Nikon D300 Issues

Folks, first of all, I have been trying to get some answers from Nikon USA on this issue. I have talked to two different contacts photo.net and I have. Unfortunately, I have not been able to get an official answer yet, but Nikon is clearly aware of this issue, and they are aware of this thread in photo.net also.

<P>

I think it is fair to say that this is a difficult problem to diagnose.

<P>

Again, let me repeat these suggestions:

<UL>

<LI>

A lot of the problems happen with the 70-200mm/f2.8 AF-S VR or other long teles mounted. That <B>may</B> have something to do with the fact that those lenses have large elements that require more current from the D300 body to drive them, but we are not sure.

<LI>

Cleaning the electronic contacts between body and lens seems to help in a lot of situations.

<LI>

If cleaning doesn't fix it, I would send both the D300 body <B>and at least one lens</B> that causes this problem to Nikon for diagnostics.

If Nikon only gets the D300 body, that is merely half of the problem; it is likely that it'll take much longer and a lot more frustration on your part before this problem can be resolved.

<LI>

If Nikon cannot fix the problem after the D300 has been back twice, I would pressure them to replace your camera unless the problem is in the lens. Most of the D300 bodies out there do not have this problem. For example, mine works perfectly from day 1, and I have a very early sample (purchased in late November, 2007, a week after the D300 was released) and I use all sorts of long teles with it, including a 70-200 and 200-400mm/f4 AF-S VR.

</UL>

<P>

This problem is not totally limited to the D300 body and the 70-200 zoom. I have seen 1 or 2 reports that some D3 have the same issue and with other lenses, but most of them involve the D300 and 70-200.

<P>

I know these comments are not that helpful to those who run into this problem, but until Nikon provides an official answer, there is not a whole lot more photo.net and I can do.

I bought a D300 in March and started having the false battery warning within the first two

weeks. I'm using the new 16-85 VR lens. The first time I noticed it was when I used a

sb-600 flash and since then it was happened at least a couple of times a day with or

without the flash. It also happens quite a lot if I attach the quick release plate for my

tripod. The only way I can get this false battery warning to go away is to take out the

battery and put it back in.

 

I'm hoping Nikon can figure this out because I don't want to send it to them and have no

resolution. Also, it would be nice if there were an email address we could write to and

discuss the issue with a technician instead of having to call a service center where they

won't understand the problem. I'll continue to follow this thread to see what Nikon says

about the problem. Thanks for looking into this issue Shun.

 

Kurney

I received my Nikon D300 as a gift in late February. I use a Sigma DC 18-200 mm lens. For the first two weeks it worked wonderfully, but soon after it began having the false battery reading issue, and had had a couple of black frames, with the aperture info being blank on the image info.

 

I called Nikon and the tech told me that he had to let someone know about my issue, as someone above him was keeping an eye on this particular problem. After, he tried to hint that it was my lens causing the problem. It had no issues when I had the AF and OS off, so it is definately NOT a battery drain issue because of the lens. I also contacted Sigma, and they hadn't heard of an issue with that combination(and, apparently, the person I talked to had the same setup and had no problems, though I'm not sure if that was a factual statement or not).

 

I did some research into the problems I was having, and found the threads mentioning the exact issues that my D300 was having, and they mentioned that cleaning the contacts may clear it up. I went to the nearby Nikon dealer to have them clean the contacts, I (even though it's not probable) did not want to take the chance of Nikon telling me the issues were from me cleaning it.

 

After the cleaning, the camera functioned properly for about a week and a half before it started having the same issues again. I'm sure it's not from any temperature issues as the first time it started malfunctioning it had not been outside at all in at least 15 hours, and I was shooting inside at room temperature.

 

I sent the camera out to Nikon in Melville and have yet to hear anything about what the problem actually is. It's "In Shop". It's only been a week or two, but the images I'm missing are driving me insane. I can't wait to get it back, and I hope they actually fix the problem.

<em>"it would be nice if there were an email address we could write to and discuss the issue with a technician instead of having to call a service center where they won't understand the problem"</em>

<p>

It is possible to email a technician directly. Register at the link below and submit one via a form. The rest of the conversation can be via email. The email format is very ugly but the direct dialog is there. I've had mixed results. Occasionally it seems the technician doesn't understand me but other times they have been helpful.

