Lens is locked at 55 won't rotate at all - Nikon Cameras

Simple answer; NO! What ever you do; do not try to force anything to move and don't try to disassemble the lens. Contact a Nikon Repair Depot (found in your instruction manual or on the Nikon USA website) and they will give you instructions for returning it for a repair estimate. If it is still in warranty, there should be no charge.

First, make sure that both the camera and lens are set to auto-focus. The problem is possibly as simple as dirty contacts between the lens and the camera's lens mount. Depress and hold the lens release button while you fully rotate the lens back and forth about ten times. The friction between the contacts on the lens and the contacts on the lens mount will clean the contacts.

if other auto-focus lenses work, then it is likely that this particular lens has a defect I suggest you send it in to Nikon for servicing

I could be that your lens isn't focusing. If the Auto focus can't find something to focus on the shutter won't fire. If you are shooting in low light sometimes it has trouble try shooting something that is well lit. also your auto focus point may be somewhere other than the center. there is a button on the top of your camera that looks like this [ ][ ] [ ] [ ]
More or less that will switch where your focus point is. If you look in the view finder and see a red dot when you push on the shutter button that is your focus point. push the above button until the red dot is in the centre. that may fix your problem.

Assuming that you've already tried a good firm hand on the zoom ring then all you can realistically try is to give the lens a few good firm slaps onto a desk to try and free up whatever has gone wrong. Brute force usually sorts them out, but it is "kill or cure". This lens lacks a macro mode, so this is not the usual simple case of adjusting a lens control and then slapping your forehead with embarrassment...

The lens is otherwise uneconomic to repair as it's one of the cheaply built kit lenses and so you can easily obtain another for less than the cost of repairs.

http://uscamera.com/jaa79851-b37.htm

Have you removed the lens -- I suspect that you may have same thing that I do - I want to get Nikon to realize that they have a design flaw and provide free replacement or repairs (suspect repair uneconomical so replacement likely)-- there is plastic part at the base of the lens that can crack off. It did on mine when I was trying to get it to change focal length. This part can rotate and completely obscure the lens, but can be easily rotated back into the clear position if you remove, rotate the part and then replace the lens. My lens also no longer functions with auto focus and it locked in telephoto mode - it has changed the way I take photos and made it rather difficult on my last day in Las Vegas (discouraging me from going to top of Eiffel Tower or The Stratosphere since the pictures would not be very good). I am looking for others with this same problem. Maybe we can band together.

Roger
rwhelbigatgeemaildotcom

1) What camera body are you using?

2) I do not understand your assertion that it automatically zoomed in. Zooming is a manual function. The automatic functions of your lens pertain only to focusing on of the subject so that your picture is sharp and ensuring that the correct amount of light is admitted so that you have a correct exposure.

3) Are you sure you were turning the zoom ring and not the f-stop ring? The zoom ring is labeled 200 on one end of the scale and 55 on the other. It is also the widest ring on the lens barrel. When you rotate it, the physical length of the lens will lengthen as you rotate it clockwise (viewed from behind the camera) and shorten as you rotate it counter-clockwise.

4) For reference, at 200mm the angle of view on your lens should be 10 degrees and at 55mm about 40 degrees.

This is a very common problem. It sometimes happens without cause, sometimes by tightening or removing a filter. There are a couple of keys that keep the front lens from rotating while zooming that are very thin and easily bent. They have to be removed and straightened, and the rear piece you see floating has to be reinserted. It's about a $40 job and half-an-hour by a local independent repair shop. Expect to pay Nikon twice that.

New lens is on the Horizon here I guess any repairs will be costly