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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
First shot blanks...D2H
Mark Smith, Photographer
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Elk City | OK | USA | Posted: 4:20 PM on 04.13.06 |
| ->> So, one of my bodies is producing black or very underexposed frames the first time I shoot after perhaps an hour or more. The exposure is dead on the rest of the time, and currently it is just an annoyance. I figure it is going to have to go off to the Nikon hospital, but just curious if anyone has experienced it, if it is a big fix or expensive. |
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Bob Ford, Photographer
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Lehighton | Pa | USA | Posted: 4:46 PM on 04.13.06 |
->> Mark, you may be in luck. A while back Nikon released a service advisory on the Nikon D2H. You can find the info here...
http://www.nikonusa.com/email_images/nikonusa/service_advisory/d2h.html
When I called Nikon Service about my camera's exposures being way off, I was told that that problem fell under the service advisory. I'd recommend calling them to see if your problem is included. If it is they will fix it for free. They not only fixed my one camera, but refunded the repair cost of one that I had fixed before they announced the advisory.
Good luck, let us know how it turns out. |
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Kevin Liles, Photographer
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Griffin | GA | USA | Posted: 5:04 PM on 04.13.06 |
->> Mark,
I've had the same problem lately. I bought my D2H in February 2005, and I haven't had any problems before now (about 90,000 frames on the odometer). Let me know what Nikon says if you send it off. |
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Mark J. Rebilas, Photographer
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Phoenix | AZ | USA | Posted: 5:15 PM on 04.13.06 |
->> Mark,
Shooting blanks is hard to admit to but Im glad others are experiencing the same problems that I am. My D2h has been doing that for quite some time now. Thanks for being man enough to ask the question! |
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James Nix, Photographer
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Brunswick | GA | USA | Posted: 5:31 PM on 04.13.06 |
->> My D2h shoots a blank/way under exposed frame the first shot every now and then ... seems like it happens mostly if I haven't shot in a while, but not always. When it happens I get the blinking err message. All I have to do is click the shutter again and it goes away and shoots just fine.
Most of the time I just go ahead and shoot a throw away shot when I get to an assignment and get the blank shot out of the camera's system.
Now the exposures are starting to get weird, so I'll probably have to send it off soon. |
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Joshua Corsa, Photographer
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Kill Devil Hills | NC | USA | Posted: 5:35 PM on 04.13.06 |
->> Oddly enough, my D2H didn't start doing that until after it came back from Nikon to repair the aforementioned exposure problem. Now it is constant, the first frame every time I power the camera on is blank. I'll be anxious to see what Nikon says,
Josh |
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Paul W Gillespie, Photographer
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Annapolis | MD | USA | Posted: 5:46 PM on 04.13.06 |
| ->> Me too. My 2 cameras have been in for the meter/AF fix a long time ago. In the last few weeks I have noticed that I get the black frame when I start a job every now and then. If you look at the the black frame and the next correct frames image data all the settings are the same, it is just the first frame is black. |
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Rainier Ehrhardt, Photographer
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Birmingham | AL | USA | Posted: 5:49 PM on 04.13.06 |
->> Ever since the first day I bought by D1H a year and a half ago, the first shot was way underexposed and then corrects itself in a few frames.
Nikon had no idea what it was.
And I've never heard of anyone else having that problem until now, but it's on the D2H. ??? |
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Joshua Lawton, Photographer
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Golden | CO | USA | Posted: 6:00 PM on 04.13.06 |
| ->> I have a D2H that had the meter fix that they finally posted that service advisory about, and now it does the first frame black too. Happens after the camera has been off for more than 10 min. Sounds like there is something going on. If anyone gets an answer please post it. |
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Jamie Roper, Photographer
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Hays | KS | United States | Posted: 7:16 PM on 04.13.06 |
->> Yes. And after THREE trips back to Nikon in my d2's first year of use (for a variety of problems, including the black frame issue), it STILL shoots a black frame on the first frame of every card format. Or after the camera has been shut off for a while. Or sometimes just when the camera is turned off and on.
The only real cure for a d2h is fire -- and lots of it.
jroper |
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John Lariviere, Photographer
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Tigard | OR | USA | Posted: 10:35 PM on 04.13.06 |
| ->> Add me to the club. Got my D2H back from Nikon a couple months ago for the service advisory repair. Worked great...but just recently the black or underexposed first frame after being idle for a short time is beginning to make its appearance. Sounds like another trip back to Nikon may be in order. |
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Paul W Gillespie, Photographer
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Annapolis | MD | USA | Posted: 10:46 PM on 04.13.06 |
| ->> Has anyone asked or sent their cameras into Nikon about this yet? |
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Chris Peterson, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Columbia Falls | MT | USA | Posted: 11:10 PM on 04.13.06 |
| ->> I had the same problem. Upgraded to D200 and it went away. |
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Kyle Coburn, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Columbia | MO | USA | Posted: 12:17 AM on 04.14.06 |
->> I have this same problem. I had sent in one of my cameras to NPS a few months ago when it first started, and they claimed they couldn't reproduce the problem. I blamed it on the meter repair that was completed a few weeks prior, they didn't agree. My cameras are now out of warranty, so i am hesitant to send them in.
