NIKON AFS VR 18-200 F/3.5-5.6G ED DX ZOOM CREEP

11/04/2007 12:30:43 PM · #1

THIS IS LONG BUT I NEED THE HELP!!

Hello all that have Nikon and are considering the purchase of this lense or who already have this lense.

I'm having some trouble with this lense and thought that sending it in to Nikon would do me and the lense a world of good. You see, maybe this has happened to some of you already or maybe this is on the horizon for others, ZOOM CREEP has crpet into my lense and I'm not happy.

I took it into the place where I purchased it and they said, as I was describing the problem to them, that such a thing is unheard of and that it's probably how I'm using the lense and they would show me how to use it right (how nice of them) so that this problem doesn't continue.

So after about 100 FAILED attempts to prove that it must all be how I use the lense (who kenw that when you spend almost $1000.00 on a lense your not supposed to use it to prop open a door, who knew) he (the manager) looked me right in the eye and said "This isn't unusual and I've seen this plenty of times over my 30+ years of photography, not from Nikon, this is the first I've seen from them but from Sigma,Tameron,Pentax etc even Conon had a few.

Now here is where things get fun, I have his admission that this sort of thing is unheard of and must be my fault, and his admission that this is't unusual and he's seen it plenty of times over his 30+ years of photography.

So I looked at him and said "So which is it, something that's unheard of or something that isn't unusual?" "Because now I'm confused about the whole thing." As he danced around on points and tried to explain what it is he said in the first place, my eyes glazed over as ones does when they're with the ever boring relitive.

As he finished his explaination and never came to the point or answered my question, I dove across the counter took hold him by the throat and began to choke the 30+ years of photography out of him. Slowly he turned a beautiful shade of red then purple and then the nicest shade of blue I've ever seen and as the papers and flyers settled to the ground and a quiet calm satified feeling settled over me, the store phone rang and brought me back to the real world. "So I think you should, you know pour some "COKE" on the lense and that should slow the action down and make it stiff."

"So that's it, that's your solution!" "I would think that with your 30+ years of photography you would come up with something better than "pour some "COKE" on it" don't you?" Well he replied "What would you suggest?"

So after he regained consciousness and his head stopped spinning from the "Pop in the yap" I wanted to give him (in a perfect world) I said "I would suggest that you give the name and number of the people who own the store so I can talk to someone who actually gives a crap and has some people skills and I think that you should send it in for service and have Nikon look at it or just give me my money back."

Fast forward three and a half weeks(that's right three and a half weeks)
and around 35 walkin visits and about 20 phone calls (all at his (the managers) request so he wouldn't drop the ball) I now know what is wrong with the lense and here it is:

From Nikon Canada Inc. the Technician wrote: "Your lense has Zoom Creep" (no $h!t Sherlock that's why I sent it in) Then he goes on to explain Zoom Creep to me. "Zoom Creep is the effect gravity can have on your zoom lense under certain circumstances.(what like normal use?) The 18-200 lense tends to slowly zoom in or out under it's own weight (mine zooms in and out faster than a dog dry humpping your leg) if pointed straight up, straight down, or at a shapr angle and nothing is touching the zoom ring.(oh you mean, like normal use, right?) Most of the creep occurs between 30mm and 130mm (for mine it's 22mm and 195mm) in the zoom range. This is normal (so why doesn't the lense have this printed in big bold letters on the outside box so we can make an informed choice) and the zoom action can't be tightened to eliminate creep.

So why sell something that you know the public is going to have problems with and create a frustration that doesn't need to be there? When I asked the manager what they were going to do now and what I'm supposed to do he said that It really doesn't matter to him and that I should have done more research on your lense choice. When I reminded him that I was in and gathered all the information from him and online at Nikon Canada he said "Oh." "Well then why don't you just hold the zoom here you want it and take the shot?" To which I replied "What do I do on long exposures?" "Do I just stand there for the 10sec-2min holding the zoom?" "That sounds like fun and it's the sole reason that I bought the lense in the first place so I would have to babysit a long shot and hold the zoom."

So after all this I'm right back where I started and even more pissed off than before, because I sent the lense out for a solution and or a replacement for my faulty lense and they sent back the same lense and an explination that almost mathced the problem discription I sent them word for word, with the lense.

