D70 - out of action

Mike McCarty · 12-01-2005, 08:25 PM

My Nikon D70 is out for the holidays. Without warning the metering system just went nuts. Luckily I discovered it while taking some useless pictures. The meter, as seen through the view finder, would bounce all over the lot. Any picture I took would either be mostly black or mostly white, depending where you caught the bounce of the meter. No matter what setting I used, including manual, it would not work.

I took the camera to one of the local Nikon dealers, thinking that they could turn a screw or rub it in some special way. The feller behind the counter looked at it and said that he had seen this before. He pulled out a log book of repairs and found a recent entry. He then read the identical symptoms from a recent log entry. No kidding, I said. Yep, he said.

You need to send it off and it will take about six weeks, AND, it's going to cost you $387. That sucks, I said, and I took my camera back and left.

I'm going to look for a second opinion but needless to say I am feeling a little like a stripper without her pasties -- all naked.

Joan Breckwoldt · 12-01-2005, 08:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike McCarty

I'm going to look for a second opinion but needless to say I am feeling a little like a stripper without her pasties -- all naked.

Mike,

I can't remember when I laughed so hard!

Thank you for posting this - uh, I mean the camera related part of your post. I recently read some reviews online about the Nikon D70 (or maybe it was the D70s) and some of the reveiwers reported malfunctions. Not many, but enough to make me wonder if that's really the camera that I want for Christmas.

Joan

Molly Sherrick Phifer · 12-01-2005, 08:55 PM

I just had to send my Nikon D50 into the Nikon Service center because of a spot on the CCD. I was surprised that a black spot (dust?) could get into the camera, but when I called their technical assistance hotline, they said it does happen, though usually they see it in cameras used to photograph rodeos! Maybe 5 kids, 6 cats, 1 dog, 3 guinea pigs, two rabbits a fish and a lizard constitute something on the order of a rodeo. Hmmm...
Anyway, Mike, just wanted to let you know that Nikon really has its act together. If you send in your camera for service (call the tech support first) they will send you an estimate for the repairs FIRST, for your approval. My repair took less than two weeks from the day I sent it out until I had it back in my hands.
If your camera is still under warranty (as mine was) all the better, but I assume you'd know that.

Good luck and hang in there. Good thing you're in Florida. If you had to be naked for ten weeks in Pennsylvania, you'd be in a world of hurt!

Mike McCarty · 12-01-2005, 09:05 PM

Joan and Molly:

I've taken roughly 12,000 pictures with my D70 in the 18 or so months that I've owned it. It has been trouble free and I've loved it. I would have just chalked it up to rotten luck if I hadn't seen those identical symptoms in that log book.

You have to wonder when you get the same troubles brought into a little camera shop in Venice, Florida within a short period of time. Maybe there is some inherent problem.

I'm going to take the situation to the Nikon dealer here in Sarasota and see what kind of response I get.

This puts me back to my back up film camera for some time to come.

Kimberly Dow · 12-01-2005, 09:51 PM

Mike!!

Welcome back!

Sorry to hear about your camera.

Carol Norton · 12-01-2005, 10:13 PM

Oh my gosh, Mike, so glad you're back!!! Where've you been??? Misssed all your insight and humor.

Linda Brandon · 12-01-2005, 10:39 PM

Ditto what Carol said!

Garth Herrick · 12-01-2005, 10:47 PM

Mike,

Ouch! I feel bad for you. You might as well just get it fixed even at that price, because it's a great camera, and another one to replace it will cost more.

Maybe you want to save up for the new Nikon D200, due out soon. That is really tempting me! My camera (D100, 3+ years) won't last forever with close to a hundred thousand shots logged on it (how long do these mechanical shutters last anyway?). Even the D70 is an upgrade from the D100 (better imaging algorithms)!

To Molly: Sorry about your problem too. Is yours simply a dust spot problem (and not a dead pixel problem)? That is common to all DSLR's. I have been there, cleaning mine many times. This is extremely risky business so you are right to have it professionally done.

One thing I learned the hard way: Never change a lens in Arizona!!!! I never saw such a dirty capture chip. (It's way too dusty in Arizona

)

Best wishes,

Garth

Carol Norton · 12-01-2005, 10:52 PM

SO...we want to know.(where you were...)

My Nikon D70 doesn't like this thread today. It is still getting used to me,,,learning about me, so together we want to hear all about your adventures and how we can live forever. Can you two help?

Mike McCarty · 12-01-2005, 11:36 PM

Quote:

You might as well just get it fixed even at that price, because it's a great camera, and another one to replace it will cost more

Garth:

That's the hard truth isn't it. It is a great camera and I'm going to do a little more investigation first.

Carol:

My understanding is that if you eat lots of fiber and don't look at dirty pictures you may live forever.

I've been wondering aimlessly along the Florida beaches. They made me stop because I was scaring children and small dogs.

Hey Linda.