Yes, I've had exemplary service from Nikon @Missausaga in the past. As a result, I'm inclined to believe poor QC practices have occurred with the D800. There are too many reports of AF sensor failure for it to be otherwise. I would say that the high MP count has resulted in some unforeseen and therefore uncaught issues.
I believe Tu is right that their initial reaction is to blame it on the customer, and hope their bully tactic works. If the customer gives negative reaction, then fix it for free "as a good gesture". This is not a smart way to handle this IMHO. Hopefully they learn before they suffer a Canon-like reputation (1Dmk3 anyone?)....
Got my camera and lens back. 70-200mm VRII checked out fine, but now requires +20 rather than -20 on my d800 body. I don't know what is going on really. My 14-24mm seems to focus more accurately now though.
I recently fell on my ass while hiking. The D800 with a 70-200 vr2 was in my backpack. The bayonet ring cracked. There was no impact damage to the camera itself.
I sent the camera to Melville and got it back with a note-not economical to repair. How can this be?
If the camera is this fragile, then it does Nikon has totally ruined their reputation for durable machines. And their service dept. is poor. Do I have any alternatives to Melville? Or am I their hostage?
Word to the wise: Insure your gear for loss, damage, or theft. If it comes back as a total write off? Good thing you had that insurance, and you get a new D800.
I've used USAA valuable personal property insurance on all my personal gear, and business insurance on my work kit for years now. I've rarely had to call them up and ask for their help, but when I dropped my Olympus EP3 and Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 lens on a vacation last year, they pulled through with the full cost of the repairs AND shipping to/from Olympus and Panasonic. That alone made 2.5 years worth of paying for the insurance worth it. When my first D90 and a 105mm f/2.8 VR fell out of a Lowepro Slingshot 200 backpack, hit a concrete staircase, and tumbled for about 18 stairs worth of *crunch*, I got a check for full replacement value on both... $0 deductible, btw.
Just my $0.02, but if you've got thousands of $$$ worth of equipment, spend the $100 or so per year to insure it. You may never need it, but if/when you do, you'll be glad it's there.
bwana wrote:
I recently fell on my ass while hiking. The D800 with a 70-200 vr2 was in my backpack. The bayonet ring cracked. There was no impact damage to the camera itself.
I sent the camera to Melville and got it back with a note-not economical to repair. How can this be?
If the camera is this fragile, then it does Nikon has totally ruined their reputation for durable machines. And their service dept. is poor. Do I have any alternatives to Melville? Or am I their hostage?
I would certainly sent the camera and lens to another reputable repair facility such as APS (authorized photo service). They may also say it isn't an economical repair but at least you'll have a second opinion.
bwana wrote:
I recently fell on my ass while hiking. The D800 with a 70-200 vr2 was in my backpack. The bayonet ring cracked. There was no impact damage to the camera itself.
I sent the camera to Melville and got it back with a note-not economical to repair. How can this be?
If the camera is this fragile, then it does Nikon has totally ruined their reputation for durable machines. And their service dept. is poor. Do I have any alternatives to Melville? Or am I their hostage?
Cameras are delicate instruments, and the cracked bayonet ring shows that the backpack didn't protect your camera too well - a long heavy lens like the 70-200 can exert considerable leverage on the lens mount, and it looks like there was corresponding damage to the camera body - once the camera body is bent it would be hard to align the lens mount and AF etc with the sensor again.
Sorry for your accident, but accidents do happen and this is a good time to be insured.
to look at both you would say it just needed a bayonet ring, Nikon said the body had a very minute twist and would never focus properly again, $10,000 down the toilet
It now sits on my desk as a paperweight to remind what careless idiots some staff can be
This thread makes me want to give up on Nikon. However, my repair guy, Bill at Chicago Camera on Wabash, still fixes Nikon lenses and bodies. There is still some hope left. Insurance sounds like a greater idea now.
You poor guys ought to sell your Nikon crap, and invest in the good stuff.
lol - the build quality of anything Canon offers that isn't a 1 series is embarrassing. I know, i shot canon for years and my 1Ds was the only one that could take the abuse. My D700 handles it just fine
My (only) story with the official Nikon repair service in Belgium.
