Why won’t autofocus work on my Nikon D5300 with a Tamron 70-300 lens?

Asked 5/19/2026

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My Nikon D5300 autofocus works normally with another lens, but with my Tamron SP 70-300 the lens will not autofocus at all. I’ve cleaned the contacts on both the camera and lens, and the lens switch is set to AF. When I half-press the shutter, the lens does nothing. In the viewfinder I see “R13” and a question mark. Since autofocus still works with my other lens, does this point to a problem with the Tamron lens?

nikon autofocus telephoto-lens nikon-d5300 tamron

Originally by Gary Trotter. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Gary Trotter

23d ago

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Yes—based on your test, this most likely points to a lens problem rather than a camera problem. Since autofocus works with your other lens on the same Nikon D5300, the camera body and its AF system are probably fine.

The “R13” display is not an autofocus error; on the D5300 it indicates the approximate number of shots the buffer can still hold. So that part is normal.

If the Tamron 70-300 is set to AF and still doesn’t respond at all, the likely issue is with the lens itself or its communication with the camera. You’ve already done the main basic check by cleaning the contacts. If the behavior remains the same, the lens may need service or further testing on another compatible camera body to confirm the fault.

Why won’t autofocus work on my Nikon D5300 with a Tamron 70-300 lens?

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