Air coming through lens?

Hi

I've just purchased a Nikon 18-200mm VR lens for my D40. Rushed home
from work tonight, fitted it to the camera body, and have been having
fun testing it out. So far I'm very impressed with it - especially
the VR - and it's going to allow me to do much more than the 18-55mm
kit lens it replaces. One thing I've noticed, however, is that as I
zoom the lens in and out I can feel a definite current of air blowing
into my eye through the viewfinder. Is this normal? I never noticed
it on my 18-55, but that obviously has a much smaller zoom than the
18-200. Should I be overly concerned about this (I'm thinking in
terms of dust entering the camera), or is it just something to expect
with a lens of this range?

Cheers.

wrote in message
ups.com...

I've just purchased a Nikon 18-200mm VR lens for my D40. Rushed home
from work tonight, fitted it to the camera body, and have been having
fun testing it out. So far I'm very impressed with it - especially
the VR - and it's going to allow me to do much more than the 18-55mm
kit lens it replaces. One thing I've noticed, however, is that as I
zoom the lens in and out I can feel a definite current of air blowing
into my eye through the viewfinder.

Wait till the nights get cold and the lens makes a fine set of bellows to
fan the flames ;-)

cheers adrian www.boliston.co.uk

wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi

I've just purchased a Nikon 18-200mm VR lens for my D40. Rushed home
from work tonight, fitted it to the camera body, and have been having
fun testing it out. So far I'm very impressed with it - especially
the VR - and it's going to allow me to do much more than the 18-55mm
kit lens it replaces. One thing I've noticed, however, is that as I
zoom the lens in and out I can feel a definite current of air blowing
into my eye through the viewfinder. Is this normal? I never noticed
it on my 18-55, but that obviously has a much smaller zoom than the
18-200. Should I be overly concerned about this (I'm thinking in
terms of dust entering the camera), or is it just something to expect
with a lens of this range?

Cheers.

I've often come across air blowing out of a zoom lens as the lens is zoomed
(with the lens off the body).
I've never come across that air coming out of the viewfinder when the lens
is on the body.

Personally, I'd be somewhat concerned.

Sorry to be pessimistic.

Ian,
Nottingham, UK.

Fred Anonymous wrote:

I've never come across that air coming out of the viewfinder when the lens
is on the body.

My D70 does that too. Has done so for the past 3 years
without a problem occurring. The air has to go somewhere.
Was most noticeable with a 70-210 - larger bicycle pump
style push-pull zoom.

"Fred Anonymous" wrote in message
...
wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi

I've just purchased a Nikon 18-200mm VR lens for my D40. Rushed
home
from work tonight, fitted it to the camera body, and have been
having
fun testing it out. So far I'm very impressed with it - especially
the VR - and it's going to allow me to do much more than the
18-55mm
kit lens it replaces. One thing I've noticed, however, is that as
I
zoom the lens in and out I can feel a definite current of air
blowing
into my eye through the viewfinder. Is this normal? I never
noticed
it on my 18-55, but that obviously has a much smaller zoom than the
18-200. Should I be overly concerned about this (I'm thinking in
terms of dust entering the camera), or is it just something to
expect
with a lens of this range?

Cheers.

I've often come across air blowing out of a zoom lens as the lens is
zoomed (with the lens off the body).
I've never come across that air coming out of the viewfinder when
the lens is on the body.

Personally, I'd be somewhat concerned.

Sorry to be pessimistic.

Be scared! Be very scared!


Ian,
Nottingham, UK.

wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi

I've just purchased a Nikon 18-200mm VR lens for my D40. Rushed home
from work tonight, fitted it to the camera body, and have been having
fun testing it out. So far I'm very impressed with it - especially
the VR - and it's going to allow me to do much more than the 18-55mm
kit lens it replaces. One thing I've noticed, however, is that as I
zoom the lens in and out I can feel a definite current of air blowing
into my eye through the viewfinder. Is this normal? I never noticed
it on my 18-55, but that obviously has a much smaller zoom than the
18-200. Should I be overly concerned about this (I'm thinking in
terms of dust entering the camera), or is it just something to expect
with a lens of this range?