<p>

<a href="http://support.nikontech.com">http://support.nikontech.com</a>

Hello

 

I have followed this thread and Nikonians and I too have this issue . I sent in my 70 x 200 Vr and they replaced the lens bayonet mount and adjusted . The lens is tighter but i still have the dead battery issue with a D200 and a new D300. I sent in my D200 and it is on parts hold now at nikon NY. I have contacted Shun by email Thanks Shun for looking into this for all of us. I too have friends with D3 and the same issue is happening with them. I will wait to see if nikon fixes the D200 first and what they did before i send in my D300 . i don't have any issues with my other Nikon VR lens. I am confused as to what is up . In my case the lens was repaired and inspected and that wasn't the cause but what nikon did to the lens helped. OH the lens was only 6 moths old hardly used as i always had focus issues on My D200.

Folks, don't need to thank me. Since I moderate the Nikon Forum here and also reviewed the D300 for photo.net, I am curious about this problem myself, although fortunately I have no problems so far.

 

Unfortunately, I still haven't received an official answer from Nikon yet. I won't respond to individual posts because I would be saying this same thing again and again.

Whoa - did anyone notice that Joe said that the dead battery problem is on his D200 as well?

 

This is like a scary movie. I just gotta stay positive that I'm in the other 90% that is doing okay...or 99% or whatever

Hello

 

I just called Nikon and they have repaired my D200 that had the same issue as my D300 ( Dead battery with 70x200 2.8 VR lens )I havent seen the report yet but the nikon tech support person said they replaced three elec parts including the MB adjusted focus cleaned and mapped out dead pixel , replaced the rubber grip and others. If this works I will repost . My D300 hasn't had the dead battery issue after cleaning all contacts with Deoxit . I sent in my other D200 last fall for the same issue and it works fine now .

 

Thats three for three with the dead battery issue and the above lens.

Shun, the second thread you reference is quite likely to be a case of the 70-200mm f2.8 grounding problem, which tends to look like a camera problem if you haven't seen it before.

 

You mention "A lot of the problems happen with the 70-200mm/f2.8 AF-S VR or other long teles mounted". Wild guess, the particular group of lenses is the same ones that crash many Nikon bodies (especially D70) when teleconverters are used, due to the well documented lens power distribution problem. The group of four or five lenses includes the 70-200mm f2.8 and the 300mm f4. There's a Nikon repair procedure for a "ground modification" or "earth modification", a one wire addition that clears it right up.

 

The Nikonians thread was started by a person who found out that it was really a 70-200mm problem. Half the complaints in the Nikonians thread also are about problems that won't happen in the shop, could this be because the shop didn't have access to the lens that was used by the person with the problems. One guy had a camera lens mount replaced three times. What are the odds, bad camera, or a bad lens that's chewing up mounts? At least one person in that thread was smart enough and, more importantly, calm enough to notice this.

Hi

 

Follow -up for dead battery issue for me and the 70 x 200 2.8 Vr lens. this is the only lens in my collection that gives me this issue.

 

Nikon repaired my D200 a few weeks ago and the dead battery issue was fixed .I posted this in another area but will use this one in the future .

 

I just sent in my D300 last week for the dead battery issue the temp cleaning with deoxit was not working . I will repost with an update as to the fix if any on my D300.

 

As a further note I sent in my 70 x 200 2.8 vr to nikon a few month ago and they replaced the bayonet mount and adjusted the focus . The lens fits tighter on all three camera bodies but still created the dead battery issue .

Well, I have to say that this is all discouraging. I was in the process of ordering a D300 and decided to go to a forum and see what others had to say. This has put a definite hold on my decision to purchase this Camera. I would assume others have done the same thing, Nikon is probably losing quite a few sales due to this. I personally dont want to take the chance that I will get a dud and have to go through hell getting it replaced and or fixed (it looks like there is no fix). Why would someone buy a camera with known faults and failures - I would have to sell my D80 and other equipment to purchase one - the thought of having to go through what others have gone through is just not worth it to me. I also find it poor customer service for Nikon to deny that there is a problem. Maybe now they are having to admit it, but how much frustration has there been. Nikon should have someone monitoring all the popular forums for issues like this and be on top of it when someone calls - not act like they have never heard of it. ( By the way I have seen this statement on quite a few forums, different people, so it is happening ). I hope they get it right, I would hate to change brands, but is a possibility.

Mark, I am afraid that you are drawing completely the wrong conclusion here.

