Nikon 200-500 - Zoom LOCKED

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Charles Loy

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My Nikon 200-500 zoom has locked/jammed at about 480mm. I rolled the zoom ring to 500mm to photo an eagle, snapped a couple images. The lens will not move off it's zoom position. My lens is a bit over 2 years old, looks new and has been flawless in operation. Still makes nice images at 480mm.
I've read about this a few other times, elsewhere. Now it's happened to me. I will try to get service from Nikon, some state it will cost others suggest it's warranty. Any comments from other about this? Who else has had this problem? Has Nikon address the concern?
 
I had a similar problem mid December. On mine, it would zoom out fine but would not close all the way. It would stop about 250mm.

Nikon rehired it under warranty and it was returned in a little over 2 weeks. I haven't throughly tested it since getting it back with the holidays and some bad weather but just shooting out the widow and at a local lake it seems to be working as expected now.
 
Same problem here, but was a fairly easy fix we could do without actually opening the optical chambers.

This guy (
) has it partially right. There was a screw loose in our lens, and once we found it it was clear from the black paint worn off that it was scraping the inner barrel and was impinging on the zoom mechanism, stopping the lens from going below 400mm.

This video also shows how to move the focus ring forward, which was necessary for us to find the screw:

His video shows the focus ring sliding forward (away from the camera body) easily. Our lens had some adhesive on that ring, keeping us from moving it forward. We applied heat carefully from a heat gun (or hair dryer) until the glue was loose enough to move the ring.

From there, the one loose screw was easy to identify and tighten. After that and subsequent reassembly, the lens works perfectly again.

Given the number of posts with the same problem, this seems like a fundamental flaw either in the design or manufacture of this lens. A loose screw should not be commonplace.

Regardless, this was a great opportunity to teach my son how to service a lens in the field. :)
 
re: Given the number of posts with the same problem, this seems like a fundamental flaw either in the design or manufacture of this lens. A loose screw should not be commonplace.

That is a fact.
I got my lens repaired by an independent camera repair. He showed me the flaw within the lens, and suggest all will fail soon or later.
 
Same problem here, but was a fairly easy fix we could do without actually opening the optical chambers.

This guy (
) has it partially right. There was a screw loose in our lens, and once we found it it was clear from the black paint worn off that it was scraping the inner barrel and was impinging on the zoom mechanism, stopping the lens from going below 400mm.

This video also shows how to move the focus ring forward, which was necessary for us to find the screw:

His video shows the focus ring sliding forward (away from the camera body) easily. Our lens had some adhesive on that ring, keeping us from moving it forward. We applied heat carefully from a heat gun (or hair dryer) until the glue was loose enough to move the ring.

From there, the one loose screw was easy to identify and tighten. After that and subsequent reassembly, the lens works perfectly again.

Given the number of posts with the same problem, this seems like a fundamental flaw either in the design or manufacture of this lens. A loose screw should not be commonplace.

Regardless, this was a great opportunity to teach my son how to service a lens in the field. :)

Welcome to the forum codehenge!
 
Today I fixed a second one of these lenses that has had this problem.

The first lens I did a few weeks ago I could reach the screws that jam under the outer ring without moving it forward out of the way.

Today I used the good suggestion @codehenge made here
We applied heat carefully from a heat gun (or hair dryer) until the glue was loose enough to move the ring.
to remove that outer ring.
The lens today had two of the three screws that need tightening loose inside the outer ring, they had somehow become totally extracted from the small bushes.
I had to remove the last screw to get to one of the screws that was jammed between the barrel and outer ring.
This meant the lens came apart, but I soon had all the screws and bushes back in place and tightened up with a very small dab of clear nail polish on the threads.
All seems well, I will return it to its owner and see what they think of the repair and whether the breakdown of the lens into 2 parts has made any difference to the lens performance.
 
I just addressed this issue and found the YT video by "wildlife snapper1" to be very helpful.

However, I also had the problem that @codehenge reported. The loose screw was not accessible enough to tighten. In my case, I was able to remove the three screws holding the zoom ring in place as well as the white "washers" under each screw. This allowed me to move the barrel inwards from 500mm and the zoom ring stayed put. This exposed the problem screw completely and I was able to tighten it properly. So, I feel fortunate that I didn't have to send the lens for repair and, thanks to the online community, the fix was relatively easy.
 
I just addressed this issue and found the YT video by "wildlife snapper1" to be very helpful.

However, I also had the problem that @codehenge reported. The loose screw was not accessible enough to tighten. In my case, I was able to remove the three screws holding the zoom ring in place as well as the white "washers" under each screw. This allowed me to move the barrel inwards from 500mm and the zoom ring stayed put. This exposed the problem screw completely and I was able to tighten it properly. So, I feel fortunate that I didn't have to send the lens for repair and, thanks to the online community, the fix was relatively easy.
This just happened to my 200-500! It got stuck from 500mm to 390mm. I used the guidance in that YouTube video and was able to gain access to the silver screw and tighten it using an x-acto blade with a clipped tip, as I did not have a phillips screwdriver small enough.
 
