D80: Sometimes cannot focus

[zaxh81]

dont worry too much abt all the ring ring talk.. i guess your lense doesnt have good contact with the body.

with poor contact, you will see the picture on the left.
with good contact, but aperture not set to max on prime lenses, you see the fEE on the right

get your kitlense checked a little or perhaps the contact etc.

:thumbsup: Images really helps alot.

 

[stylocool]

i have the same problem 2 mths ago...went to NSC and they changed the whole base but not the lens...the girl said the problem is the body. i tried to twist and turn the lens to see if the contact is gd...wah lah no problems at all

 

[cichlid]

i have the same problem 2 mths ago...went to NSC and they changed the whole base but not the lens...the girl said the problem is the body. i tried to twist and turn the lens to see if the contact is gd...wah lah no problems at all

just to clarify, "the problem is the body", the D80 body or the lens body?

 

[calebk]

just to clarify, "the problem is the body", the D80 body or the lens body?

Body refers to the camera body. Lenses are referred to simply as lenses.

 

[skopio]

i have the same problem 2 mths ago...went to NSC and they changed the whole base but not the lens...the girl said the problem is the body. i tried to twist and turn the lens to see if the contact is gd...wah lah no problems at all

you mean they changed the base plate when the lens couldn't be detected? that is strange. how long did it take?

 

[stylocool]

abt 1 week...

 

[MartinS]

Hi Everyone,

I just got my first DSLR - D80.

For quite a number of occassions, I had problem taking pictures as the shutter release buttons could not be pressed. In the viewfinder, I can see the dot blinking and "F--".

Will be glad if someone can enlighten me.

I think I've figured out why the D80 18-135mm kit lens has this problem of "F--" appearing and the inability to operate if it experiences a sudden jolt or slight pressure. I think it has something to do with the fact that this lens has a plastic mount rather than a metal mount. Plastic being less durable than metal will bend and shear more under stresses, thus causing a slight misalignment of the contacts which can be corrected by slightly twisting the lens until the contacts align themselves again.
I prefer this reasoning better than there being something wrong with the lens itself. (my lens ain't busted after all..phew!)

 

[Scaglietti]

I think I've figured out why the D80 18-135mm kit lens has this problem of "F--" appearing and the inability to operate if it experiences a sudden jolt or slight pressure. I think it has something to do with the fact that this lens has a plastic mount rather than a metal mount. Plastic being less durable than metal will bend and shear more under stresses, thus causing a slight misalignment of the contacts which can be corrected by slightly twisting the lens until the contacts align themselves again.
I prefer this reasoning better than there being something wrong with the lens itself. (my lens ain't busted after all..phew!)

I use the plastic mount kit lens. I sway lenses quite often, but I have never encounter this problem. If this is happening to you more than once, I guess it is not normal. IMO, it's better to have it checked before the warranty expires.

BC

 

[lastboltnut]

I think you have got it wrong. If you are truly using the D80 Kit lens that comes with the cam, then it doesn't have an aperture ring. The ring that you mentioned is the focus ring. Like you say, its for focusing.

Aperture ring is a ring that is used to adjust the aperture of the lens, like the name implies. For D80, it cannot detect or sense the aperture ring (due to lack of hardware), therefore, it cannot meter with non CPU lens with aperture ring. For CPU lens with aperture ring, just set/lock it at f22 will do.

So, in this case, it seems like your contact between the lens and the body has a prob. Its better for you to get the cam checked by the Nikon service center.

Yes, I checked the manual and knew that these two are not applicable. I am using the kit lens. I did try to vary the aperture ring to rectify the problem.

By the way, can tell me more about the aperture ring? I know it is used for manual focus. But what is the impact of adjusting the ring will have on the camera?

Thanks for your time!!

 

[jadec]

don't know if anyone is still following this thread but this has been rather extensively discussed on flickr as well.

from it, you also learn that it doesn't just happen when you're using the d80 kit lens, and it's most likely the connection between the body and the lens. switching the camera off then on, or changing modes won't help. things like twisting the lens, or cleaning the connection area do. also, a lot of people (including me) have seen this "f--" before. heh.

 

[spyke]

Hi all, I experienced this before, did not know what to do at 1st as I am a newbie. Read the manual to see what does the F-- means, reads that camera does not have lens connected. so press button to twist lens out and made sure lens sits properly and twist back in again. Problem solved.
Issued arise again when camera in bag, took it out for a shoot realise this error, so twist out and twist in again. problem solved. But is this common for all DSLR camera when alignment goes out? or issit a mount/sensor issue on D80 only. lens is 18-135

 

[lsisaxon]

Hi all, I experienced this before, did not know what to do at 1st as I am a newbie. Read the manual to see what does the F-- means, reads that camera does not have lens connected. so press button to twist lens out and made sure lens sits properly and twist back in again. Problem solved.
Issued arise again when camera in bag, took it out for a shoot realise this error, so twist out and twist in again. problem solved. But is this common for all DSLR camera when alignment goes out? or issit a mount/sensor issue on D80 only. lens is 18-135

I think it has been a common issue with the 18-135 and D80. Send it back to NSC, explain the situation to them and see what solution they can offer you.

 

[darkstar87]

What i do when that happens to me, i try to unmount and mount the lens (just rotate it a bit to refresh the contacts). Works for me, but it is really buggy. got the 18-135 kit lens

 

[Pokka]

The problem is with the communication modes between the lens and the body. When you encounter this problem, what you can do is to unmount the lens (twist it slightly, dont have to take out the entire lens). just make sure the lens is off, then mount it back straight away.

You should be able to shoot after that.

 

[ianwurn]

Wooo..... old thread.

Pokka got that right.

I have the 18-135mm on my D40x and the same problem happens. It's the lens, not the body. Apparently, the mount at the back is not as sturdy as the more ex lenses and this sometimes result in a poorer fit at the mounts thereby creating a loose contact for the electricals. That gives the "F--" problem cos the camera cannot detect the lens and is therefore unable to focus.

Pokka's got the temp solution. I took mine back to NSC and they changed out the mount on the lens and it's 100% now. Problem went away and it's been months, still alright.

 

[mlowjl]

Not just the 18-135. I'm getting the error with a Sigma 30/1.4. Initially I got F-- and shutter doesn't click. The problem fixed itself when I remounted the lens for better contact. But now, that doesn't work. I just get ERR. Shutter clicks, but no shot is taken.

I hven't tried my other lenses on it (duh..). Testing tomorrow morning and will take it straight to Nikon if it's still dead :cry:

Need my camera in about 10 days time!

 

[lsisaxon]

Not just the 18-135. I'm getting the error with a Sigma 30/1.4. Initially I got F-- and shutter doesn't click. The problem fixed itself when I remounted the lens for better contact. But now, that doesn't work. I just get ERR. Shutter clicks, but no shot is taken.

I hven't tried my other lenses on it (duh..). Testing tomorrow morning and will take it straight to Nikon if it's still dead :cry:

Need my camera in about 10 days time!

Hmm.. doesn't sound good....