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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Nikon D2H Need serious Help.
Kevin Saitta, Photographer
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Groveland | CA | USA | Posted: 6:45 PM on 08.27.05 |
->> Well where do I start.
I have a D2H that I shot a wedding with about 4 months ago. No problems at all camera work flawless. So today I got a call to cover a game on assignment and I took it. So I grabbed my D2H and headed out.
I put the lens on the camera and was all ready. Well I was shooting away and decided to look at some of the images to make sure I got the player I was after. And I noticed frame after frame white just white. I then started to look at the camera more closely and no matter what I did the meter was not metering.
It now seems that the meter is about 10 stops off. What the hell???
I have tried everything; changing batteries, resetting the camera, etc...
Anyone have any ideas what is wrong? Also now that I am at home, no matter what I look though the meter does not more. If I look out doors, indoors, etc. The meter does not change at all. It is like it is stuck.
I have tried all my lenses and it still doesn’t work. Have tried all the modes (A,P,S,M) doesn’t work, tried the different metering modes (Matrix, Spot, Center).
Does anyone know if there is something I can do or does this have to be sent into Nikon for repair? If it has to be sent in how much will it cost? A guess would be cool. I am so bent.... Totally un-cool.
BAD NIKON! SLAP! SMASH, KICK!
Sorry for the rant but this should not happen especially on a low use camera.
Thanks,
Kev |
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Jamie Roper, Photographer
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Jan Langsner, Photographer
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Lloydminster | AB | Canada | Posted: 7:15 PM on 08.27.05 |
->> My D2H did the same thing a little over a year ago. All of a sudden as well. Using it one day it was fine the next day the meter was way off. Had a D1X with me and used that for metering and set the D2H the same way. Probably the only time in my life I have said thank gawd for digital.
I sent mine to Nikon and they replaced the meter. Haven't had the problem since then. Hopefully yours is still under warranty.
If you do a search on these boards you will find lots of people have had the same problem.
Good Luck! |
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Gary Cosby, Jr, Photographer
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Decatur | AL | USA | Posted: 7:41 PM on 08.27.05 |
| ->> Kevin, this happened to my D2H just about a month ago after using it for about seven months without problems. I believe many others have this same problem but NPS fixed mine very quickly. I got it back after just a few days; although, since I was relegated to a D1 it seemed like forever. If it is under warranty you are in luck. If not, I have no idea what the cost will be. |
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Scott A. Schneider, Photographer
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Minneapolis | MN | USA | Posted: 7:59 PM on 08.27.05 |
->> When my D2H meter went out I wasn't too pissed 'cause I use a handheld meter most of the time; however, a few weeks after the meter failed the autofocus quit working. I sent it to Nikon and got it back after three weeks. It cost me $373.
Regarding NPS: does anyone have a phone number (other than the general number that will not allow you to get to a human)?
I submitted my application for membership, got the card back, completed it and sent it with a letter of recommendation from an existing NPS member but haven't heard anything. It's been at least a month. |
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Michael Jordan, Photographer
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West Palm Beach | FL | USA | Posted: 7:59 PM on 08.27.05 |
->> Mine did it about two months ago, sent it in and had it back in 7 days. It still acts up every once in a while but like you mine is a very low use camera so I will send it in towards the end of the warranty and have one final "free" fix. yah i'm not a huge fan of this camera I'm always so worried it's just gonna fail :(
Mike |
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Jon Blacker, Photographer
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Scott A. Schneider, Photographer
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Minneapolis | MN | USA | Posted: 8:36 PM on 08.27.05 |
| ->> Thanks for link Jon, but that number won't get you to anyone who will answer a question about NPS membership. I guess I'll just have to continue to be patient. |
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Kevin Sperl, Photographer
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Laconia | nh | USA | Posted: 9:02 PM on 08.27.05 |
| ->> We have a D2H in for repair for this very issue. The second D2H does this from time to time as well. |
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Walter Calahan, Photographer
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Westminster | MD | USA | Posted: 9:49 PM on 08.27.05 |
| ->> One of my cameras did this. Meter died. Dropped it off at Wash DC NPS. Had it back in 4 days. Works great. |
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John David Emmett, Photographer
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Dallas | TX | United States | Posted: 12:34 AM on 08.28.05 |
| ->> Happened to mine, too. Then the autofocus died. NPS replaced the camera. |
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Kevin Saitta, Photographer
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Groveland | CA | USA | Posted: 5:13 AM on 08.28.05 |
->> Unfortunately I am not part of NPS and I believe the camera is about 6-7 months out of warranty.
