D-FA 150-450 focus limiter stuck

pjsaure · 04-21-2018, 01:08 AM

Hello everyone.

This is the first time I decide to start a new thread as I can't find any information about this problem.
I bought my 150-450 in january on digixo.com, a French Pentax authorized dealer.

Yesterday, the focus limiter switch on the barrel decided not to go to the "full" position anymore. It goes slightly past the 2-6m mark, but not all the way through the "full" position. When doing so, it looks like it is rotating clockwise a little bit, as if the right side was blocked by something.
Other switches work fine, the lens did'nt suffer any damage from me, never dropped nor shocked, etc. Always used with care.

What worries me even more is the lens won't focus past 6 meters anymore, even on the 6m-infinity position...
I can manually focus anywhere though.

Did anyone encounter this problem? I am hesitant to send it for warranty repair as I may not have it back before my next outing photographing newborn birds next month...

I will try to upload some pictures showing the problem.

Thanks for your input.

Last edited by pjsaure; 04-21-2018 at 02:30 AM.

Paul the Sunman · 04-21-2018, 01:49 AM

Since it is still under warranty, get it fixed right away!

biz-engineer · 04-21-2018, 01:56 AM

it looks like a mechanical defect on the focus limiter.

pjsaure · 04-21-2018, 02:15 AM

It sure feels like it!

@Paul the Sunman : that is probably the wiser answer that I'll get, and I will definitely do that. I am still curious about whether other people had the same problem or not though, and why it happens.

I guess it is probably a minor problem that could get fixed easily, but I won't risk voiding the warranty by doing anything stupid.

**Tas** · 04-21-2018, 02:50 AM

Originally posted by pjsaure

I am still curious about whether other people had the same problem or not

My 150-450 is approaching two years old and I've not had that problem. It's good lens when it's working well so I agree with @Paul the Sunman, get it back to Pentax for a warranty repair.

Tas

**aslyfox** · 04-21-2018, 04:01 AM

Originally posted by Tas

My 150-450 is approaching two years old and I've not had that problem. It's good lens when it's working well so I agree with @Paul the Sunman, get it back to Pentax for a warranty repair.

Tas

with the reported cases of some of these lenses literally falling apart ( a very few number so don't panic ) this may not seen that important

but I agree with the others

I urge you to get to the repair people asap and not delay

always take advantage of your warranty protections - you paid for it

so far my " experienced " D FA 150 - 450mm bought LN January 2017, has had no problems

[ other than Operator Error that is

]

pjsaure · 04-21-2018, 04:45 AM

Yes, I remember the case of someone here reporting the outer barrel separated from the rest of his lens... Quite a surprising view!

My problem is not as spectacular but is really annoying: not only the switch won't go to the "full" position, but the lens also won't autofocus past 6 meters, even on the 6m-infinity position...

I will send it for a repair as soon as possible, I just hope it won't happen again when the lens won't be under warranty anymore...

**clickclick** · 04-22-2018, 06:18 AM

And don't forget about places like lensrentals.com. If you really need a lens like that for an event, you can rent one if yours hasn't come back from repair, but I wouldn't wait in a warranty situation.

pjsaure · 04-23-2018, 02:23 PM

Yes, that is probably what I will end up doing. Rental options are pretty limited here in France, especially when it comes to Pentax gear... There is only one company as far as I know, from which I rented the DA*300 once and the DFA 150-450 twice.

Minimum rental time is a week, so it is quite expensive, but I will have no other choice. I have a hard time returning to the 55-300. Great little lens, but you just can't beat the 150-450...

Anyway, my lens will be shipped for repair tomorrow. I will keep you posted about what happens.

pjsaure · 06-28-2018, 06:28 AM

Well, it's been over two months now. I just called the repair center and they had to ship it back to Japan. I guess that means the wait is far from being over. Luckily I am quite patient, but still...

When I think about it, I saved for months, ignoring good deals on second hand opportunities, just to be able to buy a brand new one. The goal was to avoid exactly what happened here... Bad luck I guess. On the other hand, if it happened on a second hand unit, maybe I would have had to pay for repairs.

