Subject: F75/D75 "Err" in viewfinder when using DOF Preview on VR Lenses

All,

I just purchased a used D75, and it seems to be working ok (I haven't pushed film through it yet). However, when I try to use the DOF preview button, the camera pretty much locks up, displays "Err" in the viewfinder and won't do anything until I recycle the power. I guess it's not too big of a deal if I can't DOF my VR lenses, but I'm scared that when I take a photograph, it won't stop the lens down. Has anyone seen this?

The specifics:

I'm using aperture priority
I tried on this on my VR 18-200 and 80-400 Nikkor lenses
DOF preview seems to work just fine with both standard and DX non-VR AF and AF-D/G lenses.

I do use an MB-18 battery pack, and have not tried the DOF preview on VR lenses without it, so I'm not sure if that had something to do with the problem.

Anything you have would be a real help since I'll have to return this if this isn't working correctly.

Thanks in advance!

There is a possibility the VR lens might not be compatible with that camera.

You could send it over to me and I'll test it on my D2h ;)

Here's some more information from another forum:

>Are you using fresh batteries?
>What kind are you using? Rechargeables? Alkaline?
>Does this error message happen when NOT using the MB-18?

Yeah. .I'm using freshly charged Nickel Metal Hydride batteries. I guess I'll have to go and get some of the lithiums, but I'm surprised that four freshly charged NiHs aren't enough.

I can HEAR the typical "thunk" noise that sounds like it actually is doing a preview.


>Here's what I would do...I would use a fresh set of batteries,
>cleaning the + and - contacts with a pencil eraser. I would
>also clean the contacts of the battery tray and wipe up the
>contacts of the MB-18.
>I'd leave the batteries out overnight then insert them and
>turn on the camera and test it out. I'd try it with and
>without the MB-18. It could be that with VR on, there just
>isn't enough power for VR and to activate the DOF preview
>button which is electronic.

I'll give this a try.. what do I have to lose at this point, I guess?


>Does DOF work with other lenses?

Yes. As stated, it works with all of my other lenses except for VR. I tried turning off VR on my two lenses, and I got the "Err" message as well.


>The 80-400 is a D-type lens with an aperture ring, is the ring
>set to the minimum aperture and locked down?

I would have gotten the "F" message then. I'm not a newb, just a new user of the N75.


>Do the lenses work fine in other bodies?

The VR lenses (and all the rest) work fine on my D200.


?It could be that there is something wrong with the DOF preview
>button, but I can't see why you would get an ERR message
>depressing the DOF button.

That's kindof what I was thinking...

if you haven't loaded film yet, why not trip the shutter for a long exposure and see if it stops down?

Good idea. The VR lenses don't. Strange.. sometimes when mounting the VR lenses, the aperture doesn't even open up. It just sits there at its smallest. Strange. I'll send it back and get a replacement... but why only on the VR lenses?? Confusing...

Couple of things - first, I'm not aware that Nikon ever had a D75 which would be a digital SLR. You might mean N75 - the "F" and "N" are/were film cameras for different markets; N75 in the USA and F75 most everywhere else - something like that.

If this is the case, the 18-200 won't work very well. It's designed for smaller DSLR formats which have sensors that are half the size of 35mm film, so the edges will be black because the image won't cover the edges of the film. Some of the newer Nikon film SLR's work with VR but I'm not familiar with the N75. The F100 and F5 did, and I think the camera needs to have at least five AF points to "see" the vibration that VR tries to counteract.

So - if this is a film camera, even if it did work I don't think you want that lens. Can you verify what camera you have? The 18-200 should work great on a D200 - many people (including me) with that combination.

Thanks for that, but you're kindof missing the point. I'm not a noob to photography, and, yes, I put a "D" where I meant to put an "N." That kind of thing happens, but I did put an "F" in the first part, so hopefully that will confirm to people I meant the film body.

The point is that both VR lenses weren't DOFing, which was the common factor. I don't intend to use the 18-200 on the film camera, I was just finding common denominators. The N75 doesn't seem to care if it's a DX lens from what I can tell. Only that it's a VR as it operates (or doesn't operate as is the case) the same on the N75 as my 80-400 VR.

Either way, I've sent the camera back and will get a replacement in a few days. I'll let everyone know how that goes.

Just trying to make sure we all had this right - I was just surprised that nobody brought up the DX issue with film cameras, if that was in fact what you were doing. And yes, it should work just fine other than the size of the image circle.

According to B&H's website, the 80-400 VR will work with the N75 so it must have five AF points. If both lenses do the same thing and you just bought the N75, are you sure it's not a camera problem?

Not sure if this would prove anything, but have you tried the DOF button with VR off on these lenses?

I did try with VR off, and it did the same thing (the wrong thing). The camera does, in fact, have five AF points. It looks like a neat camera, although it is a bit small. I bought it so that I would have a film camera for the lenses that my N2020 wouldn't drive. I figured better to have it than wish I had one in the future.

The strange thing is that, at times, the aperture would not open up when I twisted the lens on the camera. I thought that was just odd. I'd put on one of the VR lenses (and this happened with VR, only ??) and look through the viewfinder--totally dark. Looked down the lens and the aperture was stopped down. Took the lens off and put it back on and it would open up.

So, there you have it. Very strange activity on the part of this N75. I'll post an update when I get the replacement.

Maybe this thread will help someone in the future that way..

Thanks, everyone, for your input. I'll post back soon.