I have been reading this is a major problem they should do the damn repair for free.
Sucks
I hate digital, as the repair costs are just outrageous. It is like they set it so high so you just say screw it and buy another new one. Hell of a way to market I tell you that. |
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Walter Calahan, Photographer
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Westminster | MD | USA | Posted: 8:18 AM on 08.28.05 |
->> You could always join NPS.
Actually, the camera that died was one month out of warranty, but there was no charge for the fix. See what happens when I'm always nice to my local NPS people - they are nice to me. |
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Chris Lekhavanija, Photo Editor, Photographer
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Silver Spring | MD | USA | Posted: 9:03 AM on 08.28.05 |
| ->> I have to agree with Walter. I have experienced NPS very nice and helpful though. |
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Gerald H. Ling, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Storrs | CT | USA | Posted: 9:11 AM on 08.28.05 |
->> Kevin,
The same thing happened to mine too. The cost of repair will be somewhere around $400. I am still waiting for mine to be returned from Nikon. My camera was from the first batch that arrived in the US so it is significantly past its warranty period. If you have multiple camera bodies, the camera works fine in manual mode and can be used as a remote. I contemplated doing this since the cost of repair is close to 25% of picking up a used D2H.
Walter,
From my experience with sending equipment in to Nikon for repair, they seem to honor their warranties up to approximately 3 months past the expiration date; provided that the problem is covered under the terms of the original warranty. |
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Michael Myers, Photographer, Student/Intern
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Miami Beach | FL | USA | Posted: 10:48 AM on 08.28.05 |
->> I had the same issues with my D2h; it gathered more frequent flyer miles than I did, finally got replaced with another, and when that died, with a D2hs. Nikon has been very good about it, taking care of things under warranty since day one. Still, I wish the camera designers had spent a bit less time on "high tech" and a bit more time on "rugged".
I've also got a D70, and while it did have one problem when the whole camera wouldn't turn on, that was fixed under warranty and it's been bullet-proof ever since. I hope that continues. My D70 was supposed to be a backup for the D2h, but now I've got a Canon Pro1 as backup for everything.
Write a nice letter to Nikon, explaining everything, especially how little use the camera has had. There's a way to tell how many pictures it's taken (but I can't remember where on SS that's posted). I think that if they recognize this as a problem from the camera, not from you, they'll take care of it for you at no charge. Call the 800 number and explain things... and no, there is no "better" number - just plan on being on hold for a very long time, but when you do reach a "live" person, every one of the people I've spoken to has been very helpful. |
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Paul W Gillespie, Photographer
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Annapolis | MD | USA | Posted: 12:00 PM on 08.28.05 |
| ->> This happened to all four of the D2h's that our photo dept owns. I know mine was fixed under warranty, not sure about the rest. This is definately a known issue with Nikon and is wide spread. I think that it is ridiculous that anyone should have to pay for this repair, even if it is out of warranty. This is a known defect and should be fixed on Nikon's dime. Just my opinion. |
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Devin Dahlgren, Photographer
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Everett | WA | USA | Posted: 1:31 AM on 08.30.05 |
->> Kevin,
Don't freak out and don't scream about this issue if you wan't a good exprience. My D2H had the same problem and was fix at no charge even months after it was out of warranty. Read my post,
http://www.sportsshooter.com/message_display.html?tid=16635
I love my camera and the life that comes with it.
