Large hair/fibre in reasonably new Nikon 24-70 2.8 lens

[Sifor]

Hi all,

I know dust is a normal fact of life, however I don't think this is particularly normal, especially for a 4 week old lens..

I purchased a Nikon 24-70 2.8 about a month ago.. been using it quite a bit down the beach and around other places. Was doing a clean this evening and happened to notice a bloody big strand of fibre inside the lens.

It is not on the focusing elements, rather on the zooming elements. I have no idea how such a large piece of debris could get inside..

I'm pretty sure Nikon will say it's not covered by warranty since it's just "normal wear and tear" and I'd imagine the cost of stripping down the lens to be extremely expensive..I haven't done any test shots and quite frankly I don't think I really want to..

Any suggestions? For what it's worth, it was purchased through JB Hifi, however it's not a grey import, has the Nikon Aus warranty card and whatnot. There's probably bugger all that can be done and I should just forget about and get back to shooting... easier said than done though..

All help much appreciated.

[fess67]

probably just a hair from the monkeys that put Nikon gear together Sorry, could not resist

Are you sure it is not covered under warranty? Until you ask you will never know. As you said, to get the offending item in there is unlikely to be the result of normal operation so you may have a case to plead. Have you been back to JB HiFi and asked for a replacement?

Ask around the camera repair shops, is it as expensive as you fear to have it cleaned? I know you feel that you should not have to but if your requests fro warranty / replacement fail you are going to have to bite the bullet and get it done. Thinking of that, do you have to get it done? Is there any impact on the quality of your images?

Worth asking, unless you do your position will always be the same as if they said no.

[Tommo1965]

not a cheap lens...take it back, but if Nikon wont do anything about it and it doesn't affect images...Id live with it

[Warren Ackary]

Would say you got some down the beach BUT personal experience has shown that I have been the culprit of something like that in my lenses.
When you change your lens sometimes you get fibres come off sleeves, jackets (or if out in the cold) gloves!
I would suggest sitting down and try to clean it from the outside (if you have a filter on, take it off as that maybe where the fibres are).. clean the body end.. if its all still there, take it somewhere and get the lens cleaned out.

I agree with Steve, if it dosent effect your images then thats ok but still, its nice to concerntrate on taking a photo than worrying about your lens.. give it a go if you cant clean it and its annoying, ring around for a Nikon repair shop, take warrenty with you.
Way too expensive bit of glass to mess with, needs to be 100% clean

[Sifor]

Called JB Hi Fi, was advised that I'd be best to ask Nikon about what the procedure is. Called Nikon in Sydney, they said it may or may not be covered by warranty and the lens would need to be assessed by a service centre. Apparently all that JB do is send it to the service centre anyway for assessment before dealing with me, so I'd be better to take it myself.

I asked about the cost of a strip down of the lens if it isn't covered by warranty. He said it depends on labour time, however $150-$200.. here I was thinking it'd cost $500+.

Edit: Called the JB store where I purchased it and spoke to the bloke who sold it to me. He said since its within 60 days of purchase, they can simply order a new one from Nikon and I can swap it over. They'll just send my current one back as faulty. Hell yes, no dealing with warranty n shit! Incredibly happy!

If anyone lives on the Gold Coast, I highly recommend you deal with Travis from JB Hi Fi Mermaid Beach. It's this kind of service you need when things kinda go wrong...also he gave me a great price on my gear.. will be buying from him again!

[fess67]

Great result

[Goatch]

That's a great outcome , I love my 24-70 , rate it as high as my 70-200

[Sifor]

rate it as high as my 70-200

Argh, probably my next purchase.. just need to find the money and get a fair price from JB..so far they quoted me $3100 ha....

[Warren Ackary]

Fantastic result... happy days!

[AVALANCHE]

$3100?? That is far too much for the 70-200!

Congrats, great outcome and nice to know!

[Sifor]

Yeah I know, he said they haven't updated their pricing in ages.

Apparently $2800 is the advertised price around and with grey from $2000-$2200 it's a difficult to find a reasonable price. Anyway, that's happening towards the end of the year. I may even consider getting that 300mm f4 AF-S with 1.4 TC..