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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Death to the D2H
Jamie Roper, Photographer
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Hays | KS | United States | Posted: 3:11 PM on 05.13.06 |
->> No need to wish it, either. Mine has crapped out for the fourth time in 19 months of ownership. Rather than send it back to Torrance (again), i'm chucking it into the drawer of dead digital Nikons at work, a small plot full of deceased D1's. Funny, cause my D1H keeps on going, though anything not nailed to the body falls off or has fallen off.
So: has anyone discovered or invented a battery with a usable life expectancy for the D1H? |
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Walter Calahan, Photographer
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Westminster | MD | USA | Posted: 4:45 PM on 05.13.06 |
| ->> RIP |
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Jamie Roper, Photographer
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Hays | KS | United States | Posted: 7:21 PM on 05.13.06 |
| ->> as long as the 'P' is for 'pieces', ok. |
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John Tucker, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Cordova | TN | USA | Posted: 7:55 PM on 05.13.06 |
->> Maybe off Topic a little, but I wonder how many newspapers have RIP drawers filled with "dead" cameras.......wonder if these cameras would have the same fate if the paper made the photog buy their own equipment?
I witnessed a local police auction recently and was amazed at how many squad cars were wrecked and just beaten up, and the same thought occurred.........would these squad cars be treated carelessly if the officers were held responsible for them in a monetary way?
I just don't hear that many horror stories from photogs that have purchased their own equipment.......then again, the newspapers may be the ones that get all the lemons! |
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Ernie Rice, Photographer
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Paragould | AR | USA | Posted: 8:46 PM on 05.13.06 |
| ->> We've been using these for a while and they are MUCH better than the Nikon ones. http://www.adorama.com/IBYEN4.html |
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Jamie Roper, Photographer
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Hays | KS | United States | Posted: 9:13 PM on 05.13.06 |
->> Ernie -- fantastic, thanks. i'll see if there's room in the budget for a few of those. sure cheaper than another Nikon body.
John -- actually, i am responsible for every piece of equipment in my bag other than the body. most of the glass is my bag is older than my d2h by several years and still (mostly) functions. lenses and bodies are apples and oranges, i know.
but it's a legit point, OT or not. i don't know the answer, you might be right. but as long as the company i work for owns the images and pays so little for the services, i believe they should be responsible for providing me with all of the necessary equipment. they don't. that's another OT.
but a (less than) two-year-old pro body that's never been dropped or seen serious weather shouldn't fail in anybody's hands. especially a pro body that's been back to the factory numerous times and had most, if not all, of its major components replaced. repeatedly. the only acceptable aspect of this is that we've never been charged for the repairs.
but perhaps now i'll have the batteries to power a camera that i actually like -- the D1H. |
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Fredrik Naumann, Photographer
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Oslo | Oslo | Norway | Posted: 3:36 AM on 05.14.06 |
->> It is tempting to tell you a few stories, with a smug smile on my face, about my Canons. How I have dropped them, sprayed them with water (incl saltwater), sand, had them in the Arctic, in the jungle, etc. etc.
But I won't. ;-) |
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Michael Myers, Photographer, Student/Intern
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Miami Beach | FL | USA | Posted: 7:35 AM on 05.14.06 |
->> Or, just buy an old Leica, w/o electronics, and shoot away. All the computerization that Nikon, Canon, and others are using with camera gear built around them will be gone, and all you'll have left is a solid, reliable camera body.
Of course, you'll have to do your own focusing and set the exposure properly, but that's nothing a pro can't handle, right?
-----------------------------------------------------------
In a slightly more serious mode, I've been using computers since before there were computers, and they're always capable of failing, usually at the worst time possible. The more anyone trusts them to become an integral (and essential) part of their picture taking methods, the more opportunities there are for failure. There's much less to "go wrong" on an old style film camera. |
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John Tucker, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Cordova | TN | USA | Posted: 10:42 AM on 05.14.06 |
->> Jamie,
I talked about this to a local newspaper guy and he too has a drawer full of the dead stuff. I'm like you, I prefer the D1H to many of the others I've shot with, and also like you, I take care of my stuff.....I guess that is why I'm amazed to find that there are that many "graveyards" of equipment sitting around so many newspaper offices.