Good luck,
Devin |
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Walter Calahan, Photographer
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Westminster | MD | USA | Posted: 7:44 AM on 08.30.05 |
| ->> Just got my D2H that was blowing out exposure yesterday. One week turn around. Nikon replaced the aperture control. Now works like new. |
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Jamie Roper, Photographer
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Hays | KS | United States | Posted: 9:05 AM on 08.30.05 |
->> Scatch what I had previously said about my boss' D2h inexplicably operating flawlessly while mine died a thousand deaths -- his went down yesterday. Faulty metering, inconsistent white balance, plenty of black frames.
RECALL |
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Geoff Miller, Photographer
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Portage | MI | USA | Posted: 10:27 AM on 08.30.05 |
->> Kevin,
As others have mentioned, if you play it smart and keep your cool, you will likely have a happy ending. This is a known issue with the D2h... I believe mainly linked to older units. Do some research on the Internet.
Send your ailing D2h to Nikon along with a polite letter explaining the situation, the fact that you know that this is a known condition with the D2h, and the fact that you know that in plenty of cases Nikon has covered this repair past the warranty period for others... and request the same. Don't use inflamatory language, don't say the camera is "defective", etc. I just had Nikon repair my D70, 5 months out of warranty, for free for a similar failure. NPS had nothing to do with it. |
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Jamie Roper, Photographer
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Hays | KS | United States | Posted: 11:01 AM on 08.30.05 |
->> Politeness is key when dealing with an entity as large and in-charge as, say, Nikon, and if I ever wanted to get my camera repaired again (and it needs it), I would be as polite as I'm capable of being. But not because I'm not secretly seething. We're too small of a paper to gamble with that big of a corporation, but also too small to soak up the costs of routine $700 fixes.
I'm wondering, though -- for those of who have your various problems fixed, in or out of warranty, how long have your cameras stayed fixed? As I had mentioned in a previous post, mine was fixed under warranty and came back with a new set of problems (~$700; everything but the serial # replaced), straight outta Torrance. |
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Kent Gilley, Photographer
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Azle | TX | USA | Posted: 12:34 PM on 08.30.05 |
->> On August 1st, I sent my D2H and my SB-800 flash to Nikon for repair. I still have not received it back yet, but I thought I would relay the issue to this board and see if anyone has ever heard on this. The problem was that my D2H was frying, the best word I can think of, the SB-800 flashes. They would quit firing on any camera.
This happened (we would later determine) four times, to my SB-800(twice), and to the two rentals that I rented on 7/30. Now, it probably seems dumb that I would fry four flash units, but it wasn't that clear at the time.
I had sent my SB-800 in to Nikon in May and they repaired it for $150. At the time, I thought that it was related to having it knocked out of my hands at the TMS in April. Even when my SB-800 quit working again on 7/23, I still thought it was related to that drop or the first repair.
So, I rented two SB-800s for an event on 7/30. When the first rental unit quit flashing, I just thought that I had ran the batteries down on the first rental, so I switched. I was anticipating shooing 2000+ pictures that night, and I had rented two units to prevent shooting so many shots on one unit in a short time. By switching, I preceeded to fry both flash units. Doh! Unfortunately, we didn't discover the issue with my flash was being cause by my D2H until the two rentals quit working that night.
I used my backup SB-28DX that night with no issues.
So, I was curious if anyone had an issue like this. Also, I purchased a pair Pocket Wizards Plus in April, and started using them with a studio setup. Is this a coincidence, or could this have someway have caused the issue in the D2H? |
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Allan Schroeder, Photographer
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Vancouver Island | BC | Canada | Posted: 10:00 AM on 08.31.05 |
->> 4 Nikon D2H, 3 of them failed. One Nikon D2Hs, One Nikon D2X, still works perfect. Looks like they have repaired the problem, but not yet had a voluntary recall on the older model.
Toyota did this with the V6 truck head gasket issue many years ago, and they gained many happy, and repeat customers. |
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Marcus Marter, Photographer
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Westerville | OH | United States | Posted: 10:24 AM on 08.31.05 |
->> Our D2H just failed a few weeks ago with the same problem, meter went crazy. Still able to shoot with it, just like shooting film again. Major inconveince though. Had to dust off the old D1, remember that one?
