Nikon D5100 Camera Repair / Lens Replacement

487 Views | 2 Replies | Last: 9 yr ago by AgToadie
aggiez03
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AG
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.
91AggieLawyer
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AG
I would not repair the lens. You should be able to buy a new one on Amazon for only slightly more than the repair cost, depending on which lens was busted. You can also buy better lenses as well, though they will be more than the repair. You can also sell the lens on ebay as someone might want it for parts for their lens (won't get much, though). I did this once with the only piece of equipment I ever broke!

There are other brands that have Nikon mounts on them. Do some research and find out what Nikon users like in those other brands -- some specific lenses are really good while others are not (I'm talking generally here).
labmansid
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Since you live in the Houston area, I would suggest contacting Professional Camera Repair in Houston. I have taken gear there before and was satisfied with their service. Most places will likely charge $100-150 depending on what is broken. More if it's something fairly major. I would not recommend trying to fix it yourself.
It might be better just to replace the lens, especially if you were looking to upgrade anyway. You mentioned a "slightly stronger" lens. Stronger in what way? More telephoto range, like towards 300mm? There are certainly other options besides sticking with Nikon, such as Tamron or Sigma brands. Kind of depends on what budget you have in mind.
AgToadie
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Look at KEH camera exchange online for a used replacement in excellent or excellent+ condition. Looks like they're going for around $100.
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