 

I suggest you to also take a look at this thread from a week ago:

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00PPbf

 

By far the majority of D300 owners, including me, have absolutely no problem whatsoever. However, a few individuals do have serious problems that Nikon apparently has difficulty to fix.

 

It is like a few years ago there used to be quite a few trouble reports for the F100, which was at the time the best selling Nikon (film) SLR. Not that the F100 had any major problems in general, but just because there were a lot of F100 bodies out there, the number of complaints was high. Typically the majority of satisfied owners simply don't post about their positive experience.

Hello

 

As I read this thread I see that other than a few people who use the 70 x 200 vr on their cameras state that it must be a user problem or a rare problem.

 

Let me share my experience as I own a D300 , D200 , D3, D70, and I won't go into my Canon gear. I shoot for fun and look at the camera as a tool and as all my tools i use them allot not abuse them. With any tool you need to get to know it inside out and bond with it to get the most out of it for your purpose. That said most casual shooter only buy the entry level lens or just shoot once in a while. I take at least 200 pic a day so my camera get used . The new VR lens are energy hungry and the weight doesn't help either. The more electronics used in these lens the more critical the contacts and pathways are.

 

The 70 x 200 2.8VR is one of the most popular lens .I have one and have had it serviced by nikon NY a month ago for the dead battery issue mentioned on the D200 and D300 and now some D3 cameras body. Nikon replaced the bayonet and adjusted the lens focus. Nikon gave it a clean bill of health as to comply with their spec for that lens. Granted it does focus much sharper and faster and fits tighter on the camera body.

 

That took care of the loose play when mounted on the camera body. I could repeat the dead battery issue by twisting the lens on the body as you would under normal use shooting hand held not on a tripod.

 

On to the camera body problem !!!!! I sent in two D200 body wrote a letter with all info as to the issue i was seeing and the repair done on the 70x 200 2.8 VR . I also included that this lens was the only lens i had that would create the dead battery issue. Results !!! Nikon replaced several electrical items in the camera and adjusted the focus . WOW they fixed both D200 body now so far they work great with the 70 x 200 2.8 VR.

 

On to the D300 , It is in repair status now at nikon NY and I included a letter with a history as i did with my D200 camera body. I will repost as to the the repairs done and if they fixed the D300 .

 

My point is that Nikon is a large company and as a large company their will always be problems with products. If every one used their camera and had the same lens it would be easier to isolate an issue. Being said I would advise anyone who has this issue to send in the camera and lens that is creating the problem to Nikon and let them fix it. I have read in some case that people did that and didn't get any results. I can only say so far that every piece of nikon equipment that i have sent into nikon NY has returned perfect and in most case better that new.

 

I have had to send in every nikon camera and lens for repair so quality issue maybe but i use my gear not abuse it so if their is a problem I usually will see it .

I also am starting to experience this frustrating issue. I have approx 4200 shutter releases to date and I get a low battery warning about 20% of the time. It occurs either with my 80-400mm VR or my Micro 105mm VR. I brought it to the Nikon service centre in Montreal where they were not able to reproduce the problem. They indicated that they suspected that VR was part of the problem as it draws power from the battery. I am not convinced. Anyhow, they cleaned the contacts and returned the camera. I hope that this will fix it. I'll post a follow-up either way as soon as I have new data to contribute.

Ok !!!! round four for me.

 

I just called nikon and they couldn't find anything wrong with my D300 general cleaning and adjusting focus was their reply no parts replaced. My second D200 that was just repair has started to do the dead battery issue again . I have had it with this issue . I really think that we all are getting the run around For me I will never buy another nikon product again . I have invested in Canon L lens and a 40D and love the pictures the controls are not as easy as nikon but It isn't that big of an issue. I have made thousand of shots with the 40D and love it. Every time i take my nikon out it fails in one way or another. I never thought I would be saying what i just did as using nikon for 15 years. I have payed good money for camera equipment and when it doesn't perform for me i have to look at the reason.

 

I quite being loyal why should we as consumers put up with faulty equipment and repair and hit and miss fixes in my case no fix. Their is an option to keep the lower end lens that work and not buying the more expensive lens that give us problems. But isn't that the whole reason for investing in one camera brand to be able to upgrade and keep the glass.

 

Just my experience with this problem and at 57 I have no patients for these type of issues life is too short i just want to take pictures and have fun doing it.

