Sony 90 mm Macro won't autofocus

[DrJohn]

My Sony 90 mm macro lens won't autofocus. I tried it on my A1 and my A7C. I can only manual focus it.

Anyone have that problem?

John

 

[Tim Mayo]

You've probably checked this but is it definitely set to autofocus on the lens? You need to pull the AF/MF ring at the front of the lens for AF I believe, if it's pushed back it's in MF mode.

 

[DrJohn]

Yes. I tried it. I was just online with and Sony thinks there is a problem with this lens. They estimate $478 to repair it. I will use it in manual mode from now on. It works really well in manual mode. When I touch the focus ring, it switches to amplified view.

John

 

[DrJohn]

Success! I moved the ring in and out dozens of times and now it works on autofocus. I guess the switch must have been stuck.

John

 

[Jeff A]

How new was this lens, Doc? Had you owned it for a while and it started to malfunction? I'm glad you solved your issue.

 

[DrJohn]

I'm not sure exactly how old it is. I've had it for many years. Also, I haven't used it for many years. It has been sitting in a closet. Attached is a photo I took with it today.

I shot this photo in manual mode at f/8. I'm not a big fan of Boheh. I like to see everything sharp and clear.

John

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

$478! That's half the cost of the lens. Glad it's sorted.

 

[AlphaWorld]

The push/pull for manual focus actually makes sense on a macro lens; the only other Sony lens I have seen it on, though, is the 28-135mm f/4 PZ lens, but that's a major oddity of a lens. Not a macro lens. I think it was intended as a relatively inexpensive video - the zoom and focus rings are geared, and it comes with a hood that's shaped like a matte box. Maybe it has the push / pull arrangement to facilitate a focus puller?

 

[Slug]

I like manual better for all macro work. Focus peaking really helps.

 

[Clix Pix]

Sometimes I use AF, other times I use MF, depending upon the situation, and I really appreciate the push-pull "clutch" style of the 90mm macro, which makes it so easy and quick to shift from AF to Macro in an instant, sometimes without even needing to take the camera from my eye.