18-200VR finally died.....

[ongbenghui]

Thanks for the thread.

I own a 18-200 and found to have some dust in it. Hence, I send it to NSC for cleaning. Instead, they come back by replacing the Focus Unit and 2nd len group.
Wondering if they might be aware of the problem and fixing it.

 

[coolsigg]

They fixed it. Plus their diagnostic tools revealed the SWM was dying also. I paid for the repair because it was already out of warranty. The charges were reasonable.

how much they charged you? :think:

 

[thedaniel]

Going through many posts from different threads related to lens SWM and VR failing and I wonder what is the life spent of the these items.

I do have a old Nikkor 20mm AFD and a tamron 28-200mm from more then 10 years ago during the film days and it's still working perfectly on DSLR.

Many of us could be still be using lens with failing SWM or VR without knowing it.

I wonder if the extra money we paid for to get these new technology is worth it.

 

[lsisaxon]

They fixed it. Plus their diagnostic tools revealed the SWM was dying also. I paid for the repair because it was already out of warranty. The charges were reasonable.

After 2 months of using it since the last repair, the VR gave problem again... just when I was going to shoot for my company's teambuilding event. :angry: The VR could not centre when it was deactivated and it would go 'clack-clack-clack-clack' before it settles down in the lowest position which meant the optical centering is way off and I'm getting terrible aberration if I continue to shoot like that.

On the D90, I need to wait for the metering to go off and then half press again to reactivate the VR for it to centre, but once I release the half press, it did not just stop at the centre but goes 'clack-clack-clack-clack-clack' again and settle at the lowest point again.

On my other bodies like the D60, I have to switch the camera off and on again and have to immediately half-press to activate the VR before it enters the 'clack-clack-clack-clack-clack-die' cycle.

So either, 1) the VR unit was already dying and I requested not to change it during the last repair, or 2) some other connection came loose or came off. I personally don't think the VR unit is that fragile. It worked beautifully since they changed the flex connection, so suspect it is a connection problem again since the FPC actually moves a lot during zooming.

I'm too lazy to strip the lens this time round so it's time for me to bring the lens in again.. :sweat:

 

[Die Hard]

After 2 months of using it since the last repair, the VR gave problem again... just when I was going to shoot for my company's teambuilding event. :angry: The VR could not centre when it was deactivated and it would go 'clack-clack-clack-clack' before it settles down in the lowest position which meant the optical centering is way off and I'm getting terrible aberration if I continue to shoot like that.

On the D90, I need to wait for the metering to go off and then half press again to reactivate the VR for it to centre, but once I release the half press, it did not just stop at the centre but goes 'clack-clack-clack-clack-clack' again and settle at the lowest point again.

On my other bodies like the D60, I have to switch the camera off and on again and have to immediately half-press to activate the VR before it enters the 'clack-clack-clack-clack-clack-die' cycle.

So either, 1) the VR unit was already dying and I requested not to change it during the last repair, or 2) some other connection came loose or came off. I personally don't think the VR unit is that fragile. It worked beautifully since they changed the flex connection, so suspect it is a connection problem again since the FPC actually moves a lot during zooming.

I'm too lazy to strip the lens this time round so it's time for me to bring the lens in again.. :sweat:

Poor you. Y so sway huh ? May b as what people say Luck lor

 

[xtemujin]

At least it's not working within the repair warranty period which is 6 months.

If it's not working one day after the warranty period, heart and wallet more pain. :sweat:

 

[monokydni]

Man, it's like watching pictures from some hospital surgery. Gory stuff. But thanks for sharing.

 

[Rurouni]

Hmm I wonder if the change to VR2 resolves some of the issues you highlighted? Or is VR2 just a different algorithm in the VR?

 

[lsisaxon]

Hmm I wonder if the change to VR2 resolves some of the issues you highlighted? Or is VR2 just a different algorithm in the VR?

The 18-200 has always been VR2. Yeah, I think it's very much the algorithm.

 

[KennyDalglish]

Lol The 18-200 Is A Good Lens But After Around A Few Thousand Shots It Will Die So I'm Not Planning To Buy. Im Going To Buy Sigma 10-20 / Sigma 17-70 HSM Or Sigma 24-70 HSM

 

[ianwurn]

This is scary..... ha...

Hey, my sympathies.... hope you get this resolved soon without spending $$.

 

[KenBit]

Lol The 18-200 Is A Good Lens But After Around A Few Thousand Shots It Will Die So I'm Not Planning To Buy. Im Going To Buy Sigma 10-20 / Sigma 17-70 HSM Or Sigma 24-70 HSM

But they won't give you the focal range till 200.

 

[ianwurn]

But they won't give you the focal range till 200.

Add the Nikon AFS 70-300 VR in ! That's like $700+ ?

 

[KenBit]

Add the Nikon AFS 70-300 VR in ! That's like $700+ ?

10-20 = 800+
24-70 = 700+
70-300 = 800+
Total = 2300

18-200 = 1000+

Difference = 1300

Even if the 18-200 spoil gives you enough money to buy two.

Convenience also lo.

 

[helmet0004]

Thanks for sharing!

 

[ianwurn]

10-20 = 800+
24-70 = 700+
70-300 = 800+
Total = 2300

18-200 = 1000+

Difference = 1300

Even if the 18-200 spoil gives you enough money to buy two.

Convenience also lo.

True. IQ and effects would be different. Eg, ultra wide angle with the 10-20 instead of 18. Etc.... IQ of cos is kind of subjective.....

 

[darthng]

Originally Posted by KennyDalglish View Post

Lol The 18-200 Is A Good Lens But After Around A Few Thousand Shots It Will Die So I'm Not Planning To Buy. Im Going To Buy Sigma 10-20 / Sigma 17-70 HSM Or Sigma 24-70 HSM



Fyi, mine already passed the 13K shots and still working good.

 

[lsisaxon]

Even if the 18-200 spoil gives you enough money to buy two.

That's why I have 2. ;p Me one, my dad one. Now mine is in NSC, so will be using my dad's for the time being. The convenience vs quality is unsurpassed.

 

[lsisaxon]

This is scary..... ha...

Hey, my sympathies.... hope you get this resolved soon without spending $$.

Nah.. not scary.. just a little bit unexpected. ;p I think this is the danger of being an early adopter. ;p

My dad's MiT copy is quieter (both AF-S and VR) and feels much smoother, so I'm crossing my finger that it's just my copy that has a problem, it's probably a first or 2nd batch MiJ copy.

 

[albinosage]

Wow, you're a very brave man. I think I would have panicked and rush down to NSC at the earliest available moment, instead of calmly disassembling the lens and posting a show and tell here! Thanks for the in depth look into the internal design of the lens, learnt something today