Then again, with the JOB that most photogs in news jobs do, the equipment is subjected to almost all types of situations at a moments notice......abuse will take place, even though it is not purposely done. |
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Chuck Steenburgh, Photographer
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Lexington | VA | USA | Posted: 11:11 AM on 05.14.06 |
->> When I was shooting regularly with a D1, I got one of these: http://www.digitalcamerabattery.com/
The smallest one (30 watts at the time) was enough to power my D1 for an entire football game's worth of heavy shooting and then some. It can also simultaneously power a flash with a recycle time of about a second. |
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Anthony Soufflé, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Collinsville | IL | USA | Posted: 11:52 AM on 05.14.06 |
| ->> Jamie, have you thought about calling Nikon and asking to speak with the higher ups directly? When I got my first D1H years ago all kinds of stuff went bad with it. The shutter broke in 2 months, the images were NEVER sharp and the damn thing would lock up every other day. After sending it in three times I got so fed up I called and pretty much demanded they replace it. That's all it too. I had a brand new D1H kit at my door the next morning, complete with new battery and charger, stuff I didn't send in with the camera. I think it's at least worth a try. Best of luck. |
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Jamie Roper, Photographer
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Hays | KS | United States | Posted: 1:31 PM on 05.14.06 |
->> Michael -- i've been an rf guy (canonet, leica, bessa, konica) for years man, and i love working like that. but it's not super practical for the daily newspaper grind.
Chuck -- sounds good, i'll check into those batteries too. we've got some newer batteries that are just this side of 'ok'. but not good enough for an 'entire football game and then some'!
Anthony,
The last time our d2h's went in (mine and my boss'), my boss used an NPS contact in D.C. to plead our case and, to Nikon's credit, they were very understanding, helpful, got us some loaners (including a D1X, which i really liked). it was the 3rd major overhaul for mine, the 1st for my boss. they were, effectively, new cameras when they came back to us. that was last July. Nikon acknowledged the problems and complaints, the fixes were free (as all of the fixes have been).
straight out of the box from the fix, mine shot black frames. i got used to it. then, over the next couple of weeks, the camera would occasionally lock up and give an 'err' message. no biggey, it would continue to work after its little spasm. but like every problem i've had with electronic Nikons (back to the F100), the problem grew progressively worse over time, until it wouldn't shoot, focus or anything last Thursday.
to me, it would appear, Nikon is unable to fix the camera. and unwilling to recall it. given the breadth of complaints on this site alone regarding the d2h, i'm not sure what the Nikon strategy is. all they've done for this career-long Nikon shooter is push me towards Canon. |
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Ryan Scott, Photographer
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Ballwin | MO | USA | Posted: 1:40 PM on 05.16.06 |
->> An outfit I work with here in STL has a couple D2H's along with many other bodies. D2H #1 has something like 180,000 clicks, the other has over 100,000 as well ... neither has ever had a problem.
Very sorry for your problems, but I wouldn't give up on it. |
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Grant Blankenship, Photographer
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Macon | GA | USA | Posted: 2:17 PM on 05.16.06 |
->> Jamie,
If you have been using the same glass over the years from f100 to D2h, it may in fact be a problem there and not with the body. ERR message and black frames sound to me like a communication error between the body and the glass.
GB |
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Mike Last, Student/Intern, Photographer
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London | Ontario | Canada | Posted: 2:38 PM on 05.16.06 |
| ->> Wow... people have some serious problems. My meter on my D2h went out approximately 2 months after I purchased it from a fellow SS.com member. I didn't hold it against them as it's a free fix from Nikon now anyways. I just haven't had time to send mine in but it still autofocuses and takes pictures, so I just shoot it in manual mode. Who needs the camera to do the thinking anyways. I can usually guess the exposure to within a stop anyways so I just do a quick histogram check. It would be nice for the camera to actually work as it should though. I suppose I will send it in shortly. |
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David Brooks, Photographer
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San Diego | CA | USA | Posted: 3:45 PM on 05.16.06 |
->> JT- I was told by an editor that he does not want his photographers to worry about anything but the picture and so the paper provides everything that you might need with the expectation that you get your picture worry free of the equipment and you are responsible in the process.
On Topic- My D2H is still around, it's my dusty backup it works kinda'except for the auto exp. but the real problem is that it is a mere 4 mega pixels, my PS is 5. BTW- the paper has cabinets, not drawers, of old equipment from when it switched from Nikon to Canon, it's like an evolution of photography from 4x5 to F5 and the present.
