D40 Not Focusing

[jerry_curtis]

<p>This camera belongs to someone else, so don't worry about breaking my heart with your answers.</p>

<p>Recently, the 18-55mm kit lens will not focus automatically. Manual focus works fine, and the camera works OK otherwise. The owner assumes this is a lens problem, but I'm wondering if is the D40 that does the focusing. Something is broken, we're just wondering what.</p>

[alan_olander1664878205]

<p>No, the lens has the focusing motor. The D40, D60, and the like need AFS lenses (which have motors) to focus.</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>All versions of the 18-55mm DX are AF-S lenses. Potentially, the AF motor inside that 18-55 is not working any more.</p>

<p>I would first clean the electronic contacts around the lens mount, on both the body side and the lens side. If that does not solve the problem, your friend needs to try another AF-S lens on that D40 and also try that 18-55 on another DSLR and see exactly what is not working.</p>

[jerry_curtis]

<p>Thanks. I'll pass this along.</p>

[henryp]

<p>I don't have one in front of me but I know several Nikon cameras and lenses have AF/MF switches. For any lens+camera to AF, both switches must be in the AF position.</p>

<p>Henry Posner<br /><strong>B&H Photo-Video</strong></p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>Henry has a good point. All versions of the 18-55mm DX are "pseudo" AF-S lenses. You have to switch the lens to manual focus to focus it manually; you cannot simply override AF as you can do on true AF-S lenses. If manual focus is working, perhaps the AF/MF switch on the lens is switched to MF?</p>

[tomas_szoboszlai]

<p>A menu based camera setting allows you to turn auto focus on and off. I don't have my D40 to be able tell you exactly where in the menu system that setting is found. When I turned that off, the lens would not focus no matter the slide switch setting.</p>