Others have mentioned experiencing this too. I have the 18-200 VR also,
haven't yet noticed this myself but that's probably just because I haven't
zoomed the lens over a large range quickly enough.

I think yes, it's just something to expect with this sort of lens and I
wouldn't be overly concerned about it. Whether it contributes to dust
entering the camera I have no idea. Some people have expressed the opinion
that most of the junk that eventually finds its way to the sensor was
already in the camera when it left the factory, and whatever dust comes
through the "porthole" while the camera's in use doesn't seem to make that
much difference. They may be right.

Neil

Fred Anonymous wrote:
wrote in message
ups.com...

Hi

I've just purchased a Nikon 18-200mm VR lens for my D40. Rushed home
from work tonight, fitted it to the camera body, and have been having
fun testing it out. So far I'm very impressed with it - especially
the VR - and it's going to allow me to do much more than the 18-55mm
kit lens it replaces. One thing I've noticed, however, is that as I
zoom the lens in and out I can feel a definite current of air blowing
into my eye through the viewfinder. Is this normal? I never noticed
it on my 18-55, but that obviously has a much smaller zoom than the
18-200. Should I be overly concerned about this (I'm thinking in
terms of dust entering the camera), or is it just something to expect
with a lens of this range?

Cheers.


I've often come across air blowing out of a zoom lens as the lens is zoomed
(with the lens off the body).
I've never come across that air coming out of the viewfinder when the lens
is on the body.

Personally, I'd be somewhat concerned.

Sorry to be pessimistic.


I happens with the Sony A100/KM5D and the 18-200/18-250mm lenses. The
viewfinders are just hollows mirror boxes and the air scoots right
through. It does not happen with the KM 7D with the same lens - glass
prism. The D40 is a mirror prism, so the air can flow.

David

On 31 Aug, 23:14, "Neil Harrington" wrote:
wrote in message

ups.com...

Hi

I've just purchased a Nikon 18-200mm VR lens for my D40. Rushed home
from work tonight, fitted it to the camera body, and have been having
fun testing it out. So far I'm very impressed with it - especially
the VR - and it's going to allow me to do much more than the 18-55mm
kit lens it replaces. One thing I've noticed, however, is that as I
zoom the lens in and out I can feel a definite current of air blowing
into my eye through the viewfinder. Is this normal? I never noticed
it on my 18-55, but that obviously has a much smaller zoom than the
18-200. Should I be overly concerned about this (I'm thinking in
terms of dust entering the camera), or is it just something to expect
with a lens of this range?

Others have mentioned experiencing this too. I have the 18-200 VR also,
haven't yet noticed this myself but that's probably just because I haven't
zoomed the lens over a large range quickly enough.

I think yes, it's just something to expect with this sort of lens and I
wouldn't be overly concerned about it. Whether it contributes to dust
entering the camera I have no idea. Some people have expressed the opinion
that most of the junk that eventually finds its way to the sensor was
already in the camera when it left the factory, and whatever dust comes
through the "porthole" while the camera's in use doesn't seem to make that
much difference. They may be right.

Thanks Neil (and to the others who responded). If it's something
others have experienced, then I'm not too worried. I was thinking it
might be a problem with my camera, the lens or the way I'd attached
them. Hope they are right about the dust issue, though I'm resigned
to the fact that some dust is going to get onto my sensor eventually,
although I was hoping to delay that from happening by using a lens
like the 18-200mm. Maybe I should raid the piggy bank and get one of
the new D300s with the self-cleaning sensor. :-)

On 9/2/07 8:47 AM, "Rita Ä Berkowitz" ritaberk2O04 @aol.com wrote:

Neil Harrington wrote:

Others have mentioned experiencing this too. I have the 18-200 VR
also, haven't yet noticed this myself but that's probably just
because I haven't zoomed the lens over a large range quickly enough.