David |
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Mike Last, Student/Intern, Photographer
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London | Ontario | Canada | Posted: 4:51 PM on 05.16.06 |
| ->> I don't understand 4 megapixels being a huge problem. I can shoot 4 megapixels when that's all I need. I've run 4 megapixels stretched across all of the columns at our student paper and I thought the photo looked just as good as anything I've seen in any other newspaper. If I NEED more and I know I will need more, I just shoot RAW and interpolate inside Adobe Camera RAW. Hey, 11.6 megapixel camera according to the interpolation and the photo looks just as good to me!! Can't say I would turn down the opportunity to take a D2X though. |
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Richard Orr, Photographer
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Longmeadow | MA | USA | Posted: 3:02 PM on 05.19.06 |
->> My first D2H crapped out after six months. Sent it in and they "fixed it." It crapped out again after two months. Sent it in, and they "fixed" it. Crapped out again in two HOURs. Sent it in. Got a new one the next day.
Not great, but at least it hasn't crapped out since.
My backup has never had any problems going on two years.
I still get the urge to Ebay everything and go over to Canon during the summer when I am not so busy. |
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John Tucker, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Cordova | TN | USA | Posted: 10:32 PM on 05.19.06 |
->> David,
You said"
JT- I was told by an editor that he does not want his photographers to worry about anything but the picture and so the paper provides everything that you might need with the expectation that you get your picture worry free of the equipment and you are responsible in the process."
That's scary, but it's good to know some editors have bottomless pockets or at least their employers do. |
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Jamie Roper, Photographer
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Hays | KS | United States | Posted: 3:30 PM on 05.20.06 |
| ->> If Nikon were to replace the camera, would it be with another D2h? I guess I'm asking because I didn't think they still produced it. Maybe a D2hs would do the trick. |
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Daniel Berman, Photographer
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Seattle | WA | US | Posted: 5:39 PM on 05.20.06 |
->> All these complaints regarding the D2H have me scared, especially as I was considering a used H to replace my broken D70 body.
Any ideas? My budget is $1500.
Daniel |
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Jamie Roper, Photographer
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Hays | KS | United States | Posted: 6:08 PM on 05.20.06 |
->> I would suggest a Canon 30D. No one's perfect, but I don't seem to come across as many postings regarding problems with Canon products.
This thread is nothing compared to earlier ones regarding the D2h. The D200 is a possibility for you, Daniel, but it still isn't sufficiently vetted. And the limited info I can find about it from users has me concerned. I may need to buy a digital body soon also, and I'm just not convinced that Nikon's offerings (in my price range) are worth the potential problems. But I can't afford to change over all of my glass either, or I would take my own advice and get 5D or 30D. Maybe a D70s? |
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Daniel Berman, Photographer
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Seattle | WA | US | Posted: 2:21 AM on 05.21.06 |
->> Coming from a D70, a D70s is not going to be that big of an upgrade in the direction I am looking for. I want a bigger, more well-built, strong, weather-resistant body. Top notch AF, fps, and buffer are important concerns. I don't think the D200 can match the D2H for speed and build quality. I would switch to Canon, but I am not convinced my $1500 would be better spent towards a 30D -- which is still not that big an upgrade in the FPS or build category.
Daniel |
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Louis Lopez, Photographer
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Fontana | CA | USA | Posted: 3:55 AM on 05.21.06 |
->> Jamie,
just remember, you are only hearing the complaints, regardless of the manufacturer. There are many perfectly satisfied D2H owners that find it to be a great camera capable of capturing fine images. We just don't start threads to say that. If you do a search on most any photography board on any camera you choose, you will find enough posts to read for days on what a bad camera and all the problems.
I have a D2H that became my second body after I bought my D2x and it has been a great camera, just last week the meter started to act up and I drove it to Nikon in El Segundo and they had it back to me in four business days, no charge.
Nikon has stood behind every piece of Nikon equipment I have purchased, even if it took them a few weeks on one occasion. |
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Philip Moyer, Photographer
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Hockessin | DE | USA | Posted: 2:41 PM on 05.22.06 |
->> FWIW, my 2H has a bit over 108,000 frames through it, and the only problem has been the dreaded metering issue. Nikon fixed it (plus cleaning, plus firmware upgrades) without question.
I'm just waiting for the shutter to break. I hear rumors the MTBF is 140K actuations....