About ready to send it out for repair, hopefully it returns soon. |
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Jamie Roper, Photographer
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Hays | KS | United States | Posted: 1:04 PM on 08.31.05 |
->> Allan,
I hate to go on and on about this subject, but you make a worthwhile point about what Nikon could have done and still should do.
Toyota is probably the best corporate model I can think of in terms of respecting their products, customers and then, by extension, their reputation and bottom line.
From my understanding, Toyota is quick to identify problems in-house, on the production line, and then without outside prompting, handle the problem as quickly and as quietly as possible. I was thinking of transmission problems in early to mid 90's Camry's. (Never heard of it? Right.) If models with potential problems had been sold, service bulletins went out and customers were contacted immediately. Problems were fixed. Customers stayed loyal.
Nikon thus far is preferring more of a GM or Ford model -- let the dissention build until there are class action lawsuits or otherwise forced fixes. Or, as a more routine matter of course, nothing happens and just soak up the lost loyalty and hope there isn't sufficient collective memory to influence the next group of buyers. Until they get burned.
In college, about 5 years ago, the core group of photographers I worked with all used Nikon -- primarily F100's and D1's. All of them are now Canon shooters, unless the company provides for them otherwise, and even then, their personal equipment is Canon.
Nikon has squandered a lot. I would hope that it's not too late for them to sacrifice a little short-term face to rebuild their former reputation, but honestly, at this point I don't care about Nikon's reputation. I have no brand-name loyalties. Just give me what works and allows me to work.
RECALL |
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Bob Ford, Photographer
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Lehighton | Pa | USA | Posted: 1:36 PM on 08.31.05 |
->> My D2H just got back from Melville for the same exact problem. Total cost was $408.10
This is the second time the camera was in for repair for two seperate issues.
I started a thread about this a while back and many of the people who responded decided it would be better to blame me than to discuss the issue...lack of reliability and atronomical costs of repair of DSLR's
http://www.sportsshooter.com/message_display.html?tid=17050 |
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Joy Absalon, Photographer
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Centreville | VA | USA | Posted: 4:57 PM on 08.31.05 |
->> Wow...glad to hear I'm not the only one with this complaint. My meter blew out twice and was still under warranty both times. And now that I have had it backa few weeks, I am getting black frames. The first image I shoot is always black, and now it is also randomly shooting totally black images. Another SS member mentioned that it may be the connection from my lens to the camera, but I had that checked out and it was fine (it happens no matter which lens I am using). So, once again (now for the fourth time) my camera is going back to Nikon this afternoon. This repeated return to Nikon is wearing a bit thin on my nerves.
I will write a very polite letter (as I have always done), but I, like others on this message board, think this has gone on for too long. Nikon really does need to do something about it other than letting us continually pay postage for repairs they know the cameras need. I'm always told they will email me a pre-paid label, but no one ever does that. I once waited four days, plus numerous reminder phone calls about the impending email containing the postage paid label, but after wasting almost a week (two different times) for said label to arrive, I finally paid the shipping myself and sent it in.
FedEx here I come again. |
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Michael Fischer, Photographer
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Spencer | Ia | USA | Posted: 5:50 PM on 08.31.05 |
->> Although I've switched to the white side, if you're paying for repairs, there are alternatives to NPS. Email me privately and I'll try to fill you in.
Hope things go better soon. |
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Michael Proebsting, Photographer
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Barrington | IL | USA | Posted: 6:14 PM on 09.12.05 |
| ->> I had the notorious metering problem attack one of my D2H cameras. The camera was 6 months out of warranty, and I am not a NPS member. Following the advice on one of the threads here, I wrote Nikon a letter explaining the problem politely and letting them know I have been a loyal customer. I sent the camera out on August 29th, and after not hearing anything I called. My camera was fixed, no charge, and I was provided with the UPS tracking # and told it would be here Wednesday. |
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Jack Howard, Photographer
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Somerville | NJ | USA | Posted: 7:45 PM on 09.12.05 |
| ->> Might I suggest you all switch to a low-serial number Canon 20D and vertical grip? |
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Jack Howard, Photographer
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Somerville | NJ | USA | Posted: 7:50 PM on 09.12.05 |
->> And before anyone slams me for starting the old Nikon/Canon debate, read my comments in this thread:
http://www.lightstalkers.org/canon-20d-lockup#7546
I'd personally like it if both Canon and Nikon quit racing new cameras to market, but instead kicked Quality Control up a few notches and made a durable, fully functioning camera that didn't have some problem with the metering, the focusing, the color, the vertical grip connector, and so on and so on.
