p.1 #1 · Nikon USA no longer supports or repairs D3s
I sent my D3s in for repair last year for soft focus on all lenses, ISO unresponsive, P mode with focus lock recommended by Nikon and finally went in for a $1400 repair - mostly "adjustments" and new body rubber.
My work schedule made it impossible to get back to this camera until this June after receiving it back from Nikon Repair Services in Oct last year.
Same issue. In fact, captured an image of a kitten in a bright, sunlit room at ISO8000(!) in P mode with focus lock and focus was blurred, Program set the aperture at f./2.8 and shutter at 1/30. At that ISO and lens opening/shutter speed the exposure should have wiped out the image, and yet it was dark and the image was blurred.
Put in a repair request, noted that the D3s was no longer in the drop down menu. Called Nikon and was told "no longer support that product".
Nikon asked me to send in three unedited sample jpg images. I did so, and their answer was to open the lens more and increase the shutter speed.
The camera went in to Nikon for this issue last Sep and came out with the identical issue.
p.1 #2 · Nikon USA no longer supports or repairs D3s
kattz wrote:
I sent my D3s in for repair last year for soft focus on all lenses, ISO unresponsive, P mode with focus lock recommended by Nikon and finally went in for a $1400 repair - mostly "adjustments" and new body rubber.
My work schedule made it impossible to get back to this camera until this June after receiving it back from Nikon Repair Services in Oct last year.
Same issue. In fact, captured an image of a kitten in a bright, sunlit room at ISO8000(!) in P mode with focus lock and focus was blurred, Program set the aperture at f./2.8 and shutter at 1/30. At that ISO and lens opening/shutter speed the exposure should have wiped out the image, and yet it was dark and the image was blurred.
Put in a repair request, noted that the D3s was no longer in the drop down menu. Called Nikon and was told "no longer support that product".
Nikon asked me to send in three unedited sample jpg images. I did so, and their answer was to open the lens more and increase the shutter speed.
The camera went in to Nikon for this issue last Sep and came out with the identical issue.
Well the bad news is...well all of it. First, you spent twice as much on the repair as the camera is worth. Second, you didn’t check the camera when you got it back and let it sit for 8 months. Now, it is another couple months later and you are just getting in touch with Nikon.
I would suggest you beg Nikon to take one last crack at fixing it. Failing that I would not put anymore money into this camera.
p.1 #3 · Nikon USA no longer supports or repairs D3s
Thanks. What was disturbing was the rep implied that since they ran out of parts for this camera last summer (2018), the high priced "repair" was for "adjustment" and body rubber replacement.
Few to no parts available. Seems rather sorry if I were asked.
p.1 #5 · Nikon USA no longer supports or repairs D3s
Dj R wrote:
THIS NEWS IS RUBBISH
so sorry to hear you are dealing with this.
Nikon, c'mon.
What really sucks is that I could not afford a D5 and I bought this camera used here with only 2400 releases on the shutter. For me, this camera is still a beast. While some will scoff, it's my opinion that the sensor rivals the good parts of the LBCAST sensor in my D2H. I have a D810a that I use on the back of my telescopes and the sensor quality is nowhere near as good as the D3s in my opinion. The D3s uses a low-noise large-pixel sensor with excellent color rendition - to me it's fantastic. I don't understand why Nikon would just stop supporting this unit.
And I am most displeased with the support.
The first time I spoke to Nikon about this I sent them a few sample jpeg's at their request - unedited. One was of a kitten indoors in bright sunlight. I ran it in P mode so that there was no way that my inputs could foul up the alleged defects. I had to push the ISO to 8000 to get a picture that was usable and the kitten moved and was out of focus as a result... And the response from Nikon was to "open up the lens and speed up the shutter". The P mode set the shutter at 1/24s and the lens at f./2.8 (wide open) - at ISO8000! Unreal advice.
The second time I spoke to them, they told me to send it in and maybe they could repair it if they could find parts, but it would cost full price - again.
p.1 #11 · Nikon USA no longer supports or repairs D3s
pingflood wrote:
Yeah, I can imagine sending a 10 year old camera in to Sony for repairs when it breaks.
What's this thing you call "breaks" that you are talking about? Must be a specific Nikon feature.