Cheers,
Phil |
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Drew Buchanan, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Fort Walton Beach | FL | USA | Posted: 12:28 PM on 05.26.06 |
->> Nikon...it figures.
I like Jamie's post, "No one's perfect, but I don't seem to come across as many postings regarding problems with Canon products." ;) |
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William Thompson, Photographer
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Asheboro | NC | U.S. | Posted: 2:37 AM on 08.29.06 |
->> When I got back form Iraq in 2003 my trusty D1 (sn: 00000057) was starting to show signs of fatigue. I was at a football game shooting and then it started getting streaks in the frames, then only shot half frames, then wouldn't do squat. Changed out batteries and the same thing. Showed full bars on the batteries. I brought the camera home and stuffed it in my dead camera drawer. Sent it off to a repair shop in Charlotte and said it would cost more than the camera to replace the chip. Back in the drawer. Bought a D1X. Bought new batteries. They crapped out after a year. Then bought new ones again. I'm not sure why, but I pulled out the old D1 and put a new battery in just for kicks and the goffy thing has worked like a champ ever since.
I just bought another battery off ebay for $13 new.
I found this one which is 2400mAH (the regular ones are 2000mAH)
http://www.eastcoastphoto.com/nav/itempage.asp?itemid=6069&catid=105&hid=
and I even found a Lith Ion pack somewhere and a 2700mAH the other day when I was shopping.
Hope these help.
Say hello to Charlie for me. I was a big fan of his when I was starting out in Paragould in the late 80's. You guys run some big photos! |
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Kevin Liles, Photographer
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Griffin | GA | USA | Posted: 3:29 AM on 08.29.06 |
| ->> I love my D2H. |
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Joe Brown, Photographer
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Woburn | MA | USA | Posted: 10:46 AM on 08.29.06 |
->> Jamie - Man I feel your pain! It took me 5 D2H's to get one that worked! I just kept trading them in at my local Calumet (they were great about it!), but finally I too called NPS and demanded a new one, and they did right by me. One thing I noticed - on the one that works, the packaging was slightly different. Maybe that is how they are keeping track of them.
As an aside, do you think Nikon has a drawer full of non-functioning cameras too??? LOL
joe brown |
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Trevor Little, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Peterborough | On | Canada | Posted: 5:47 PM on 08.29.06 |
| ->> My D2h, is still working just as good as the day I bought it. Mind you all the rubber is held on with crazy glue, and a good amount of the finish is worn off, and I had to replace the shutter within the first year after only 60,000 shots, but nikon did that for free under warantee and had it done in about 4 days (non-nps). So I really can't complain. |
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Glenn Moore, Photo Editor
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Tracy | CA | USA | Posted: 6:56 PM on 08.29.06 |
| ->> Our newspaper was shooting with Nikon D1 and D1H models. After about seven or eight trips to Torrance for repairs we started the switch to Canon Eos 1-D MkII cameras. Much better reliability, so far no problems with them in about two years of use. |
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Mark D Murphy, Photographer
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Long Island | NY | USA | Posted: 9:31 PM on 08.29.06 |
->> My 3 D2H bodies have 300k clicks.
One was rebuilt at Nikon USA for the meter problem, got back basically a new camera in a few days. Nikon service at Melville,NY, Rocks!
NPS sent me a loaner and I had to send it back in one day.
Never had a problem since.
No complaints, thats my story and I'm stickin with it.
Long live the D2H!
MM |
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John Cordes, Photographer
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Lake Forest | CA | USA | Posted: 2:21 AM on 08.30.06 |
->> I rented the D2H a few times and never liked the color balance. I spent way to much time in photoshop fixing stuff. I Will never by a D2H.
The D2X and D2Xs on the other hand are the best cameras I have ever owned. I love them and like the D200. can shot for days on one battery.
My D2X and I ended up under a large wave back in July. The D2X made some disturbing sounds and I could not shut the camera off. After a trip to Nikon I am glad to report that the camera is good as new. Nikon tells me the Pacific Ocean is not good for cameras.
As for D1H and D1X batteries, I have been using the Lenmar batteries. Great battery that lasts about five times longer than the Nikon batteries and they are about 35 bucks at Samy's camera. As always, call Patrick Gee at the L.A. Samy's store, he is sort of like the oracle at Adelphi. |
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