Nikon D300/60mm (new version) problem...

[plsdiver4377]

I just returned from Cozumel. This trip was my first chance to use my new 60mm (new version) Nikon lens mounted on my D300 in an Ike housing.

Using my 28-105 lens business as usual.

Using the 60mm on the D300 on land it works perfectly, a very nice portrait and macro lens.

The same combination underwater yielded a problem I've never seen or heard about, so far. Test it out in the housing on land everything seemed to be in order, no problems. Upon jumping in the water and checking for leaks (none) and descending the camera/lens would not focus (kept racking back and forth). and the black focus square was not visible at all. I powered it up and down a couple of times and was able to see the focal squares everywhere but in the center, and it would still not focus. I at this point just carried back to surface to look at it there.

On the surface still the same problem even after a full reset. So I changed the battery, still the same until I just for fun performed a mirror lock-up and power up and down, everything worked fine.

Next dive (#2)(all I did was turn it off while everything worked on the surface), same problem again until I performed a mirror lock-up and in immediately started working again (wonderful I thought). It then performed flawlessly for the rest of the dive.

Dive #3, exactly the same routine as #2.

Dive #4, it worked perfectly the entire time.

The only thing I did not try was change bodies to see it would yield the same results. I also checked and saw no signs water leakage or drippage on either the lens or the body.

Ideas (wild or otherwise), suggestions, or remarks appreciated (even if with a different lens).


Thanks, Jim

 

[Mariozi]

wow...
that's wild.

Can be something wild (maybe caused by something slightly off when mounting the housing/camera/lens/port) that applied improper pressure somewhere on the camera-lens configuration on that first dives that screwed up the contacts in between then and caused all kinds of problems.

I would check everything, another body, another AF-S 600mm/2.8, another Ike housing and even another housing maker (aluminum). But since you are not able to reproduce it anymore, it can be tough.

A good friend of mine had a problem once: on a N90s, TTL would not work below 30m...
Hard to explain at the repair shop.

 

[AussieByron]

I would take the lens off and have a good look at the conection points.

I had this issue like this once with my AFS 60mm macro on my D80. I accidently changed the metering mode away from spot metering and it didn't like it. It was really hard to focus especially since i was shoot pygmy seahorses in PNG on the dive. Did a full reset and went back to spot metering and had no problems since.

Something to think about.

Regards Mark

 

[simonmittag]

Hi Jim,

did this happen in low light conditions? I don't have an Ike housing, but depending on how far your lens is from the front port it may be harder to focus than with a a longer 105mm lens which should be closer to your front port, hence gets more light and refraction is different. Tried a focus light yet, does that improve your situation?

Cheers,

Simon

 

[mcgowman]

Sounds like the autofocus couldn't find a subject/sharp edge to lock onto. Thus it started hunting (the racking back and forth) for anything in the focal range.

My D70 will do that with an inexpensive marco lens I have.

Simon could also be on to something as well.

Can you turn on/off the AF-assist illuminator? If low light, it may help. On the flip side, maybe in the clear Ike housing it's actually causing the problem. Perhaps some reflection off the port inside the housing the confusing the autofocus?

 

[Le Bendalier]

"until I performed a mirror lock-up "
Unfortunately it seems the AF's body don't work so well with this optique. Sorry!

 

[jcclink]

There is no reason why the new 60mm won't work with the D300 (new body & new glass). This has to be a housing related problem. If one of the control buttons on the camera is depressed even slightly due to water pressure or misalignment of body in the housing strange things can happen. Any way to try the camera/lens in a different housing?

 

[sabbath999]

I would test the heck out of the solution on land, in the housing.... and get it to repeat its self... then I would test the combo without the housing doing the same things.