Now were talking about what kind of compensation they will give me. They said that they won't give me all my money back because the market price has dropped almost $90.00 and want me to be happy with losing money. When I asked the manager if he would be happy with a lose of money for something that should not be on the market until it is working the way it should be in the first place. He said "This isn't about me it's about you." and then went on to say that " You should be thankful that I've done anything for you at all." "After all you didn't even buy the lense from us." Now if you have read this far and remember that I posted near the top that I took the lense back to where I bought it. (after all wouldn't you) I pointed out to the manager that I did in deed buy the lense from him and that he has all that information in his hands he mearly said "Oh!"

Now PLEASE don't get me wrong (it might be hard I know) I LOVE my Nikon and all the lenses I have, including the one I pissed off about. When it worked right it was "TAC" sharp and very smooth. Now I'm at the end of my rope with BOTH NIKON and the camera shop that I buy from and would gladly like a fresh take on this. So if anyone can offer some help I would greatly appreciate the help.

I know it's long but Please Help me.

This whole Rant thing makes me feel better if nothing else. :-}

Thank you in advance.

MAX!

Message edited by author 2007-11-04 17:42:36.

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM

11/04/2007 12:38:12 PM · #2

Help bump

cpanaioti

Canon EOS-40D

11/04/2007 12:44:03 PM · #3

Is there a lock switch on the lens?

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 ED

11/04/2007 01:55:32 PM · #4

Originally posted by cpanaioti:

Is there a lock switch on the lens?

Sadly no.

Apple iPhone 5

11/04/2007 01:58:15 PM · #5

Does the shop have another one to try out to see if you can just do a straight swap?

Apple iPhone 5

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 ED

11/04/2007 01:59:45 PM · #6

btw, it appears other people have this issue. 4 out of 5 of these reviewers mention zoom creep;

//photodoto.com/lens/?make=Nikon&id=73

11/04/2007 02:32:12 PM · #7

Originally posted by jhonan:

Does the shop have another one to try out to see if you can just do a straight swap?

Yes they do and it creeps as well but not as bad. But they will not swap it because mine is now used and they will be happy to take mine in on trade as a used lense (at a loss of course) and for me to pay the difference. I asked the manager how he thought this was fair to me and he said as long as it was good for the shop he really didn't care. I have sent off an e-mail to the mothership for them to recall this alien as he is not fitting in well with the rest of us.

11/04/2007 02:36:14 PM · #8

It happens with mine all the time, but since I don't have much experience with these kind of lenses, I figured it must be normal and adjusted accoradingly. So you're saying that's not supposed to happen. Hmmmmm.

11/04/2007 02:46:03 PM · #9

Originally posted by ursula:

Yes just that. If you pay good money for something that has a design flaw such as they have admitted to. Then why not put it on the box so we can be informed in our choice.

If yours is travelling slowly as they say it should and you are able to do well with it then that's good for you. As I said I liked the lense boy mine travells in and out at the speed of light and they are trying to tell me that that is ok by their standards and I have a hard time with that.

11/04/2007 03:13:44 PM · #10

Originally posted by Quigley:

Originally posted by ursula:
It happens with mine all the time, but since I don't have much experience with these kind of lenses, I figured it must be normal and adjusted accoradingly. So you're saying that's not supposed to happen. Hmmmmm.

Yes just that. If you pay good money for something that has a design flaw such as they have admitted to. Then why not put it on the box so we can be informed in our choice.

If yours is travelling slowly as they say it should and you are able to do well with it then that's good for you. As I said I liked the lense boy mine travells in and out at the speed of light and they are trying to tell me that that is ok by their standards and I have a hard time with that.

I did not say I was able to do well with it as it is, just that I adjusted. It is an annoyance. It travels slower than what you describe, yet, it's ruined a few shots. However, for the type of photography I do, it's not such a big issue usually, except long exposures.

I agree that if this is not normal they should refund/exchange it for you (and others), no questions asked. Let us know what happens. I might check into it myself (if I get around to it). I definitely wasn't happy over that (even though I assumed it was normal).