On the bright side (well, f/5.8 isn't very bright, but f/5.6 isn't much more), I get to use my 55-300 lens again, focus on my technique, try other settings to get the best out of it, etc. I had a pretty good birding session a few days ago where stopping down more than usual (f/9 to f/11 instead of f/6.3 to f/8) yielded good results.

So that step back may have improved my photography. I don't know if it is just the increased depth of field or the abundance of light that day, but I had a much higher success rate regarding focus (auto or manual, the latter might be related to the O-ME53 I recently added to my kit though).

pjsaure · 08-08-2018, 01:17 PM

Good news!

The lens has been repaired and sent back to me, after a little more than 3 months now.
The bill says "AF/MF command replacement". That seems to be the QFS-A/QFS-M/MF switch to me. As far as I could tell, this switch worked fine. Unless it designates the whole internal AF mecanism.

Anyway, I hope it has really been repaired and that there have been no misunderstanding. The bill also says something along the lines of "general check-up" so I guess it is working fine now.

It should be there soon, I'll report when I'll have it in my hands.

pxt · 08-25-2018, 06:41 AM

Congratulation. I hope guaranty now is longer.

**aslyfox** · 08-25-2018, 06:52 AM

I hope it arrives quickly

and they didn't ship it on the slow boat from China

[ I hope this cheers you up ]

You Tube

pjsaure · 08-27-2018, 06:09 AM

It did arrive very quickly, unfortunately I was not at home so I had to reschedule the delivery. It arrived a few days ago, and everything is working fine. The limiter switch now have the same feel as the QFS switch. If I remember correctly, the limiter switch did have a slightly different feeling from day one.
Let's hope that this lens will be problem-free from now on!
I'll have to schedule a little trip to my nearest favorite birding spot to celebrate the event

**clickclick** · 08-30-2018, 06:02 PM

Always nice when there's a tangible change to confirm the prior problem. It's a great lens. The birds look good in it too.

04-21-2018, 01:08 AM	#1
pjsaure Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2017 Location: Toulouse Posts: 82	D-FA 150-450 focus limiter stuck Hello everyone. This is the first time I decide to start a new thread as I can't find any information about this problem. I bought my 150-450 in january on digixo.com, a French Pentax authorized dealer. Yesterday, the focus limiter switch on the barrel decided not to go to the "full" position anymore. It goes slightly past the 2-6m mark, but not all the way through the "full" position. When doing so, it looks like it is rotating clockwise a little bit, as if the right side was blocked by something. Other switches work fine, the lens did'nt suffer any damage from me, never dropped nor shocked, etc. Always used with care. What worries me even more is the lens won't focus past 6 meters anymore, even on the 6m-infinity position... I can manually focus anywhere though. Did anyone encounter this problem? I am hesitant to send it for warranty repair as I may not have it back before my next outing photographing newborn birds next month... I will try to upload some pictures showing the problem. Thanks for your input. Last edited by pjsaure; 04-21-2018 at 02:30 AM.

08-27-2018, 06:09 AM	#14
pjsaure Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2017 Location: Toulouse Posts: 82 Original Poster	It did arrive very quickly, unfortunately I was not at home so I had to reschedule the delivery. It arrived a few days ago, and everything is working fine. The limiter switch now have the same feel as the QFS switch. If I remember correctly, the limiter switch did have a slightly different feeling from day one. Let's hope that this lens will be problem-free from now on! I'll have to schedule a little trip to my nearest favorite birding spot to celebrate the event Last edited by pjsaure; 08-27-2018 at 06:19 AM.

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04-21-2018, 01:49 AM	#2
Paul the Sunman Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Melbourne Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,843	Since it is still under warranty, get it fixed right away!

04-21-2018, 01:56 AM	#3
biz-engineer Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2015 Photos: Gallery Posts: 12,232	it looks like a mechanical defect on the focus limiter.

04-21-2018, 02:15 AM	#4
pjsaure Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2017 Location: Toulouse Posts: 82 Original Poster	It sure feels like it! @Paul the Sunman : that is probably the wiser answer that I'll get, and I will definitely do that. I am still curious about whether other people had the same problem or not though, and why it happens. I guess it is probably a minor problem that could get fixed easily, but I won't risk voiding the warranty by doing anything stupid.

