Hi, I've got two D700's with about four years of duty, call it around 125k and 100k actuations.

They've been sent into Melville for the little known hot shoe issue and those were replaced.

But never sent them in for any regular check-ups (CLA clean lube adjust). My theory is that if everything is working okay, there's no need to have anything looked at...not sure if that's optimal for equipment maintenance.

So my question: Does anyone regularly (say annually) send in their cameras to NPS for a checkup?
- Did Nikon uncover any problems you were not aware of?
- Did you notice anything on the camera's return?
- What's the cost/turnaround time (assuming no major issues)?

Any other thoughts on regular camera inspection maintenance by Nikon?

Hello Michael.

My dad use to say if it is not broke don't fix it. If both bodys are working as you would like them I would leave well alone. I have had to use Nikon in the past on a D3 and it was back to me in 7 days but it had to go back because they forgot to plug a cable back in it's socket. All ok know . I know they say it is best to have it serviced more often but it was ok years age when the insides were nuts and bolts but know there is so much electronics and bits get disturbed and they never go back the same as they were.

Charles.

I dont but I know a very well respected pro who sends in all his stuff every 6 months to get it checked up and adjusted and he said it comes back noticeably better... he does shoot canon tho

A problem with the theory of "If it isn't broke, don't fix it" is that if you never check your equipment how do you know if it is broke or not. And when we are talking about electronics, there can be many things wrong that are not apparent to the casual observer.

Roy

Michael Seto wrote:
Hi, I've got two D700's with about four years of duty, call it around 125k and 100k actuations.

They've been sent into Melville for the little known hot shoe issue and those were replaced.

But never sent them in for any regular check-ups (CLA clean lube adjust). My theory is that if everything is working okay, there's no need to have anything looked at...not sure if that's optimal for equipment maintenance.

So my question: Does anyone regularly (say annually) send in their cameras to NPS for a checkup?
- Did Nikon uncover any problems you were not aware of?
- Did you notice anything on the camera's return?
- What's the cost/turnaround time (assuming no major issues)?

Any other thoughts on regular camera inspection maintenance by Nikon?


I have no idea what NPS is, but I've sent it cameras for repair and other faults were located and fixed that I never even knew about. This has happened with canon and nikon.

Nikon Professional Services

tell me about the hot shoe issue please! I thought it was just me...my sb 800 and 900 units occasionally kind of go nuts and fire by themselves. It seems like the flashes are a little loose on the shoe.

ScenesofNewYork wrote:
tell me about the hot shoe issue please! I thought it was just me...my sb 800 and 900 units occasionally kind of go nuts and fire by themselves. It seems like the flashes are a little loose on the shoe.


Those are the symptoms of the hotshoe issue. It will need replacing.

It is a very common issue, it is currently happening with both my d700's. But ofcourse Nikon refuses to call it a product defect so it will cost a few hundred to fix.

Hot Shoe Issue: It's a fairly common issue, but not hugely publicized. There are some bad hotshoes that result in random firings and poor connectivity on the D700. I've had both mine replaced and they work fine since then. About $150 or so I think.

Back when cameras were mechanical marvels, a CLA was a good idea. Now aside from the shutter and buttons, everything is electronic. There is nothing to lubricate unless you want to oil up the circuit boards to make the electrons slide through faster. You could dust the boards off, too.

They could check and make sure everything is within spec and maybe head off a breakdown later.

I recently sent one of my D700's to El Segundo for an LCD issue. The LCD was OK, the contacts were the culprit. They did find the rubber grip needed to be replaced, checked the autofocus operation, did an image test, checked the LCD display, did a general check and clean. Parts and labor = $145.00.

Camera works better now then when I bought it new. From now on, every year, both D-700's go in for inspection and clean.