MaryO wrote:
The good news is Nikon did the right thing and covered it under warranty.
Let's be clear on this. They replaced the chassis under warranty as well as repaired the focus issue? If so, that would seem to open the door for others who have broken cameras. Surprised that Nikon would do this, really.
I had a cracked frame on a D800e in almost the exact same place. They did not want to repair. I griped and griped and finally they sold me a refurbished D800e for ~$250 which was the original price for fixing the focus issue. My camera was out of warranty.
I think there is a problem with the casting of these frames. I think they must get have been getting voids in the frame which causes the easy failure.
I also sent a d800 to APS with a focus issue and it was returned as not repairable due to a cracked frame. I filed a claim under my insurance and was reimbursed for the body. I did not try going through Nikon as the camera was out of warranty
AnnJS: Good points about the tsunami and flooding. I certainly hope the integrity of this casting is stronger, but I am still concerned with the design as well after reading the previous assessments.
Ho1972: Yes, they did. It was still under warranty and aside from the tiny scuff marks, there was no external damage that could justify heavy impact damage that could break the frame in half
MaryO wrote:
FYI.. I got my camera back from Nikon last week.. Repaired and good as new. No more focus issues whatsoever and working perfectly. I was told the casting is replaced. I'm debating whether to sell it and trade for an 810 given the concerns for the integrity of the design, or baby it even more than I had. Just not sure if I can take that loss right now. Reading back, there were pros and cons of whether or not an L-plate or battery pack would help reinforce the frame somewhat or weaken it. Thoughts?
Thank you all again for your support/advice/suggestions on this. I'm hoping the situation sheds some light on things and helps others with the same issue
Mary...Show more →
Mary,
I think it is okay to keep it since it is better than new now. The only thing to take note is never to over tighten the tripod screw and never to carry it over the shoulder on a tripod or monopod because when one is moving around like running with it or hoping from rock to rock, the momentum or acceleration is too much for the 4 tiny screws around the tripod mount and the thin chassis bar.
Force = mass x acceleration
Where mass is the camera, lens, flash and accessories, while the acceleration is the change in velocity. So the final force can be a number of times the total mass.
Go figure it out!
But it is perfectly okay to use it on a tripod or monopod for support.
No! The L-plate and grip will not offer any help because both still mounted to the tripod mount, which in turn applies pressure on the 4 tiny screws around the tripod mount and the thin chassis bar.
Congratulations! Sure is nice to have a happy ending so that you can continue with your business as a full time photographer.
And by the way THANK YOU Nikon USA for making the right decision this time, at least we are getting back our confidence in your after sales support.
I am grateful to nikon usa to take care of this, and i also have had great service from nikon singapore and nikon usa in melville. mary i am pleased your camera was fixed under warrantee.
Mary, congrats on a happy ending. I'm sorry you've lost some confidence in your gear, but in the end, you had it repaired, and should be better than new (with a reinforced chassis?).
Lucky no one has pursued legal actions against Nikon for attempting to deny a known manufacturing defect. I hope this can be a tip to Nikon to issue a voluntary recall next time something like this happens, or at least notify the owners of this issue when a camera is sent in - and get it replaced for free - instead of denying and voiding someone's warranty.
yes, a happy ending for sure! I've been using it nonstop for a couple of charity events and again, reminded of what I absolutely love about this camera. Thank you all for giving me the tools and information I needed to deal with this. You all have been so wonderful! (and thank you, Nikon!)
As someone that just bought a used D800, I'm bookmarking this thread. Glad that Nikon came through on this one. It seems that they have gotten much better about honoring their warranty after some of their recent issues.
Exact same thing happened to my three- month-old D810. Pulled it out my Pelican hard case and 24-70 wouldn't come off. Took it to local shop and they said they wouldn't even send it in because it'll cost too much to fix. Thankfully I have insurance which will pay to replace camera. But, this is bs and obviously a design flaw! I'm gonna tell my insurance company about the problem and provide them with links to this blog and others as evidence. Maybe that will help start a warranty fix.
I realize this post is a year old but my D800e has been diagnosed with a broken base plate by the authorized Nikon Repair shop in Sacramento. He said they couldn't get the part. I have no marks on the exterior of the camera and do use the 14-24mm 2.8 on the camera but it has not been abused. I assume Im screwed since it is out of warranty.
My question is what is the best way to proceed? I planned on calling Nikon. I can use it with manual focus lenses but my AF is not accurate. Has anyone had recent dealings with Nikon over this inherent weakness? Is there a fix for this and is there a possibility of a class action?
I purchased a low mileage D800e last year and by coincidence the seller was a Nikon repair technician (I live close to the Nikon Canada HQ near Toronto). I sat and had coffee with him after the purchase and he explained to me that the D800e when dropped (especially with a lens attached) has a tendency to crack or bend the frame which causes a misalignment of focus that cannot be repaired. This is the reason why the newer Nikon bodies have plastic in the mount. It breaks away allowing the camera to be repaired by replacing this assembly thus saving the camera from having to be scrapped.
I've not had to deal with the impact damage issue so do not know what Nikon's position is but I would not hesitate to contact them directly to discuss. I would recommend asking for the head of the repair department as my experience with NPS repairs has been that the intake repair people just quote price and policy based on their manuals and are not likely to involve decision makers unless pressed to do so.
Thanks for the info. I contacted Thom Hogan about this design flaw and he pretty much echoed what you say. I am going to contact Nikon and see if I can trade it in for a D810. I wondered why they used the plastic mount but it makes sense now. I can use it in manual focus and live view focus so if I get stuck, it is still somewhat useful. What really annoys me is that I have the F, F3, F5, D700, D7100 and many nikon lenses old and new including large format lenses and none of these have had any failures nor have I had to repair any of my nikon gear yet nikon sells a camera that least has a design flaw -- some might call it lemonish and they will not take responsibility for this.