Smart move! Nikon has installed a rupture disc in the camera body that is
designed to fail when the pressure differential of internal exceeds the
external by 3 PSI. Faulty rupture discs have been known to cause the
diopter
to blow out and cause eye injuries when aggressively zooming the 18-200mm
VR.

Can you give us a reference to where this has been published? I'd like more
details.

wrote in message
oups.com...
On 31 Aug, 23:14, "Neil Harrington" wrote:
wrote in message

ups.com...

Hi

I've just purchased a Nikon 18-200mm VR lens for my D40. Rushed home
from work tonight, fitted it to the camera body, and have been having
fun testing it out. So far I'm very impressed with it - especially
the VR - and it's going to allow me to do much more than the 18-55mm
kit lens it replaces. One thing I've noticed, however, is that as I
zoom the lens in and out I can feel a definite current of air blowing
into my eye through the viewfinder. Is this normal? I never noticed
it on my 18-55, but that obviously has a much smaller zoom than the
18-200. Should I be overly concerned about this (I'm thinking in
terms of dust entering the camera), or is it just something to expect
with a lens of this range?

Others have mentioned experiencing this too. I have the 18-200 VR also,
haven't yet noticed this myself but that's probably just because I
haven't
zoomed the lens over a large range quickly enough.

I think yes, it's just something to expect with this sort of lens and I
wouldn't be overly concerned about it. Whether it contributes to dust
entering the camera I have no idea. Some people have expressed the
opinion
that most of the junk that eventually finds its way to the sensor was
already in the camera when it left the factory, and whatever dust comes
through the "porthole" while the camera's in use doesn't seem to make
that
much difference. They may be right.

Thanks Neil (and to the others who responded).

You're very welcome.


If it's something
others have experienced, then I'm not too worried. I was thinking it
might be a problem with my camera, the lens or the way I'd attached
them.

No, I don't think you could attach the lens wrong even if you tried, and
it's probably inevitable that any lens that lengthens or shortens as much as
the 18-200 does when it's zoomed over its whole range is bound to pump air
to some extent.


Hope they are right about the dust issue, though I'm resigned
to the fact that some dust is going to get onto my sensor eventually,
although I was hoping to delay that from happening by using a lens
like the 18-200mm. Maybe I should raid the piggy bank and get one of
the new D300s with the self-cleaning sensor. :-)

How good those self-cleaning sensors are is another question. Anything that
shakes the dust off the sensor but still leaves it in the camera body, where
it will eventually find the sensor again, does not seem like a perfect
solution.

It's worth keeping in mind also that dust doesn't actually settle on the
sensor itself, but on a filter that's over the sensor and not quite at the
focal plane. So small dust particles can accumulate on this filter and not
become visible at all except at small aperture settings which allow them to
come into focus. This is perhaps why many users change lenses a great deal
and still never have problems with dust.

When it does become necessary to clean the sensor, you might want to look at
the Delkin SensorScope system.
http://www.delkin.com/products/sensorscope/

This provides an illuminated loupe to examine the sensor, a mini vacuum to
clean it, sensor swabs and cleaning solution. User reviews I've seen vary
greatly about the cleaning tools -- some say they work perfectly, others say
they don't work at all and only make things worse. Everyone seems to like
the scope itself, which I understand is now available without the whole kit.

In any case, cleaning the sensor (actually only the filter over the sensor)
is something you'd want to approach very, very carefully and not do at all
unless really necessary. The SensorScope kit users who got bad results may
have been doing something wrong, but this just makes the point that a
certain amount of skill in using the tools is necessary.

I bought one of the Delkin kits when it was on sale at a very attractive
price, but haven't used it to clean anything with yet.

Neil