Why does my Nikon D90 lose lens communication when I stop down the aperture?
Asked 11/5/2017
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2 answers
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My Nikon D90 works normally with an AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II at the lens’s maximum aperture, but when I select a higher f-number and take a photo, I get an error and it seems to lose contact with the lens. I checked the lens and the aperture does not always change, and sometimes the aperture blades appear to stick and not return properly. Cleaning the lens and body contacts did not fix it. I also tried another lens and saw the same problem when changing aperture. What camera or lens fault could cause this?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
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It sounds like you've got an issue with the mechanical lever in the camera body that stops down the aperture in the lens via a mechanical linkage.
Nikon lenses (with the exception of a few very recent higher end lenses) use a mechanical, not electrical, connection to control the aperture diaphragm. With the vast majority of Nikon lenses the electrical contacts are only for communication telling the camera what lens is attached and what the maximum aperture (lowest f-number) is. When it's time to actually stop down the aperture diaphragm, the mechanical lever does that. Or at least it is supposed to do that.
The reason you don't get the error at the lens' maximum aperture (lowest f-number) is because the lever doesn't have to move anything for the aperture to be wide open since the act of mounting it on the camera should open it up all the way.
Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user15871
8y ago
0
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This points more to a camera-body aperture control problem than an electronic contact problem.
On Nikon F-mount lenses like your 18-55mm, the electrical contacts mainly identify the lens and communicate settings. The actual stopping down of the aperture is usually done by a mechanical lever in the camera body that moves a linkage in the lens.
That fits your symptoms:
- it works at maximum aperture because the camera doesn’t need to move the stop-down lever
- errors appear when you choose a smaller aperture because the body must actuate that mechanism
- the same behavior with another lens suggests the D90 body is the common fault
A sticky aperture in the lens is possible, but since another lens behaves similarly, the more likely cause is a damaged, bent, or sticking aperture lever/mechanism in the camera body. Cleaning the electrical contacts would not fix that.
Inspect the aperture lever in the lens mount carefully and compare its movement to a known-good Nikon body if possible. Most likely the camera needs service/repair.
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