So my 2 year old daughter knocked our D5100 off the counter and on to the tile floor. It seems as if the lens to the brunt of the force and broke the mounting tabs off the lens.
Link: Sam's bundle D5100 with two lenses
AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR Lens
Nikon AF-S DX VR 55-200mm f/4-5.6G IF-ED LENS
Camera seems to work ok. The mirror is still there (not broken) and it takes pictures okay as far as I can tell with the 55-200mm lens.
We are heading on vacation around Christmas and wanted to get the camera checked out before leaving.
I called a Nikon repair facility in San Antonio and the girl wasn't too sure but said she though it was $138 to fix the lens. They will test the camera for free and then let us know the cost if they find something wrong.
It appears the damaged lens new is around $200 several different places.
So my questions are....
1. Is $138 to fix a lens a fair price?
2. Is there anyway to replace the mounting tabs myself? ( I see two little screws on the base of the lens)
3. Where should I send the camera to get checked out? (I am north of Houston)
4. My wife may want to upgrade to a slightly stronger lens, so do I have to stick with Nikon or what I am looking for to know it is compatible with the D5100?
As you can probably tell, I am not a photo nerd, so any suggestions are greatly appreciated!
Thanks.
Link: Sam's bundle D5100 with two lenses
AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR Lens
Nikon AF-S DX VR 55-200mm f/4-5.6G IF-ED LENS
Camera seems to work ok. The mirror is still there (not broken) and it takes pictures okay as far as I can tell with the 55-200mm lens.
We are heading on vacation around Christmas and wanted to get the camera checked out before leaving.
I called a Nikon repair facility in San Antonio and the girl wasn't too sure but said she though it was $138 to fix the lens. They will test the camera for free and then let us know the cost if they find something wrong.
It appears the damaged lens new is around $200 several different places.
So my questions are....
1. Is $138 to fix a lens a fair price?
2. Is there anyway to replace the mounting tabs myself? ( I see two little screws on the base of the lens)
3. Where should I send the camera to get checked out? (I am north of Houston)
4. My wife may want to upgrade to a slightly stronger lens, so do I have to stick with Nikon or what I am looking for to know it is compatible with the D5100?
As you can probably tell, I am not a photo nerd, so any suggestions are greatly appreciated!
Thanks.