Sep 08, 2019 at 01:10 PM
jim allison Offline • • • [X]
p.1 #12 · Nikon USA no longer supports or repairs D3s
I admit that I don't read the Sony board so that I don't know if any Nikon users are posting stupid comments on it .I do know that a couple of Sony users never miss a chance to post stupid comments here. Fred should require a mental age of at least 15 in order to post on any board. However, anyone should be able to post their photographs, but comments should be restricted to those who meet this criteria, just saying.
Sep 09, 2019 at 02:23 PM
brian_sp Offline • • • • [X]
p.1 #13 · Nikon USA no longer supports or repairs D3s
pingflood wrote:
Yeah, I can imagine sending a 10 year old camera in to Sony for repairs when it breaks.
sony isn't built to last 10 years, any sony product i ever had was lucky to make it past the warranty period
p.1 #14 · Nikon USA no longer supports or repairs D3s
for the past several years, i'm waiting for my d3s to stop working so i can have a reason to upgrade, but fortunately it has not! ;') camera is on its 8th years and i have stopped tracking the shutter actuations.
my poor sony a6k died suddenly after 2 years of normal use. and i don't see a reason to upgrade.
Sep 09, 2019 at 04:59 PM
brian_sp Offline • • • • [X]
p.1 #15 · Nikon USA no longer supports or repairs D3s
tntcorp wrote:
my poor sony a6k died suddenly after 2 years of normal use
nikon canon call that the end of the warranty period, sony calls it their expiration date
p.1 #16 · Nikon USA no longer supports or repairs D3s
jim allison wrote:
I admit that I don't read the Sony board so that I don't know if any Nikon users are posting stupid comments on it .I do know that a couple of Sony users never miss a chance to post stupid comments here. Fred should require a mental age of at least 15 in order to post on any board. However, anyone should be able to post their photographs, but comments should be restricted to those who meet this criteria, just saying.
Man you Nikon boys are wound up so tight you squeak. Loosen up a bit and enjoy life...
p.1 #17 · Nikon USA no longer supports or repairs D3s
It is a 10 year old digital camera. Who has a 1 year old stereo receiver or 10 year old television or laptop computer and expects to get parts and servicing? It is not realistic.
p.1 #18 · Nikon USA no longer supports or repairs D3s
brian_sp wrote:
sony isn't built to last 10 years, any sony product i ever had was lucky to make it past the warranty period
Cameras, maybe, but I had a Sony CRT TV that lasted 25 years (and still worked fine when I got rid of it) and my Sony HX929 TV celebrated its 8th birthday exactly today and it's still just as good as new. Does it look as good as a high-end brand new UHD TV? No. But still quite a good picture and chances are I won't buy a new set until it dies, which could be years away.
Now that's not to say that Sony would provide service on any of these products as they wouldn't, but they didn't need to because they just lasted without needing any service.
I don't think one can blame Nikon too much for not servicing a 10 year old camera, especially since the repairs cost more than the camera is worth. They're going on eBay for around $800. I'm surprised they're getting that much, although it was originally a $5200 camera.
However, years ago, my 70-200 VR needed service (when it was still in the active line) and Nikon kept it for about two months because they claimed they didn't have parts. Why they didn't stock parts in the U.S. and why they couldn't have air shipped the parts from Japan is beyond my comprehension. I remember being quite pissed. And of course they tried to pull the "lens took a hit so it's not covered by warranty" fake routine. There wasn't a scratch on it and there still isn't today.
Sep 09, 2019 at 09:06 PM
brian_sp Offline • • • • [X]
p.1 #19 · Nikon USA no longer supports or repairs D3s
zoetmb wrote:
I had a Sony CRT TV that lasted 25 years
that one definitely snuck by sony qc, count yourself lucky
still have nikon fe, fm, d70, d2x, d800, d3s, d850, a 70-200vrI that fell out of my backpack onto a slate rock floor, broke the hook and that was the only damage, still going strong..14-24 mounted on my d800 fell over on my tripod, breaking through the thin ice covered lake edge i was shooting the aurora at and landing in the water after hitting a rock and breaking off a piece of the lens hood, still working like a champ, never once have i ever had to send anything in to nikon
of course, the sony products i had that barely made the warranty period didn't go into sony either, they went straight to the garbage bin
