nikon d70 autofocus issues

Location : Kent Spotter Watch Member : no

hi everyone,
i'm hoping somebody will be able to help i have bought my boyfriend a nikon d70 for his bday second hand the autofocus doesnt work, it isnt lenses but we have discovered if you lay on your back with the camera looking at the ceiling it will focus, it is also coming up with an r07 error message which i believe has something to do with the buffer, it just wont focus in normal positions
any suggestions most welcome as it is a special birthday and would like the camera working
many thanks michelle

Subject: Re: nikon d70 autofocus issues 2009-04-09, 15:54

Michelle,

It`s a bit difficult to judge what`s going on here but the first thing to say is that the r07 message simply means that the camera is currently capable of holding seven pictures in it`s buffer (temporary memory), when you press the shutter. So that`s normal.

It maybe a bit obvious but the first thing I would try is to reset the camera to factory settings as advised in the manual, probably under "two-button reset" or something similar. Also reformat the memory card, just as a precaution and to eliminate this, although the card shouldn`t really corrupt the camera operation by rights.

I don`t really understand why it would focus in one position and not the other, unless the lens is making poor contact and when in the vertical position it puts enough pressure on the contacts to work. Have you tried removing the lens and gently wiping the contacts on the lens with a cloth, and likewise on the body? Sometimes the contacts get tarnished. However, with the lens off, be really careful when cleaning the body contacts as the CCD sensor is open to the air and the slightest fluff or dust on it will be a pain to get rid of and ruin your photo`s. If you can, take the lens off with the body facing face down and gently rub the contacts with a lint free cloth keeping the camera opening facing downwards.

There are lots of other suggestions, i.e have you tried it on all focus settings and is it the same?, is it a genuine Nikon lens? (some lenses other than Nikon have known problems), is the battery up to scratch? and so on.

It`s a bit difficult to judge on the limited info. Perhaps you could post a bit more info, such as whether the shutter actuates when the camera is switched to manual mode for instance. The problem is it has so many customs settings, including one which can be set to lock the shutter if the lens is not in focus. If the lens you are using is a telephoto and your in a small space trying to focus, it might be locking the focus up until you point it as something more distant. So, as I say, try a full camera reset if you haven`t tried it and if you`re still having problems, post a few more details.

HTH

John
PS: Be advised some of the early D70s suffered from a problem often referred to as the "Blinking green light of death". If you have the top green light constantly blinking it`s a serious problem, although Nikon will repair it due to it being a design fault. All that said, I had two D70 and managed to get some really great pictures out of them.

Location : Kent Spotter Watch Member : no

thanks for the info will try what you have suggested the lens im using is my sigma 28-300mm hyperzoom from my 35mm nikon f401 which works fine on the film camera, i will post more info tomorrow

Moderator Location : Between Coventry and Leicester

scottie1979 wrote:: thanks for the info will try what you have suggested the lens im using is my sigma 28-300mm hyperzoom from my 35mm nikon f401 which works fine on the film camera, i will post more info tomorrow

Try another lens , not to up on the Nikon mount regarding Sigma fit,
thou i would say its the Sigma lens at a guess.

i have a sigma 28-200 that works on my old film body . but it does not like working on my Digi body.

Location : N E Jockistan Spotter Watch Member : No

I'd say this is a lens compatibility issue, as quite a number of older AF lenses dating from pre-digital days are not compatible with current AF cameras, and this is especially true with some Sigma lenses*.

Whilst I can't say for certain, I'd guess that the auto focus on your Nikon D70 will probably work with a current Nikon or compatible independent lens.

* To quote two examples albeit not with Nikon bodies: I have a Sigma 100mm macro lens which will work perfectly with both the Canon EOS 30 (film) and D30 (digital) bodies, but will not function with my 40D body in non-pictorial modes. My bro-in-law recently went digital and bought an EOS 40D body, neither of is existing Sigma lenses (28-70 and 70-300) would work with the 40D whilst they work fine with his EOS5. I've heard of similar issues from a friend who has a Nikon D70.