04-21-2018, 02:50 AM	#5
Tas Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Brisbane, QLD Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,202	Originally posted by pjsaure I am still curious about whether other people had the same problem or not My 150-450 is approaching two years old and I've not had that problem. It's good lens when it's working well so I agree with @Paul the Sunman, get it back to Pentax for a warranty repair. Tas

04-21-2018, 04:01 AM	#6
aslyfox Seeker of Knowledge Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: Topeka, Kansas Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 24,581	Originally posted by Tas My 150-450 is approaching two years old and I've not had that problem. It's good lens when it's working well so I agree with @Paul the Sunman, get it back to Pentax for a warranty repair. Tas with the reported cases of some of these lenses literally falling apart ( a very few number so don't panic ) this may not seen that important but I agree with the others I urge you to get to the repair people asap and not delay always take advantage of your warranty protections - you paid for it so far my " experienced " D FA 150 - 450mm bought LN January 2017, has had no problems [ other than Operator Error that is ]

04-21-2018, 04:45 AM	#7
pjsaure Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2017 Location: Toulouse Posts: 82 Original Poster	Yes, I remember the case of someone here reporting the outer barrel separated from the rest of his lens... Quite a surprising view! My problem is not as spectacular but is really annoying: not only the switch won't go to the "full" position, but the lens also won't autofocus past 6 meters, even on the 6m-infinity position... I will send it for a repair as soon as possible, I just hope it won't happen again when the lens won't be under warranty anymore...

04-22-2018, 06:18 AM	#8
clickclick Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: May 2016 Location: East Coast Posts: 2,903	And don't forget about places like lensrentals.com. If you really need a lens like that for an event, you can rent one if yours hasn't come back from repair, but I wouldn't wait in a warranty situation.

04-23-2018, 02:23 PM	#9
pjsaure Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2017 Location: Toulouse Posts: 82 Original Poster	Yes, that is probably what I will end up doing. Rental options are pretty limited here in France, especially when it comes to Pentax gear... There is only one company as far as I know, from which I rented the DA*300 once and the DFA 150-450 twice. Minimum rental time is a week, so it is quite expensive, but I will have no other choice. I have a hard time returning to the 55-300. Great little lens, but you just can't beat the 150-450... Anyway, my lens will be shipped for repair tomorrow. I will keep you posted about what happens.

06-28-2018, 06:28 AM	#10
pjsaure Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2017 Location: Toulouse Posts: 82 Original Poster	Well, it's been over two months now. I just called the repair center and they had to ship it back to Japan. I guess that means the wait is far from being over. Luckily I am quite patient, but still... When I think about it, I saved for months, ignoring good deals on second hand opportunities, just to be able to buy a brand new one. The goal was to avoid exactly what happened here... Bad luck I guess. On the other hand, if it happened on a second hand unit, maybe I would have had to pay for repairs. On the bright side (well, f/5.8 isn't very bright, but f/5.6 isn't much more), I get to use my 55-300 lens again, focus on my technique, try other settings to get the best out of it, etc. I had a pretty good birding session a few days ago where stopping down more than usual (f/9 to f/11 instead of f/6.3 to f/8) yielded good results. So that step back may have improved my photography. I don't know if it is just the increased depth of field or the abundance of light that day, but I had a much higher success rate regarding focus (auto or manual, the latter might be related to the O-ME53 I recently added to my kit though).

08-08-2018, 01:17 PM	#11
pjsaure Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2017 Location: Toulouse Posts: 82 Original Poster	Good news! The lens has been repaired and sent back to me, after a little more than 3 months now. The bill says "AF/MF command replacement". That seems to be the QFS-A/QFS-M/MF switch to me. As far as I could tell, this switch worked fine. Unless it designates the whole internal AF mecanism. Anyway, I hope it has really been repaired and that there have been no misunderstanding. The bill also says something along the lines of "general check-up" so I guess it is working fine now. It should be there soon, I'll report when I'll have it in my hands.

08-25-2018, 06:41 AM	#12
pxt Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2018 Posts: 290	Congratulation. I hope guaranty now is longer.

08-30-2018, 06:02 PM	#15
clickclick Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: May 2016 Location: East Coast Posts: 2,903	Always nice when there's a tangible change to confirm the prior problem. It's a great lens. The birds look good in it too.