Loose lens

policedog1

Hi, my 18-55mm lens appears to be loose when extended. In other words, I can hold the front of the lens and there is some side to side wobble. Is there a problem? The camera appears to work okay and shots are good.

policedog1

The lens appears to snag sideways as I manually focus it. If there is a problem will it be cheaper to repair or replace the lens?

bruto

The kit lens has a little play in it ordinarily, though it's fairly limited. At its longest, 55mm, you can see some movement side to side. There is a very little play in the AF gearing as well, but it should not be possible to turn the focus ring more than a hair's breadth in AF without damage. When you switch to MF it should move smoothly.

If it's working all right and focusing properly, I'd be inclined to keep it until it actually breaks, but keep an eye out for a bargain replacement, perhaps a better quality or faster lens if such can be found.

It's almost certainly cheaper to replace than to repair this lens. Check out KEH.com for prices on good, warranted ones. You can get the VRI version in excellent plus condition from KEH.com (good service and a warranty) for under a hundred dollars. The bargain version (probably fine but not new looking) goes for something like $70. You can get the VRII version that comes on the D3300 for under $150.

policedog1

Thanks for that.