Canon 1000D : ERR 01 message with 70-300 lens

[rocket9244]

I got a different lens for my camera and on some settings, (usually full auto mode)  I get an "err 01" communications between the camera and lens is faulty, clean the lens contacts",

but other shots / settings it works perfect. camera is Canon 1000d and lens is QUANTARAY for Canon 70-300MM 1:4-5.6 LDO Macro. what could be issue, could the camera cant handle some settings and or vice versa? heres a moon shot on manual, iso auto and macro @ 300.

[TCampbell]

If it's just happening with one lens the fault is more likely on the lens side -- especially since you are using a 3rd party lens.

If you remove the lens and look at the camera body, you'll notice a series of gold "pins" just inside the body and near the bottom of the mounting flange.  These mate to corresponding gold contacts on the lens side.  

Do not use a pencil eraser to clean these as the gold coating is very thin, gold is soft, and it can easily be cleaned to the point that you remove the gold plating.  Gold plating is used because it has good conductive properties while being a very stable metal -- it does not want to react with anything so it wont corrode or tarnish.)

A cotton swab (e.g. a "Q-Tip") and an alcohol-based cleaner (denatured alcohol) would work well because the alcohol is a good solvent while also evaporating on it's own and wont leave a cleaning residue on your contacts.

If this is the same lens I think it is... it's a low-end budget zoom actually made by Tamron, but there's an aperture ring on the lens which allows you to manually set aperture, or you can set it to 'auto' and let the camera control it.  Dirty contacts on that ring (which would require disassembly) could be flaking out the aperture control.  I suppose dirty contacts on the AF/MF swtich could be flaking out the auto-focus as well.  

These lenses have to be revserse-engineered to work with the camera body, so there's always the possibility that the reverse engineering wasn't good enough to work with your Canon 1000D (but Tamron has been doing this for a while, so I'd be surprised if that turns out to be the issue.)  The issue is more likely that this extremely cheap lens is built using very low-grade components and it's contacts to the camera body -- or internal contacts on the lens -- are not giving a solid connection.

[ebiggs1]

Everything Tim said with emphasis on "inexpensive" 3rd party.  Quite often these type of lenses have problems on any name brand camera.  If memory serves me this was, as I believe it is discontinued, contracted by Ritz camera to sell as a store brand.

But blurry focus and slow focus or no focus is not unexpected from any of these.  They seem to be OK when they work.

I have run across them used for around $50 bucks or less.

[MikeSowsun]

Some of these old 3rd party lenses will work fine as long as you shoot them wide open and don't stop them down. That may be why it is working only some times for you.   

Try using the lens on Av mode with the aperture set to f/4   (it will automatically change to f/5.6 as you zoom to the telephoto end, but will still be wide open)

[rocket9244]

is anyone around now? ill go thru the settings and maybe we can figure it out. in AV mode the camera goes to 5.6  wont go below that i guess. is it because the lens wont go below 5.6 ? if i set camera above 5.6 as in 6.0 or whatever, I get the error  in AV mode. at 5.6 it takes a picture

[MikeSowsun]

That lens is a "variable aperture" zoom lens. At 70mm it is f/4 and at 300mm it is f/5.6 wide open. Put it at 70mm and it should go to f/4

[rocket9244]

Thank You, I'm kinda new to dslr and lenses. yes, it went to f4 and @ iso 1600 . 30 sec it took the pic.. so it seems anything over 5.6 is where the issue is

[MikeSowsun]

It's not really anything over f/5.6  

It is anytime the lens is not wide open.  I bet if you shoout at 70mm and select f/4.5 or f/5.6, it will not shoot because the aperture blades need to be closed slightly to get those values at 70mm.

Try it and let me know.....

[rocket9244]

it shoots at 70   f.4  but anything above f4.. nope.. error

[rocket9244]

its in av mode also while were testing. should i try a diff setting ?