Last week, whilst shooting with a telephoto-zoom lens, my camera LCD displayed the fEE error. This occasionally happens if the aperture locking switch gets inadvertently moved and the ring moves off the minimum setting. It is usually an easy fix, but everything was locked in place. I could stop the error by slightly twisting the lens on its mount, and made the mental note to clean the electrical contacts once I got home.
Having done this the lens still produced the error, but trying it on my spare camera the fault never showed, and other lenses mounted on my main body didn't display the error. I put it down to the lens mount of the zoom having become worn, plus the fact it is a third party optic. There is always some rotational play with longer lenses to allow for expansion in hot weather, so I wasn't unduly worried and forgot all about it.
Until today, that was, when a super-telephoto (my 300mm f/4 Nikkor) also started to create the error, and that sinking feeling of an expensive repair loomed large on the horizon. Once again I was able to get around the problem by applying some rotational torque to the lens whilst shooting, but having to constantly do that resulted in missed shots.
Once again I checked all the electrical contacts of both body and lens when I got home, but all seemed okay. I went online to see if there were any fixes available, but other than "lock the aperture ring to the minimum setting" - the first thing I checked - nothing helped.
Then I noticed a tiny lug around the lens mount on the body. I had never seen it before, but then I had no reason to look, and realised that it was moved by the action of a lens being mounted, and pushed it gently round with a finger as far it would go without excessive force. I repeated the move twice more and remounted the offending glass... and it worked! The error was gone. Woohoo! I put it down to the soaking the camera had endured over the past few weeks, and despite all the weather sealing some water or airborne contaminants had preventing the aperture coupling from going fully home if there was any slack in the mount.
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It was still blowing a gale by mid afternoon, and apart from one heavy shower the rain held off. Strange that the wind and kite surfers should call it a day once it did start (above).
12-24mm f/4G AF-S Nikkor. 1/1000 second at f/6.3. - 0.33 EV compensation. ISO 400
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