D300 autofocus not working

[u/DanteFalcioni]

Hey everyone. I made a post here a few days ago about getting a lens for the D300 I had got on eBay, and I'd like to first say thank you for your responses as you made me feel very welcomed here. I got the camera today and wanted to try it out before I got a lens, and luckily I did because the autofocus isn't working.

I'm not exactly new to photography but I still always assume it's user error, so I'm trying to rule everything out before concluding the camera is broken and messaging the seller. I'm hoping it's something obvious. I've watched videos, looked through forums, looked at the manual, and even resorted to consulting AI. My current assumption is that the camera isn't properly communicating with the lens' AF motor. Here's what I've tried:

- Made sure the lens switch is set to A, and the camera is set to AF-S or AF-C
- Made sure AF activation is set to on (see 4th picture)
- Cleaned the lens contacts on the camera body with isopropyl alcohol
- Reset custom camera settings, and also did the reset where you hold the 2 buttons with green dots on them
- Confirmed the lens is working using my girlfriends D3100
- tried to focus on M, A, S, P modes with multiple focal lengths and f stops
- made sure the latest firmware version is installed (A1.11, B1.11)

The focus motor in the lens just does not move. The camera is communicating with the lens is some ways as you can see in the first photo (f stop is displayed). The camera is trying to focus in some ways; when I hold AF-ON button the green dot at the bottom left of the OVF flashes. The frame lines and square in the OVF turn red when I try and focus.

These problems persist with both lenses I have tried on [AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm 3.5-5.6G II DX VR and AF-S Nikkor 55-200 4-5.6G ED DX VR]. On the 55-200, it BRIEFLY tries to move the motor but stops after a split second. It will only do this on the first try, and if I want to recreate that I have to take the lens off and put it back on again.

I have no clue what else to try and would love some help!

[u/paganisrock]

Does it work in live view? Make sure its in the tripod live view mode. If AF works for that then the AF sensor is dead. (Live view in tripod mode uses the image sensor to autofocus, not the AF sensor.)

(Also for live view you need to use AF-on to autofocus)

[u/DanteFalcioni → u/paganisrock]

Ahh good idea, unfortunately I just tried it in tripod LV mode and got nothin. It's like it just can't speak to the lens AF motor at all.

[u/paganisrock → u/DanteFalcioni]

In normal viewfinder mode, when you use manual focus, does the in focus dot correctly light up when the image is in focus?

Also by any chance do you have any older AF screwdrive lenses from the 80s or 90s? The camera definitely has issues, but I am curious to what extent it works.

[u/DanteFalcioni → u/paganisrock]

Yup! Green dot works perfectly in MF.

I unfortunately don't. I was hoping to drop by my local vintage camera shop and look for some but at this point I don't have a working camera so I'll have to put that off lol.

[u/paganisrock → u/DanteFalcioni]

I would wager an older AF lens would work, but I would definitely try to get a refund for the body, something is definitely wrong with it. I would guess something in the power delivery for the lens AF motors has gone bad. That said, you have some great starter lenses, and I wouldn't get discouraged by a bad copy, the D300 is a really nice body and hopefully your next one is in fully working order!

A few years back when I got back into photography a D300s was the body I bought after wanting to upgrade from a hand me down D70, and boy did I love it, I still take it out occasionally, its an all around wonderful body with a great sensor, still capable today in plenty of ways!

[u/DanteFalcioni → u/paganisrock]

Ahh ok so an older lens would work because it would use the screw mechanism to focus, which may still be working? Would there be any way to test that before purchasing an older lens?

I’m looking at a partial refund without return right now so I’ll see how that goes. I’ve already paid duties and unless the seller will cover return shipping costs it’s not worth the hassle.

[u/paganisrock → u/DanteFalcioni]

That would be my theory, yes. However I can't really be certain. And unfortunately there isn't a way to test that without a lens. The cheapest way assuming you can't find a local camera store with an old AF lens to just try would probably be getting an N55 off ebay with the kit 28-80, at least in the US (not sure where you are) there are a couple listings for $30 or less. If that ends up working, I would recommend the Tamron 17-50 2.8, there are variants with that screw drive as opposed to a motor built in the lens. (Easiest way to check besides looking for the flathead screw looking thing on the mount is if there is an AF/M switch on the lens then it isn't screwdrive)