I have a 24-70 f2.8 lens and the zoom rind was working from 24 to 70 only when the lens was pointed downwards. Horizontal or upwards was the zoom only working between 50 to 70mm.
Took ik to my cmaera shop that uses Procirep (the official Nikon repair center) and had to pay the minimum repair cost of €300. I am following two photo forums in Belgium and luckily we do not have these horror stories like in the US and Canada and hope this can stay like this.
My Google search on bent Nikon D5 bayonet mounts turned up your post.
I have been having a recurring problem with bent bayonet mounts on my Nikon D5. Their U.S. West Coast factory service facility has been great about helping me out by doing warranty service for this until today. My D5's bayonet mount is bent again and this time I have to pay for the repair. Recently they replaced the bayonet mount (under warranty), so the problem seems to have gotten worse, since it needs to be replaced again.
I am at a loss for what to do. Nikon's service facility told me that the cause is the heavy lens that I often use (a Tamron 150-600mm lens). When I asked them how I could stop this from happening again, they suggested that I find a bracket that will tie the lens and the camera together.
Do pro Canon DSLRs have this problem? I have invested a small fortune in Nikon pro bodies, and Nikon and Nikon mount lenses, so I cannot afford to switch. This is a bad situation as I am a freelance columnist/photojournalist and have to pay for my camera gear and repairs myself.
AutoMatters wrote:
My Google search on bent Nikon D5 bayonet mounts turned up your post.
I have been having a recurring problem with bent bayonet mounts on my Nikon D5. Their U.S. West Coast factory service facility has been great about helping me out by doing warranty service for this until today. My D5's bayonet mount is bent again and this time I have to pay for the repair. Recently they replaced the bayonet mount (under warranty), so the problem seems to have gotten worse, since it needs to be replaced again.
I am at a loss for what to do. Nikon's service facility told me that the cause is the heavy lens that I often use (a Tamron 150-600mm lens). When I asked them how I could stop this from happening again, they suggested that I find a bracket that will tie the lens and the camera together.
Do pro Canon DSLRs have this problem? I have invested a small fortune in Nikon pro bodies, and Nikon and Nikon mount lenses, so I cannot afford to switch. This is a bad situation as I am a freelance columnist/photojournalist and have to pay for my camera gear and repairs myself....Show more →
This is not a normal problem at all, and unheard of with a D5 - how are you using this 150-600? If you are supporting the lens (and not the body) at all times, it's virtually impossible for that mount to bend in normal use. If you are hanging that large of a lens off the camera body like a cantilever, the shear strength is not nearly as high and that would likely be an issue. I also assume if using a tripod, you are using the lens with a proper lens foot and not the camera plate? I highly suspect it has to be something to do with how you use the combination, rather than a defective body.
Mounts bending under normal/proper usage is not something you ever really read about regardless of brand.
Thanks for the reply. I primarily use the 150-600mm lens to shoot motorsports, including autos, airplanes, boats and motorcycles. I also shoot air shows. I almost always shoot hand-held, to give myself the freedom that I need to quickly reposition in any direction to where the action is unfolding. Even if a tripod did not hinder my ability to follow the action (which it does), tripods are not allowed some places that I regularly shoot (trackside for NASCAR and IndyCar, for example).
My work (photography and text) appears in my weekly column called "AutoMatters & More." It is primarily published in newspaper and online, but sometimes in magazine features too. If you would like to see examples, go to www.DriveTribe.com and enter my tribe's name (AutoMatters & More) in their search box.
Typically when I cover these events, I carry two (and on rare occasions three) pro Nikon bodies with attached lenses: 150-600mm, 28-300mm and 15-30mm. I have other lenses too, but these are the ones that I use most.
To carry these cameras I use a Cotton Carrier with up to two side-holsters. I used to use a Black Rapid (for two cameras), but I prefer the Cotton Carrier because it holds each camera securely in position (they must be rotated 90-degrees to be released). It does not let the cameras swing around and bump into things, while still giving me quick and easy access to the cameras. It also does not hurt my shoulders or neck.
Whenever I use the Cotton Carrier to carry two or three cameras, the one with the long lens gets attached to the receiver in my chest area.