Dirt_Diver

Nikon D3s

Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0L USM

11/04/2007 03:18:19 PM · #11

I had this happen to me on my Nikon AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 DX ED. I was shooting from my car one night and the next morning I picked it up to use it and noticed a rattle. I was so upset that maybe something had happened to it. At a last minute hope for something I took it to a camera shop where they told me that it was broken. Then I took it to the place where we bought it and again, NOTHING!. As a last resort I wrote Nikon a letter and explained to them that I did not drop the camera or anything in that manner. Hopefully I will get a replacement, if not I need to sell some plasma or something to get something to shoot with again.

FYI A HUGE Thanks to

walrus451 for letting me use his Nikkor 18-55mm.

Noel_ZH

Canon EOS-40D

11/04/2007 03:20:11 PM · #12

I read up on what zoom creep is and wow, what a major design flaw, no recall and replace?

11/04/2007 03:37:11 PM · #13

Originally posted by ursula:

Originally posted by Quigley:

Originally posted by ursula:
It happens with mine all the time, but since I don't have much experience with these kind of lenses, I figured it must be normal and adjusted accoradingly. So you're saying that's not supposed to happen. Hmmmmm.

Yes just that. If you pay good money for something that has a design flaw such as they have admitted to. Then why not put it on the box so we can be informed in our choice.

If yours is travelling slowly as they say it should and you are able to do well with it then that's good for you. As I said I liked the lense boy mine travells in and out at the speed of light and they are trying to tell me that that is ok by their standards and I have a hard time with that.

I did not say I was able to do well with it as it is, just that I adjusted. It is an annoyance. It travels slower than what you describe, yet, it's ruined a few shots. However, for the type of photography I do, it's not such a big issue usually, except long exposures.

I agree that if this is not normal they should refund/exchange it for you (and others), no questions asked. Let us know what happens. I might check into it myself (if I get around to it). I definitely wasn't happy over that (even though I assumed it was normal).

Sorry

ursula I did not mean to imply anything or put words in your mouth. All I ment was that if you were able to adjust and you were getting what you wanted from the lense I was truly happy for you as I really liked the lense,the range and what it had to offer. How long have you had yours? If you are not happy I would suggest that you pursue the matter soon because as the retail price drops they seem less inclined to do anything about it. (which sucks) Again sorry Ursula.

11/04/2007 03:43:25 PM · #14

Nah, no problem. I've had it for about 8 months, but didn't use it much for the first couple months. I started using it in serious in August. I go back and forth with it. It's a great walk-around lens overall, but I tend to prefer non-zoom lenses (primes?) and actually move closer/further away from subjects.

I'm keeping it though, because my dear husband told me, "Oh, just keep it! What do you mean you don't really need it? Don't be silly" :)

I tend to get very attached to one thing, (one lens, one sweater, one pair of shoes) and I often don't much like change. This 18-200 is in competition with my 105 macro, and that feels funny.

11/04/2007 03:50:09 PM · #15

Originally posted by Noel_ZH:

I read up on what zoom creep is and wow, what a major design flaw, no recall and replace?

I know and the longer they wait to resolve this the more noise I'll make. If I treated my customers the way I'm being treated by the camera shop and the tech. dept. at Nikon I would be on the streets with my hat in my hand. Maybe it's because I still have a conscience and feel for people, that I would have (and have, not with the lense of course but other things) taken the lense back without a problem and offered whatever I could to make it right for my customer.

I asked them to trade me, at the FULL price that I paid for the lense, for the Nikon AF-S Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 VR and I would pay the difference but only if I'm given full credit for the original lense. Time will tell.

11/04/2007 03:52:29 PM · #16

Originally posted by ursula:

I tend to get very attached to one thing, (one lens, one sweater, one pair of shoes) and I often don't much like change. This 18-200 is in competition with my 105 macro, and that feels funny.

One Husband? :-}

11/04/2007 03:54:58 PM · #17

Originally posted by Quigley:

Originally posted by ursula:
I tend to get very attached to one thing, (one lens, one sweater, one pair of shoes) and I often don't much like change. This 18-200 is in competition with my 105 macro, and that feels funny.

One Husband? :-}

Yeah, one husband, 31 years married, 5 children. I still remember when I met him at university, he was wearing these funny earth shoes and forgot his book to class (so I had to share with him), and I wasn't very impressed :)

11/04/2007 03:55:04 PM · #18

Originally posted by Lowcivicman99:

Have you had any luck with them getting back to you yet? I was wonderful of [user] walrus451[/user] to lone his to you . People on this site are so nice.