My Nikon 200-500 zoom has locked/jammed at about 480mm. I rolled the zoom ring to 500mm to photo an eagle, snapped a couple images. The lens will not move off it's zoom position. My lens is a bit over 2 years old, looks new and has been flawless in operation. Still makes nice images at 480mm.
I've read about this a few other times, elsewhere. Now it's happened to me. I will try to get service from Nikon, some state it will cost others suggest it's warranty. Any comments from other about this? Who else has had this problem? Has Nikon address the concern?
I had a similar problem. On mine it would zoom out to 500 fine but it would stop at about 300mm on the way back in.

I sent it back to Nikon and they fixed it under warranty. I bought mine when they had the 5 year warranty on the lenses and it was about 3 years old. It was fixed properly and came back in about 3 weeks (pre-COVID). It has worked flawlessly since.
Hope yours is an easy fix.

Jeff
 
After viewing codehenge's video I unpacked my 200-500, rolled back the rubber sleeve and my lens is locked up solid. Mid West Camera repair had no one that had the necessary experience to work on that type of lens. I would like to know if the focus lock mechanism can be removed completely, or if thread glue can be used on the offending screws? So repack and send off to Nikon.
 
Well my lens is locked up tight and I cannot move the lens at all, so off to Nikon. Yesterday I received the estimate. After I recovered using administered oxygen the cost was $506.91. I called Nikon and I got a email this morning. As our discussion ended they would email me Monday with further information.
 
My Nikon 200-500 zoom has locked/jammed at about 480mm. I rolled the zoom ring to 500mm to photo an eagle, snapped a couple images. The lens will not move off it's zoom position. My lens is a bit over 2 years old, looks new and has been flawless in operation. Still makes nice images at 480mm.
I've read about this a few other times, elsewhere. Now it's happened to me. I will try to get service from Nikon, some state it will cost others suggest it's warranty. Any comments from other about this? Who else has had this problem? Has Nikon address the concern?
IF you are able to get it free again on your own, then search youtube for the fix. Once it is completely locked I wouldnt personally feel comfortable trying to fix it, but if you can get it to extend/collapse again apparently you can fix it without having to take the lens apart.
Mine did the same thing about 18 months after purchase. It is not covered unless the lens is still under warranty which is 12 months normally I believe.
When mine started doing it, it would only hang up at like 240mm but if I rotated it a couple times, wiggled it, etc it would usually free up and might not happen again for a couple days.
Well eventually it stuck at 240mm and would not budge from there. It ended up costing me about $500 to get it fixed.

Before it locks up completely you can usually fix it by just pulling the rubber down on the zoom ring, there are some screws behind some tape there and you need to tighten them.
 
IF you are able to get it free again on your own, then search youtube for the fix.
Well eventually it stuck at 240mm and would not budge from there. It ended up costing me about $500 to get it fixed.

Before it locks up completely you can usually fix it by just pulling the rubber down on the zoom ring, there are some screws behind some tape there and you need to tighten them.
Thanks, I got mine repaired by an independent repair service Dec. 31, 2020, $234 out the door with a warranty that it would not fail again. The repairman used a tiny speck of lock tight on the offending screws. It's killer now, still use it often.
Mine was totally locked solid at 480mm -
 
Thanks, I got mine repaired by an independent repair service Dec. 31, 2020, $234 out the door with a warranty that it would not fail again. The repairman used a tiny speck of lock tight on the offending screws. It's killer now, still use it often.
Mine was totally locked solid at 480mm -
I totally overlooked the date of the original post lol.
Glad it worked out for you. Mine happened at the worst time - about 2 weeks before a spring trip to Yellowstone in 2021 lol.
 
I believe the 200-500 has professional glass and a very weak construction. This is the second mine has been into Nikon. When I get it back I'm going to put a piece of electrical tape over the zoom lock switch so I can't be moved. If this happens again I'm putting it in the junk can and buy the 500pf.
 
I believe the 200-500 has professional glass and a very weak construction. This is the second mine has been into Nikon. When I get it back I'm going to put a piece of electrical tape over the zoom lock switch so I can't be moved. If this happens again I'm putting it in the junk can and buy the 500pf.
The repairman who repaired my lens back in Dec 2020 stated that all will fail unless Nikon changes the zoom design/construction.
edit - I own the 500PF too, much better lens and a fair value too. Get it
 
hi. i have the problem with my 200-500. when i take it apart i can jiggle it to see the screws that needed tightening. one is gone, backed out completely and presumably inside. if i take the plastic piece off that the rubber ring sits on, do you think it will be visible in there. that plastic piece wont budge, ill have to heat it i guess?
 
@trevor lowthers You will most likely have to heat carefully with a heat gun (ON LOW) to release the ring.

Use some sort of thread locker like nail polish or purple Loctite 222 to seal the threads and use the correct screwdrivers - JIS type.

I have had reports back from both owners of the lenses I fixed and both report that the lenses are as good as they were or in one case better.
 
My son had this locking issue with his 200-500, locking at approx 380mm. I pulled back the rubber grip and removed the tape attached 3 metal plates exposing the 3 openings. For the 380-500 range the lens offered I was able to check the 3 main screws and they were all tight meaning I had to release the ring with heat from a hair dryer. After several attempts that barrel ring would not budge. I then thought about someone saying that after fiddling with the zooming it would break free so I thought to just heat the ring to expand it and fiddle with the zoom. It worked!!! So with the three windows opened I went through zoom range to try and locate a buffed screw and there it was at approximately 340mm. Its tight in the upper right corner of the opening so I used a JIS 000 instead of the required JIS 00 and the lens was fixed.
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