D7000 Not focusing

[ajohnw]

I've been very tied up in other areas for some time so haven't been around here much. Bit of a photographic anno horribilis too.

I decided to sell my virtually unused D7000 with the 18-105 and 55-300mm. Some one came to look and the 18-105mm wouldn't focus. It's been a long times since I used it and set it up and had programmed back button focus and assigned buttons to this and that. With the lens at 18mm it still didn't appear to focus but the DOF is pretty huge at that setting.

Anyway the person walked away even though I showed him that the focus clearly worked in live view and in U1 and U2. I switched off and later went though the menu's and cleared all of my settings. The reset didn't clear the button programming. Tried it and all fine at any focal length - default focusing when the shutter button was part pressed.

This leaves me with a slight feeling that something can be done casually handling camera that will lock focus and clears when cycled on and off. I wondered if any one has any ideas.

From talking to the buyer though I am wondering if they would be better off with a simpler camera. He assumed that the camera and lens weren't talking and didn't seem to know what BBF was. They clearly were talking but the focus may have been locked somehow or the other leaving the BBF inactive.

John
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[Mike Buckley]

So far you have determined that the camera auto focused using the shutter release button but not the back button focusing. My guess is that the malfunction was some sort of unusual anomaly but it would be worth confirming that it focuses properly when using back button focusing. If not, there could be an issue with that button.

[ajohnw]

Thanks Mike. I just set the back button focus on and all is fine. It focuses with it. I'm wondering if it was just some button pressing funny. I'd clearly set it up to use in U1 and U2 but for the life of me can't remember what I did on the normal mode. It looked like a had a focus lock option set as well which seems a bit odd with the back button. Guess I had better try it in continuous as well. I've noticed on some Olympus cameras that programmable buttons can cause some odd behaviour.

John
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[Manfred M]

John - I don't know the D7000 menu at all, but on the D800 I can change how the camera focuses in some of the menu selections. These are camera specific, so every lens should perform the same. If one lens is not performing the way you thing it should, the issue is with the lens.

Have you checked to make sure that the autofocus switch on the lens is set to "A" not to "M"?

[Mike Buckley]

Have you checked to make sure that the autofocus switch on the lens is set to "A" not to "M"?

I thought of asking that question but didn't have the nerve. John would have had to have changed the switch in between trying the two focusing methods.

Things do occasionally go wrong with cameras that can't be explained by anything other than the gremlins winning the battle and I suspect that is the explanation of John's situation. As an example, I have occasionally solved problems simply by removing the camera off and then on or by taking off the lens and then mounting it immediately afterward. Fortunately, I know we can count on John winning the war, giving up only the battle to the gremlins. Indeed, that seems to be the case.

[Manfred M]

I thought of asking that question but didn't have the nerve.

I've accidentally nudged that switch so many times myself, so it's always a possibility.

[ajohnw]

No I did check that the lens was set to autofocus but I think that the man did set manual and later put it back in auto. I assume the state of the switch for the older lenses doesn't matter.

I had a fiddle around again and found that on this lens the manual focus still works when the auto focus switch is on. Touch the button and it corrects the focus again.

It's annoying that the shooting menu reset didn't. It left a number of setting as I had set them. I've recently used my son's 100D to try some macro work and some how or the other I manage to stop that from focusing. Seems to be down to setting specific focus points and the only way I've found of getting AF back is to briefly switch to live view. This must be a software settings gremlin. I just happen to have set sufficient things to bring out a bug.

One thing for sure I am going to be a bit annoyed if there are faults. The whole lot lenses and camera has done less than 200 shots from new and no problems at all. I bought it when I was still unsure about m 4/3 I'm still not sure in some areas but am leaning back towards Canon, I suspect that's due to what I am used to using.

John
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[george013]

....
I had a fiddle around again and found that on this lens the manual focus still works when the auto focus switch is on. Touch the button and it corrects the focus again.
...
John
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I think that's normal behaviour for a lens with an internal focus motor. In contrary to a lens that uses the motor in the camera. The switch probably says A/M-M.

Last year I bought a Sigma 105 macro. At some moments it didn't focus anymore. I found out that some rotating the focus ring did the autofocus work again. Brought it back and got it repaired.

George

[ajohnw]

The buyer hasn't phoned back. I told him that the autofocus was working 10mins after he left and he said he would. I've now got it in single spot mode which I think is the best way to use this camera or a cluster in the middle but bbf / focus now is often more convenient.

I think there is a moral here. If selling a camera that you haven't used for rather a long time do read up the manual before some one comes and looks. I googled D7000 wont focus and the comment "do read the af section of the manual" cropped up several times. Oh well back on ebay after I have refreshed my memory and cleared all settings but I think it might be a good idea to add a note that there is likely to be a need to read the manual if some one isn't conversant with this series of cameras. They will do all sorts of things. I'm now sure it wan't a fault and focus had been set locked.

I wasn't sure about the lens and the manual focus in auto. It's not that expensive a lens but a far more useful than the 18-55mm that they kit with these cameras.

John
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[Mike Buckley]

I think there is a moral here. If selling a camera that you haven't used for rather a long time do read up the manual before some one comes and looks.

Another way to put it: When we're selling something, we're salespeople. So, it's best that we have a working command of our product just like we would expect of any salesperson.

[ajohnw]

I did take some shots with it Mike but I really should have thought about putting it back into an as supplied state because these levels of Nikon cameras can be pretty complicated things to change once various facilities are set. I'm pretty convinced that the focus was locked via handling the camera. It's the only way I can do it anyway.

John
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