Hi,

 

I have 2 Nikon D300 and BOTH started to have this problem after 2 weeks heavy usage. Both only have this problem in combination with then Nikon AFS VR 70-200 2.8. If you use this lense it has a bigger tollerace within the bajonett - you can turn it about 2mm to the left and right - this does not happen on a D200, F5, D3 or so on... If you use other lenses on the D300 it does also not happen. - So if now you have the lense in a somewhat bad position - there is a contact problem and you get eiter a F0 error or a battery error displayed and a black picture taken.

I have opened a service request at Nikon. In this state the cameras are nearly useless with the 70-200 VR. And also sometimes: I get a flatter within the VR...

 

regards

 

Alex

Seems to me that the 2mm play you describe is outrageously large. Make sure you emphasize this in your communications with Nikon. This may be a key issue and it could be that the D300 is particularly sensitive to misalignment of the electrical contacts.

Alexander, I highly recommend you send BOTH the D300 body (bodies) and the 70-200mm lens to Nikon for evaluation. This could well be a problem with your lens.

 

Nikon USA has never responded to my inquary about this general problem back in April. I waited a week back then and asked them again; they said that they got my e-mail but did not respond.

 

Incidentally, earlier today Thom Hogan has commented on this very topic in DPReview. A few weeks ago, I talked to him briefly over e-mail, citing this particular thread, and he gave me essentially the same answer as in his post:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1039&message=28063520

 

And Hogan followed up with a more thorough answer:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1039&message=28065721

Follow - up nikon repair NY

 

I just received my D300 from Nikon NY a letter stated they could not re create the issue cleaned and returned. Now what is wrong with this issue both my D300 and 70x200 2.8 vr have been sent in and they still fail on me when the combo is in use. I am doing nothing other than using the combo. I feel like they are just passing this one off as user error not camera. WHY !!!!!!!

Joe,

 

Wow! You get your lens and camera combo back from Nikon and you are able to reproduce your issue out of the box. And this was after they had successfully made earlier repairs to the same lens and two D200 bodies that had similar issues?

 

Sounds possibly like the individual tech who looked at the D300/70-200 may have been sloppy.

 

I'd suggest a politely worded letter sent to tech support management. If it's a very consistent problem, you can describe how disappointed that they didn't reproduce it this time despite having successfully done so with the earlier repairs. An insinuation about how you might switch to staying with your gear from another large DSLR manufacturer might get a little more attention.

 

I'm not saying Nikon doesn't want to do a good repair job. But technicians are human and they can miss things.

 

Maybe ask Nikon to pay for the next round of shipping and to expedite the service. In the past, when I've taken the time to write a well phrased letter describing all my circumstances, I've received good results.

New follow-up

 

Just received my D300 back from Nikon fro the DBS . Nikon cleaned and checked . A letter was sent that they couldn't reproduce the issue. I sent it in with a letter that i was using the nikon 70x 200 2.8 Vr and i keep getting the dead battery issue. Nikon sent me a new battery to try just in case the old one was an issue. I use AA and the grip but did put the battery in the camera as a backup. I took at least 500 pictures over the weekend no problem . Nikon did take a thousand pictures while they had it so i know they tested it.

 

Time will tell if the DBS will return or not

Has anyone had an update on this yet?

 

Mine is doing it and I am terrified to hand it to Nikon for weeks only to get it back with a letter saying that they can't duplicate the problem.

 

I need my camera and I need it to function. It's a month old for crying out loud! They are obviously still manufacturing these with the

problem which is really scary.

Nikon D300 firmware version 1.03 is supposed to address this false battery low issue, at least according to the press releases. It is too soon to tell whether that is really the fix.

See this thread for the new firmware information:

http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00Q19n

 

If you have personal experience about whether this is the fix or not, please follow up.

I just bought my d300 at b&h in NY. No I am back in Norway, and my camera is completely "dead". Nothing works. I hav

recharged the battery etc, but it doesnt help. Have som of you found an answer to this problem?

Hi F.B., I assume you had tested your D300 thoroughly while you were in New York.

I would check the electronic contacts as well as the battery. Make sure that the contacts are clean, especially among those between battery and camera. Also check the contacts around the lens mount area. Hopefully you can find another EN-EL3e to test your camera with.

 

Did you have the D300 with you in your hand-carry luggage all the time? Hopefully it did not suffer from any impact during the trip.