“Lens not attached” appearing whenever I try to use my Nikkor 70-300mm?

Question

I've had my Nikon D5000 for about two years now. It has never failed me! I have only two lenses, the standard 18-55mm lens and a 70-300mm lens I received about two years ago. I've never had a problem with these lenses until recently.

I was on holiday in Prague and I had only brought my 18-55 with me. Because of the heat (40 degrees or so) my camera kept saying "lens not attached" but soon began functioning once it had cooled off.

Now that I am back home, trying to use my 70-300 is a pain. It keeps saying "Lens not attached" no matter what I do, I've cleaned the connectors and rotated the lens around but nothing works and it's upsetting!!

Answer 1

If you had only experienced the issue with one lens then the first place to check would be the springs under the contact points that are in the lens for the Nikon system. I suppose there is the possibility both lenses share the same problem, but it is not very likely.

Since you have seen the issue with two different lenses on the same body it suggests there may be some sort of alignment issue with your D5000.

• Examine the lens mounting flange to see if it is secure and aligned properly. Although a misaligned flange will also affect focus and sharpness from one side of the frame to the other, it would be most apparent when using wider aperture lenses. When using narrower lenses like the 18-55mm or most 70-300mm lenses it might not be obvious if the flange is out of alignment.

• You should also check the piece that the camera side of the lens contact connectors are on. Is anything loose or does anything appear bent? Are any visible electrical connections loose or frayed? Is it securely attached to the mirror box?

• Beyond that the problem would probably need a trip to a service center to be diagnosed and corrected.