Pentax 16-85 Lens failure and an upcoming New Zealand trip

Started Nov 13, 2017 | Discussions
swhang Forum Member • Posts: 98
Pentax 16-85 Lens failure and an upcoming New Zealand trip

My beloved 16-85 lens has failed! It stopped focusing and when turning it to zoom, it gets stuck in one area. Even when I'm manually focusing, nothing changes.

It's out of warranty b/c I bought it May 2015.

I have a lifetime trip coming up. I will be leaving for New Zealand for 4 weeks on December 26th.

Ah! Should I send it in to get it fixed? But I am afraid if I do that, it's going to cost a ton and it might take too long and I might not get it back in time. It may be better to simply buy a new 16-85 since they now go for a little over $500 new.

A last resort will be to get a Panasonic ZS100 travel camera with a 1 inch sensor... or even just go with my kit lens of 18-55. But that's too drastic.

Does anyone have ideas about the cost to repair a failed 16-85 and how long that takes?

Panasonic ZS100
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Uloo
Uloo Senior Member • Posts: 2,917
Re: Pentax 16-85 Lens failure and an upcoming New Zealand trip

My 16-85 did the same thing but it happened after I dropped it...... But when it works its a fantastic lens.

So I sent it in to precision camera the estimated cost was 212 dollars. They received it on the 8 of September ...... I'm still waiting. I finally called them and they told me they couldn't fix it so its being sent to the factory..... somewhere in Asia. If I would be you I would see if I could rent one or just go and buy another one.

Ulrich

 Uloo's gear list:Uloo's gear list
Pentax K-3 Pentax K-1 II Pentax smc DA 16-45mm F4 ED AL Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG Macro Sigma 10-20mm F3.5 EX DC HSM +4 more
Historicity Senior Member • Posts: 2,343
Re: Pentax 16-85 Lens failure and an upcoming New Zealand trip

swhang wrote:

My beloved 16-85 lens has failed! It stopped focusing and when turning it to zoom, it gets stuck in one area. Even when I'm manually focusing, nothing changes.

It's out of warranty b/c I bought it May 2015.

I have a lifetime trip coming up. I will be leaving for New Zealand for 4 weeks on December 26th.

Ah! Should I send it in to get it fixed? But I am afraid if I do that, it's going to cost a ton and it might take too long and I might not get it back in time. It may be better to simply buy a new 16-85 since they now go for a little over $500 new.

A last resort will be to get a Panasonic ZS100 travel camera with a 1 inch sensor... or even just go with my kit lens of 18-55. But that's too drastic.

Does anyone have ideas about the cost to repair a failed 16-85 and how long that takes?

Are you sure the problem isn't with your camera?   If it were me I'd try a few things before sending the lens back for repairs.  If your camera is like mine, there is a reset function.  With the lens attached I would click that function.

Another possibility, if you have had your camera for some time is that the electronic contacts have become a bit corroded.  I would gently rub the contacts on both the camera and the lens with some mildly abrasive material and then try to get the lens to focus after that.

A third thing I would try would be to replace the battery with a new one I knew was powerful and in good condition.

It may be that you are right and that your lens needs to be repaired, but I would try these things first.

Lawrence

 Historicity's gear list:Historicity's gear list
Ricoh GR II Pentax K-5 IIs Olympus PEN E-PM2 Olympus E-M1 Nikon D610 +108 more
OP swhang Forum Member • Posts: 98
Re: Pentax 16-85 Lens failure and an upcoming New Zealand trip

Historicity wrote:

swhang wrote:

My beloved 16-85 lens has failed! It stopped focusing and when turning it to zoom, it gets stuck in one area. Even when I'm manually focusing, nothing changes.

It's out of warranty b/c I bought it May 2015.

I have a lifetime trip coming up. I will be leaving for New Zealand for 4 weeks on December 26th.

Ah! Should I send it in to get it fixed? But I am afraid if I do that, it's going to cost a ton and it might take too long and I might not get it back in time. It may be better to simply buy a new 16-85 since they now go for a little over $500 new.

A last resort will be to get a Panasonic ZS100 travel camera with a 1 inch sensor... or even just go with my kit lens of 18-55. But that's too drastic.

Does anyone have ideas about the cost to repair a failed 16-85 and how long that takes?

Are you sure the problem isn't with your camera? If it were me I'd try a few things before sending the lens back for repairs. If your camera is like mine, there is a reset function. With the lens attached I would click that function.

Another possibility, if you have had your camera for some time is that the electronic contacts have become a bit corroded. I would gently rub the contacts on both the camera and the lens with some mildly abrasive material and then try to get the lens to focus after that.

A third thing I would try would be to replace the battery with a new one I knew was powerful and in good condition.

It may be that you are right and that your lens needs to be repaired, but I would try these things first.

Lawrence

Thanks for the tips, Lawrence. I've tried it with my other lenses and so they work fine. So I think the problem is with my 16-85 lens.

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