11/04/2007 04:00:05 PM · #19

Originally posted by ursula:

Originally posted by Quigley:

Originally posted by ursula:
I tend to get very attached to one thing, (one lens, one sweater, one pair of shoes) and I often don't much like change. This 18-200 is in competition with my 105 macro, and that feels funny.

One Husband? :-}

Yeah, one husband, 31 years married, 5 children. I still remember when I met him at university, he was wearing these funny earth shoes and forgot his book to class (so I had to share with him), and I wasn't very impressed :)

Good on you for learning to share, but he must have impressed you a little to still be with him after the first meeting, or is he still using your book and your just waiting for him to finish?

My wife and I have 22 years together and counting. I have no idea how she does it, if I had to live with me I think I would go mad:-}

11/04/2007 04:09:32 PM · #20

Originally posted by Quigley:

Originally posted by ursula:

Originally posted by Quigley:

Originally posted by ursula:
I tend to get very attached to one thing, (one lens, one sweater, one pair of shoes) and I often don't much like change. This 18-200 is in competition with my 105 macro, and that feels funny.

One Husband? :-}

Yeah, one husband, 31 years married, 5 children. I still remember when I met him at university, he was wearing these funny earth shoes and forgot his book to class (so I had to share with him), and I wasn't very impressed :)

Good on you for learning to share, but he must have impressed you a little to still be with him after the first meeting, or is he still using your book and your just waiting for him to finish?

My wife and I have 22 years together and counting. I have no idea how she does it, if I had to live with me I think I would go mad:-}

Yeah, come to think of it, he still hasn't returned my book! And now he's borrowed my car and I'm stuck at home. The book he can keep, but I want my car back!

On the other hand, I'd be lost without him. I love him, a lot, and he's good looking too :)

[thumb]573034[/thumb]

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SORRY FOR HIJACKING YOUR THREAD TO TALK ABOUT MY BELOVED :) END OF HIJACK.

Nikon AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.8D

11/04/2007 04:30:46 PM · #21

No problem

ursula I love a good Hijacking, but could I please get my wallet back:-} Here is my love for you to see she's cute too.

Louis

Nikon D800

11/04/2007 04:40:33 PM · #22

Originally posted by Quigley:

I know and the longer they wait to resolve this the more noise I'll make.

As an aside, you might want to make a little less noise. I tend to think in these situations that the increasing unhelpfulness of a store, vendor, or manufacturer is directly related to the demeanor of the customer. Your original post was a little chilling. I realize there was a touch of hyperboly in what you said, but if I was in the store's shoes, I wouldn't like you very much no matter how legitimate your complaint was. There's that whole flies/sugar/vinegar thing to consider.

11/04/2007 05:31:01 PM · #23

Originally posted by Louis:

Originally posted by Quigley:
I know and the longer they wait to resolve this the more noise I'll make.

As an aside, you might want to make a little less noise. I tend to think in these situations that the increasing unhelpfulness of a store, vendor, or manufacturer is directly related to the demeanor of the customer. Your original post was a little chilling. I realize there was a touch of hyperboly in what you said, but if I was in the store's shoes, I wouldn't like you very much no matter how legitimate your complaint was. There's that whole flies/sugar/vinegar thing to consider.

[user]Louis[/user] I can assure you that I have been nothing but pleasent and that these are purly my inner feelings (you know the whole diving over the coulter and choking him thing and the hitting, pure fantasy) but this is now almost a month old and I take the time to go over as asked by the manager and I make the phone calls to as he said keep him from dropping the ball and it becomes a little much. You tend to get frustrated and need to vent, that's why I posted on the RANT thread and not a discoussion thread so I could RANT and feel better.

I am the first to talk thing through and be patient. I have people who work for me and in all the years I've been in business I have yet to lose my temper or raise my voice to any of them, no matter what mistakes they have made or how much the mistake has cost me. I treat people how I want to be treated and with the respect they diserve and earn.

When you are faced with someone who is self serving and bombastic who also dosen't care for customer service and thinks that customer loyalty has gone down the toilet it is hard not to lose yourself in a movie fantasy and step outside yourself and RANT. Lord knows he dosen't care and has told me as much.

So again I have been nothing but nice, in fact I've been so sweet I'm getting my blood sugar levels chacked next week.

Yours the ever smiling MAX! :-}

JopperTom