taking the lens apart, it could be up to $500+.</li>

</ul>

<p>In my case, I stupidly left my 70-200 mounted on my Gitzo 1325 in a windy day. It took the wind no time at all to knock the whole thing over and the lens hit solid rock. The lens hood cracked and there is a tiny dent on the focusing ring. Optically there is no damage at all and AF and VR work perfectly. However, for manual focusing, the ring is now very stiff.</p>

<p>I decided to decline repair since I use AF almost exclusively, and Version 2 of that lens is considerably better that I think any money is better spent towards the new version. My main problem is that it'll be difficult to sell that lens. I might as well just keep it for future tests and comparisons.</p>

<p>The fee schedule may be somewhat different for the 17-55, but that should give you a rough idea how much Nikon USA charges for lens repair (or just cleaning) if you damage the focus or zoom ring.</p>

<p>Robert, I think your image of the fountain is a lot better because of your creative composition. As usual, it is the photographer that matters most.</p>

[Rene11664880918]

<p>Sorry to hear that! I dropped mine once too but nothing happen to it!<br>

Look at the bright side.... You didn't drop it on top of the Jaguar!<br>

Good luck getting it fix!</p>

[scott_murphy_photography]

<p>Wide angle lenses, as well as zoom lenses, regardless if they are MF or AF, are very complex and are constructed of a lot of elements. Dropping one can get a single element or an entire group out of alignment. Lenses with plastic barrels are probably more susceptable than metal ones. One of the sure fire ways to tell if there is an alignment problem with an element or group is it will focus <em>past</em> infinity, or will not even focus <em>to</em> infinity.</p>

<p>Many moons ago I dropped my 24mm f/2.8 AIS Nikkor onto a hard linoleum-covered concrete floor. There was no sign of any outward damage or stiffness, a testament to it's robust construction. However, I immediately noticed that it would not focus to infinity. I had to send it off to Nikon and get it fixed and it was not cheap, even by 1970's standards.</p>

[yunlong_ma]

<p>Relax<br>

watch out next time</p>

[basilis_dimakis]

<p>Hey everybody.<br>

Yesterday , my 17-55 dropped from some cm high to a carpet (not very high around 10-20cm max (0.3-06 feet)) ... not to the floor. I placed it directly to d300... and it was showing F0 .... AF was dead.... manual focus is working, but if i move the ring further from the edjes, the feeling is not the same.... and zoom ring is stiffier to wide angle side. As i checked, i can take photos manual focusing... and as for aperture, it works only 2.8..... <br>

Any idea if it is so bad??? Anyone had same experience? Approximately repair cost or.... buy a new one?? </p>

<p>Thank you for your answers , and sorry for any mistakes... i am writing from Greece.</p>

<p> </p>