I think i may print this thread and send it with the camera, maybe they will acknowledge the problem. |
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Travis Morisse, Photographer
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Hutchinson | KS | USA | Posted: 1:48 AM on 04.14.06 |
| ->> I have the same problem with mine. The first frame after turning on the camera is black and the second one will be underexposed as well. Mine will go to Nikon within the next couple of weeks. |
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Jamie Roper, Photographer
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Hays | KS | United States | Posted: 1:06 PM on 04.14.06 |
->> hey Travis,
let me know if the fix actually works. i would be amazed.
jroper |
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Trevor Little, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Peterborough | On | Canada | Posted: 4:13 PM on 04.14.06 |
->> I sent my camera to Nikon with that problem last December. The problem started around the begining of the summer so I delt with it for about 6 months before taking it in. The problem gradually got worse with the black frames being more and more frequent. After a while when I would shoot the first frame the mirror would stay up and the screen would flash "err", so I would press the shutter again and the mirror would drop and it would work fine.
After asking around on some forums I was told that it is probably the shutter. So I drove it to Nikon Canada in Missisauga, explained the situation, and my situation as a student, and they had it fixed in two days. It was covered under my extended warranty, so I didnt have to pay for it and they never told me what was wrong with it. The shutter count was re-set so I assume it was the shutter that they replaced.
When I took it in I think it had 50,000 clicks on it and was about 15 months old.
cheers,
Trevor |
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Kyle Coburn, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Columbia | MO | USA | Posted: 6:26 PM on 05.25.06 |
->> for yall that are having this problem how many cycles do you have on your shutter? you can find out by running an unedited jpeg file through this program (mac only) http://homepage.mac.com/aozer/EV/index.html
The problem started for me intermittently around 55,000 shutter cycles, now at 67,500 the camera is unusable and i was curious how many frames where on you guys cameras that were experiencing this.
My other d2h is also getting the same problem at 70k shutter cycles, but it is only intermittent for now.
Nikon's own literature says we should get 150k out of it: “The D2H is equipped with a further refined version of the durable and precise double-bladed shutter mechanism used on Nikon's F5 Pro SLR. To enhance system reliability, the shutter unit is tested to 150,000 cycles.” Page 3: http://www.nikon.co.uk/customer_services/brochure_request/pdfs/digital_slr/... |
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Kyle Coburn, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Columbia | MO | USA | Posted: 6:47 PM on 05.25.06 |
->> i just noticed this pattern in the thread, for John Lariviere, Joshua Lawton, Joshua Corsa and myself this problem started at the same time after sending the camera in for repair under the meter/AF recall.
I sent mine right back in after I got it back from the recall and noticed the problem, and they technician couldn't reproduce it.
so back to my post above this one, how many cycles do yall have on your cameras? |
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Kevin Liles, Photographer
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Griffin | GA | USA | Posted: 3:42 PM on 05.26.06 |
->> Kyle,
I have 108,296 accuations on my D2H. I would say the blank-frame problem started about 10,000 frames ago. Though I have not had the problem in a couple of weeks, when it does happen, it happens about 4-5 times over as many days. |
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Philip Moyer, Photographer
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Hockessin | DE | USA | Posted: 12:41 AM on 05.27.06 |
->> I have 108.5K on mine, and my first black first shot was *yesterday*.
I personally think this thread caused it. ;-)
Oh, and the meter/AF fix was applied by Nikon NY at about 55K frames.
Something said a few posts back caught my eye - that the second frame has exactly the same settings as the first. I wonder if it's not losing the first frame, but simply recording one black one, plus the good frame. Can anyone confirm that, yes, the first exposure is gone?
Cheers,
Phil |
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Jan Langsner, Photographer
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Edmonton | AB | Canada | Posted: 3:19 AM on 05.27.06 |
| ->> Hate to say this guys, but the same blank frame thing happened to me with my D2H. Nikon ended up replacing the shutter. |
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John Lariviere, Photographer
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Tigard | OR | USA | Posted: 8:39 PM on 05.27.06 |
->> Kyle,
113,000+ accuations...and the first blank frame is guaranteed to be the first frame after turning the camera on or being idle for a long period of time. |
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Travis Morisse, Photographer
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Hutchinson | KS | USA | Posted: 4:23 PM on 06.06.06 |
->> I emailed Nikon about this issue along with this link and this is thier response:
"There may be a current drop with the battery you are using, causing the camera to stop in mid cycle, and generate an error. Please use a different fully charged and calibrated battery. If the problems persist, then you may need to send the camera to our Service Center for evaluation."
I haven't sent my camera in yet, but soon for the service repair for the autofocus problem. I have ordered a new battery and we'll see if that helps. I'll keep you all posted. |
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Jon Cunningham, Photographer
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Aurora | IL | USA | Posted: 12:36 AM on 06.07.06 |
->> Thanks for the EXIF Viewer link. I used it to discover that I have 42399 actuations on my D2H.
I've had the "first frame black" issue ever since I got my D2H back from Nikon for the common "wacky meter syndrome" (WMS) repair, a few months back. I think it may have been at around 20,000 actuations then. The file count had only rolled over once or twice.
The WMS was fixed under (1 year) warranty about a month before Nikon announced that they would fix this problem even for cameras not under warranty. I guess one black frame on warm up is better than a wacky meter.
A more annoying problem that I sometimes experience is that during long shooting sessions there will be a streak of images that will tend to balance on the red/magenta side. Anybody else seen this one? |
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Andy Heidt, Photographer
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Columbus | IN | USA | Posted: 5:10 PM on 06.20.06 |
| ->> Thanks, everyone, for you help with my metereing problems. Nice to know I'm not alone! |
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