There are far too many threads about problems with cameras from both of these manufacturers. I was seriously considering making the switch to Nikon when my 20D crapped out the last time, but I've seen so many complaints about various Nikon models as well.
Slow down, take your time, make a quality equipment! |
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Jason Jump, Photographer
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Humble | TX | USA | Posted: 8:16 PM on 09.12.05 |
| ->> Well I am another D2H owner that had the metering problem. And Nikon fixed it free out of warranty. However, I also told them that my autofocus sensors would not move. I can only shoot in the center bracket. It won't move to any other of the 11 parts. I can use the group focus, but only in the center. They unfortunately didn't fix that, but I can't send it back as the seasons have started and I don't want to shoot with my D100. So I'll just make due I guess :) |
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Michael Proebsting, Photographer
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Barrington | IL | USA | Posted: 9:09 PM on 09.14.05 |
->> As a follow up, I received my D2H back today, the work order said:
Replace shutter mechanism
Replace finder circuit
Adjust AE operation
Checked Autofocus operation
checked shutter release
adjust meter accuracy
clean ccd
general clean and check
No charge/good will repair METERING PROBLEM
I think if you write a polite letter explaining the situation instead of "going postal" when you send the camera in that is the difference between getting clipped for $400-700, and getting the "No charge/good will repair" treatment. |
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Charlie Garcia, Photographer
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Miami | FL | United States | Posted: 1:56 AM on 09.15.05 |
->> My D2H's meter took a dump while shooting pro surfing in Costa Rica this past August, thank god for my F5, Velvia, and Scala. I had had it for almost a year, it was a higher serial number, and it had almost 60,000 actuations. I thought I was in the clear.
The rubber also peeled off the CF card cover and right under the aperture wheel.
Off to Nikon it went.
Im praying that they send me a new D2Hs but I know this is highly doubtful as Im not an NPS member nor am I ever that lucky with these kind of things. |
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Devin Dahlgren, Photographer
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Everett | WA | USA | Posted: 2:16 AM on 09.18.05 |
->> Do on to others as you would like others to do on to you. Companies employ people and people employ human behavior.
Charlie, I got friends at Nikon and one of them told me they were planning on sending you a D2x and an F6. Lucky!
Devin |
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Jamie Roper, Photographer
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Hays | KS | United States | Posted: 6:55 PM on 09.24.05 |
->> As far as my own continuing saga goes, I just got my d2h back from factory service (at the new place in el segundo) two days ago. I used it last night for its first assignment, high school football. BLACK FRAME.
To recap, this is factory service trip #2 for my d2h, for many of the same problems it developed in April. It was sent in under my boss's NPS auspices and he had contacted an NPS representative in D.C. before sending them (boss's d2h was down too) both in for repair. The NPS guy was apparently a good guy, earnest, understanding, even sent us a couple of his personal cameras as loners. The repair turn-around was very quick, about a week, and...
both of our cameras still have problems. mine, black frames. right out of the damned box. but hey, at least mine can focus now! yay nikon!
my boss's d2h is starting to do something an old f100 of mine did -- intermittent shutter release lag, like the self-timer is on. incredibly annoying, and costly to live with.
with no hope of nikon ever taking this problem seriously or giving a damn about us and our petit problems, Plan B for me is to take a dump in a gold box and send THAT to El Segundo for warranty repair next. See if the nikon guys can tell the difference. I can't.
RECALL THE D2H |
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Doug Holleman, Photographer
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Temple | TX | USA | Posted: 9:47 PM on 09.24.05 |
->> "my boss's d2h is starting to do something an old f100 of mine did -- intermittent shutter release lag"
Sounds like my D100. |
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