I dropped my AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR lens and it no longer works correctly. Is there anything I can do with it?
April 16, 2010 6:09 PM   Subscribe

I dropped my AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR lens and it no longer works correctly. Is there anything I can do with it?

I bought a d90 when it came out and purchased it with the kit lens. Everything was fine until yesterday. I dropped my AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR lens and it no longer works correctly. It actually rattles a bit now and the automatic focus won't work. It gets stuck sometimes when using manual focus.

I'm assuming it would cost more to repair it then it would be worth. Do you think it would be worth trying to sell on ebay, craigslist etc. explaining what happened to it and what's wrong with it. Is it likely that someone else would want to buy it cheaply in order to fix it. Or is it not worth the effort.? Thanks!
posted by austinlee to Media & Arts (8 answers total)
 
You should probably contact Nikon and get an estimate for what the repair would cost. It might cost more to fix than it would cost new, but maybe not.

Selling it for parts on eBay is only going to get you $25 or so.
posted by ged at 6:14 PM on April 16, 2010


Every time I've had Nikon repair anything related to a non-digital camera, including a loose lens mount, they have wanted what I thought was a ridiculous sum of money just to look at it. It was something around $125 IIRC. Your mileage may vary, but I doubt it. If you had them repair the item, they would give you the first $125 of the repair cost free. But they could just as easily tell you it can't be fixed and keep the $125. That brings the price of repair up pretty high compared to what a new one would cost.
posted by DrGail at 6:19 PM on April 16, 2010


It's definitely worth the effort to eBay it, unless it would be taking away from your billable hours as a high-powered trial attorney. I'd imagine you'd get $10-20 for it, as that lens is very common and, while decent, pretty low amongst the hierarchy of Nikon lenses.
posted by speedgraphic at 6:23 PM on April 16, 2010


The only time I've found that a damaged lens wasn't a replacement issue was when my nikon lens froze up in cold weather and the auto focus got borked, while still under warranty... I would suspect that it will be best to just replace it...
posted by HuronBob at 6:24 PM on April 16, 2010


Response by poster: Any ideas for good replacements, btw?
I use my 50mm 1.8 lens most of the time and would only pull out the AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR lens when it seemed necessary. I liked that I could get some pretty wide shots with it. That was my favorite thing about it. Any thoughts?
posted by austinlee at 6:37 PM on April 16, 2010


What kind of camera do you use it with?

If it's an APS-C sensor, like a D300 or a D5000, I'd recommend the 35mm f/1.8 or a 20mm f/2.8 if you want to go wider. If you want a zoom, get the 12-24mm f/4.
posted by ged at 7:10 PM on April 16, 2010


Response by poster: a d90
posted by austinlee at 7:11 PM on April 16, 2010


I love my 18-200 VR F3.5-5.6, it's not perfect, but it's a great one lens solution for most things.
posted by defcom1 at 12:16 AM on April 17, 2010


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