yes it was in a room at night at max focal length, you believe this would be the reason?

How did you test the focus? Was it inside your hotel-room at night at max-focal length? Those cheap slow lenses don't cope too well in the dark on entry level bodies.

If so then take it outside during the day and try again - if the lens still hunts in good light on high contrast objects then you know something isn't good. Re-assemble the mount again and make sure no cables/etc are touching/impeding the rear-focusing barrel when it moves.

zoran said:
Guys i appreciate that you want to help me by getting a new lens etc etc, but, my question is not answered, by telling me to get a new lens isn't helping me cause this is something i know i can do!

That is fine... but one must first know that the camera is OK. The only way to do this is to stick on a new lens. you do not need to buy it if it works, but then you need to go back and reassemble the old one in hopes of getting it correct. In the video, there was a lot of checking and fiddling. Maybe this works. Give it a good try, but FIRST make certain the camera is not out of whack!

I think the answers are there zoran, you just can't see them amongst all the mickey-taking!

1/ Because you don't have a second lens, go to your dealer (prepared to buy a lens to take on your eminent trip) and try one on your camera. If it works, fine - buy it and move on. If it doesn't, you broke the camera in the fall so send it to Nikon for repair and hire/buy another camera for your trip. Once you have your working camera and lens safely to one side, feel free to take your suspect lens apart to see if you can fix it - which I doubt as you have already tried.

HTH

Guys i appreciate that you want to help me by getting a new lens etc etc, but, my question is not answered, by telling me to get a new lens isn't helping me cause this is something i know i can do!

I would start with another lens. If that one isn't working either then you narrowed it down to your body. If it works fine then as Tao said...you are SOL now. Hurry and rent something or go buy a new one.

If this lens works at all, shoot photos, look at them in the computer, see if the focus does work. A lot of things do not focus well. The sensors sometimes need some dimension apparently both vertical and horizontal... But, The bereavement counselor, Tao, has no doubt said it all....

"I told ya' so!" Ha, ha, ha, not funny to you, but to those of us who have done this a few times, well, we learn to laugh.

So, purchase a lens for the camera. But, first, make absolutely certain the "new" lens works as you expect. After all, it could be something internal in the camera body which has been damaged by the fall. So, just grab something at one of the local camera stores... a good NIKON dealer with a large inventory if possible. Maybe you just buy a lens you want, begin the traditional process of the NIKON collection system.

Good luck, and please remember, a lot of the folks on this forum have done this, no doubt.

LOL, ever thought about becoming a bereavement counsellor Tao! :-)

I stand by my original post.

TaoTeJared said:
I think you are just asking for one hell of a headache and potential heartbreak. Drops on the cheaper lenses can cause internal out of alignment issues, VR breaking, etc. that you don't know about yet. If you are leaving in two weeks, I think the only solution is to buy a new/used lens. I know everything you are hearing Sucks, but doing anything yourself will probably void Nikon willing to work on it even for a fee. It is one thing if it is broken from a drop, another if you are screwing with it and it doesn't work. Even if you do replace the mount correctly, if there is some internal stuff wrong and you have to send it to Nikon, you are toast (out of luck).

Depending where you are going, could be a good opportunity to justify buying a 35mm/50mm/macro or any other lens you want and just use that and send this one in to be repaired. Nothing like being forced into a lens you don't normally use to help your photo skills grow.

This wasn't a hard one to guess what was going to happen. I have seen and heard people trying to do this too many times. You are in week 2 and leaving correct? Chuck it and buy a new one.

I need to start selling $17 bayonet mounts - income would never end. ;)

zoran said:
yup i checked it for the broken pieces, they are all out, but even if they were in the body, they would probably cause the mirror not to function properly rather than the focusing thing, dont you think?

Why would stuff stuck in the lens have any effect on the mirror?

msmoto said:
Thanks, now I know who not to buy from, Ha, ha, ha,.....

Oh, then after checking it out, trade it in to a camera store you do not like....."Dropped, oh, gosh no, sir"

Someone else I know not to buy from :-)

adamz said:
when refitting the new bayonet mount, have You checked if all of the pieces of the broken one are taken out of the lens? when You shake the lens do You hear any sound?

yup i checked it for the broken pieces, they are all out, but even if they were in the body, they would probably cause the mirror not to function properly rather than the focusing thing, dont you think?

spraynpray said:
I think you can buy a used one off ebay for less than Nikon want to repair it, but if it was me, for $17 I'd try to fix it too, then sell it on ebay - LOL!!!

