I was asked back in January to provide advice to a friend of a friend whose daughter (13-years-old) was really interested in photography and had saved up enough money to buy a modest new camera. She is interested in photographing birds. Knowing how limited the budget was, I recommended they consider the Nikon D3500 kit with 18-55 and 70-300 lenses, refurbished from Nikon USA. Two weeks later, I received an email from the mother saying she had bought it.
I offered to help her up the learning curve if she wished. We did have one 30-minute Zoom session in which I coached her on a few fundamentals. She is a quick learner and very enthusiastic.
I suddenly realized that the 70-300mm lens that comes with that kit does not have VR, which would be very helpful to a beginner. Without discussing this with them, I found and bought a like-new 70-300 AF-P DX VR lens from a seller on Fred Miranda. After getting it, I tested it a bit to be sure it was o.k., then called and offered to swap with them at no charge. My plan was to trade in the non-VR lens at MPB.com when I came across something interesting there.
She has used the VR lens for about 1.5 months now, and suddenly the camera now shows "no lens attached", or when it does connect o.k., it won't autofocus and sometimes makes a buzzing sound. So I swapped back the non-VR version which she is using now.
I checked with Nikon service, and the repair cost would be $146.95. I only paid $139 for the lens!
So the lens is not worth repairing and is just a paperweight.
I am left in a quandary. Any suggestions?
I offered to help her up the learning curve if she wished. We did have one 30-minute Zoom session in which I coached her on a few fundamentals. She is a quick learner and very enthusiastic.
I suddenly realized that the 70-300mm lens that comes with that kit does not have VR, which would be very helpful to a beginner. Without discussing this with them, I found and bought a like-new 70-300 AF-P DX VR lens from a seller on Fred Miranda. After getting it, I tested it a bit to be sure it was o.k., then called and offered to swap with them at no charge. My plan was to trade in the non-VR lens at MPB.com when I came across something interesting there.
She has used the VR lens for about 1.5 months now, and suddenly the camera now shows "no lens attached", or when it does connect o.k., it won't autofocus and sometimes makes a buzzing sound. So I swapped back the non-VR version which she is using now.
I checked with Nikon service, and the repair cost would be $146.95. I only paid $139 for the lens!
So the lens is not worth repairing and is just a paperweight.
I am left in a quandary. Any suggestions?