Thanks, now I know who not to buy from, Ha, ha, ha,.....

Actually, if one were to follow the video instructions, set up properly on a large white sheet, obtain the proper magnetic screw driver, use magnifier glasses, and take some care, I think this could be done. For me, what looked like a one hour job, would be an afternoon, as I would watch the video at least three times. Check between steps to make certain i knew where I was, and possibly make some prints from the video to keep me in line. Good luck if you are still looking at the options.

Oh, then after checking it out, trade it in to a camera store you do not like....."Dropped, oh, gosh no, sir"

I think you can buy a used one off ebay for less than Nikon want to repair it, but if it was me, for $17 I'd try to fix it too, then sell it on ebay - LOL!!!

when refitting the new bayonet mount, have You checked if all of the pieces of the broken one are taken out of the lens? when You shake the lens do You hear any sound?

Well stand in a room and just have it focus on stuff. It should snap from objects close to far without any trouble.

yes i was told to take it to NIKON or an authorized repair shop but...
1. i was abroad and they asked for 4 weeks to fix it, i would leave in 2 weeks
2. they asked for 250-300$ and i would fix it on my own for 17$
what would you do in my case?

my question still stands for those who can suggest me something, is there some way i can check my lens on my own?

You can lead a horse to water...

Were there not enough members giving their opinions that the best course of action was to send it in to Nikon or an authorized repair shop?

Okay... ive just fixed my lens mount by replacing it with a new one, but im not exactly certain that it works as it was in the first place.
Focusing in some cases will not happen instantly, i will do one ore two focusing tries to make focus, but to be honest i dont know if this happens only by focusing on difficult elements eg. like a one colored blanket
Is there some way i can measure the effectiveness of the lens?

Guys ive contacted Nikon and will order a mount by monday, so ill let you know what will happen, just keep your fingers crossed for me! hehe

I am surprised someone hasn't made a metal copy of this cheap plastic component.

After a female friend had her 18-105mm lens suffer this fate recently, I researched it on the net and found all the information on how to repair it (same part apparently on the 18-55mm, 55-200mm and 18-105mm Nikons), but no reference to a metal replacement.

I even went so far as to email a Chinese manufacturer of lens adaptors, figuring they would have all the ingredients and machinery to recreate the original in metal, but they have not responded.

I know it is arguable how economically viable the exercise is if people pay someone else to replace these, but I suspect there'd be a reasonable market of people prepared to replace their own plastic ones with metal. I still have two of these 'kit lens' and would be tempted to replace the plastic mount plates with stronger ones provided the price was reasonable.

All the above assumes that copyright is not an issue.

I really like that lens but I broke the end ring loose on it by always mounting my lens hood backwards on it when not using it. I was able to screw the ring back on but it's not locked in place anymore.

Anyways, if anyone is mounting their hood backwards like that you may want to be careful when taking it off.

@zoran

I say if you feel confident you can repair the lens yourself then don't listen to anyone telling you that you can't and go for it. Compared to other lenses, the price of the 18-105 is a drop in the bucket and it's probably the perfect lens to start fixing yourself.

I don't own any kit lenses myself but if I ever broke my 50 f/1.8 or maybe even my 35 f/1.8 then yeah, I'd probably do the DIY approach.

BUT just like others said, be prepared for the worst which includes warranty invalidation, possibility of lens being worse off or the lens having other issues even after fixing the mount.

The only other issue I can think of is I think that Nikon stopped selling parts to individual buyers and only sell to authorized repair centers... or does that apply only to camera parts (as opposed to lenses)?

TaoTeJared said:
Nothing like being forced into a lens you don't normally use to help your photo skills grow.

I agree with everything Tao says, but even more so with the last statement.... For years many of us had one lens on a body and did just fine. It forces one into learning so much more about the perspectives, angels of view, and general limitations of having one focal length. Get a 35mm or wider and have a ball....

If I had a 'relatively' cheap lens and that happened to me, I might well try and have a go myself. spraynpray was correct though zoran, if you mess it up or buy the wrong items from eBay/Nikon, be aware that your local service centre will most likely just laugh at you if you subsequently ask for their help. You're right, the video you posted does SEEM to make it look pretty straigh forward, but in my experience of attempting such things, jobs that start off looking like they'll take 5 mins, can end up leaving you in a world of hurt! A wise man once said (my father) "Only gamble what you can afford to loose", can you afford to mess it up? If you can I wish you the best of luck, let us know how you get on.