Loose hotshoe

I've experienced an annoying problem with my D200 and SB-800 today.

 

With the SB-800 is mounted on the camera (and turned on), sometimes it emits

spontanous flashes and also the red AF-assist light turns on from time to time.

After some experimenting, I've realized this is happening when I shake the

camera a little bit, or tilt it to the side. This is also happening with the

camerea turned off. Simply, the hot shoe on my D200 is a bit loose and the

connection screws up from time to time. I've cleaned the connectors on both the

flash and the camera, but that didn't help. When I mount the SB-800 on my F65,

this isn't happening and the connection feels much more tight. I'm using the

lock lever, of course.

 

It was really awkward when this started occuring on a Canon's DSLR presentation

today. When the Canon's rep begun his talk about Canon's EOS being the best, I

had the urge to shout "I disagree", but, with my flash acting erratically, I

rather kept my mouth shut.

 

Any tips how to tighten the shoe on my D200 a little? No warranty repair advices

please. It takes local Nikon two months to repair anything.

 

Thanks.

Some sort of shimming (perhaps tape) to firm up the connection would probably suffice for now.

You could have said something because the Canon DSLR' do the same thing.On the Canon cameras you slide the little clip out of the hotshoe towards the back of the camera. To do this you take a small blade and lift the edge of the clip up . Then you take a screw driver and tighten the screws, after you do that, put a small drop of clear fingernail polish on the head of the screw and slide the clip back into the hotshoe till it clicks. I do not know if the Nikon one is the same way , but it might be.

I don't know if it is any consolation, Alex, but you are not alone:

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00LLD2

Not good. I've stumbled upon a D50 service manual and by the looks of it, the hot shoe is actually assembled from the inside of the camera. So, if the shoe of the D200 is manufactured the same way, it's probably not repairable as the Canon's.<br><br>

 

Or what do you think?<br><br>

 

<a href="http://img247.imageshack.us/my.php?image=nikond50servicemanualkp5.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/8986/nikond50servicemanualkp5.th.png" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us" /></a>

The SB600 has a switch to firmly attach it to the camera. From what I saw on the images, the SB800 has that too. Mine is sitting very, very firmly.

Sorry, you already told us that you are using the lock lever. I apologize. My experiences with Nikon repair are much better than yours, by the way.

Well, we don't even have a Nikon service center in Slovakia, so everthing is being sent to Czech rep. Basically, there's one service center for 15 mil. people and that wouldn't be so critical if Nikon's service wouldn't be beyond terrible. Seriously, two months to repair the slightest problem, except for registered professional customers.

actualy i have just looked at my d80 sb600 combo and the flash is a bit slacky back and for but sidewards it is no problem.

 

than I have made a closer look at the lock system and there are two small metal guides more at the back and a small pin in the front. the pin is going into a hole to prevent the system to fall of back out of the mount. If the flash is slacky sidewards it is more likly a probleme of the flash then with the camera because it is not holding firmly enough.

 

I would also say that the lock system could be improofed by adding a part that will also press the front part to the top of the mount.

 

sorry that my answer cant help you with your problem but I think it is good to know how somthing is working

found this thread while Searching the Net for a solution ...

 

I have also experienced this problem, so it's not a once-off issue, & I can confirm that it's not the fault of the SB-800 or SB-600 flash you may be using. It's definitely a fault with the D200 Hot-Shoe itself.

 

Thanks to Alex & his Schematic of the D50 above, I was able to make a 'running repair' of the Hot-shoe. I couldn't make a full repair as alex mentions, since the screws of the Hot-Shoe are actually screwed from the inside as the Camera is manufactured. However, I was able to slip-off Part no. #318 as labelled in Alex's diagram, and was able to place a stiff plastic 'shim' between the metal edge of the Hot-Shoe & the centre black-plastic area of the Hot-Shoe, which has done the trick.

 

I can give more detailed instructions if anyone is interested.

 

Thanks Alex !

 

John

Hey,

 

Neat, just got a notification for this old topic. John, that's great you've managed to get your hotshoe working better. I've actually sold my SB-800 and got a SB-400 since it's much lighter and puts less strain on the hotshoe, but of course that's not a very good solution (on the other hand, I now use faster lenses more often... Well...).

 

Anyway, can you tell us how you managed to remove that metal part? I've tried to slip it off, but it seems too tight (ironic, isn't it) and I didn't want to damage the hotshoe. I've also got a few e-mails in the meantime, asking about the issue... So your information will definitelly be very helpful.

 

Thanks :)

 

A.

I think there is a pin that gets worn out in the SB800 because mine worked until this past weekend. See

http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00R0FI

I too have problems with a loose sb800 causing spontaneous flashes, wrong TTL flash output etc.

For me this is because a previous body (a D70) was dropped on the hotshoe connection bending the clips that hold the flash in place, making it a very tight fit and hard to get the flash on and off. I think this has gradually worn down the sb800 locking pins / metal plate. On my recent bodies (D200, D300) the flash has been a bit wobbly.

 

What I found helped was to slip a tiny slither of paper or foil under the two little metal sprung plate in the camera hotshoe (it does stay there somehow even though my cameras do get some abuse!). While this actually holds the flash further away from the contacts by a fraction of a milimeter, it does hold the flash firmer and has helped prevent random flash problems.

 

Also, obviously, keeping the contacts clean and free from any corrosion helps.

 

Cheers

 

Ian

I had the same problem with my D200 after about a year of use. I use a SB600 and SB800 and they both have been loose in the hotshoe recently and firing all over the place when I don't want them to. It seemed very much like a minor loose fitting between the hotshoe and the flash contacts. The "shim under the spring plate" fix seems to work though. Without disassembling anything and by using the end of a thin toothpick, I put a sliver of tape under each of the flexible raised parts on each side of the hotshoe, where the bottom of the flash mount would touch the shoe when inserted. It secures the flash so it doesn't wobble around anymore, and the flash works properly now without firing randomly.

<p>Hi all,<br>

apologies for the late reply to this thread, but I have received many emails since my posting, so I thought I'd better respond here, so that everyone can benefit who stumble over this thread. The Mis-firing SB800 / SB600 is indeed a D200 Hot-Shoe Manufacturing Flaw, and with a flash mounted in the HotShoe, I have experienced not just misfiring of the Flash at inappropriate moments, but it can also affect the general exposure of Images taken *without* the flash even being switched on!! I have experienced this with a D200 and a Nikon 70mm-200mm f2.8 VR lens, and an SB800 on the HotShoe ( switched off ). In a sequence of 5 images taken in Continous shoot mode, ( where the scene exposure has not changed from image to image ), 3 out of the 5 images over completely over-exposed. Remove the Flash head Completely from the D200 Hotshoe and attempt the same Sequence of images, and they all turn out fine ! So it's not just a 'MisFiring' Flash gun that can be side-effect of thei HotShoe issue.<br>

Now for the bad news ... My original fix that I posted here didn't work in the long-term. After a week of happy snapping, the Flash starting to MisFire all on it's own again, while on the D200 Hotshoe. It possibly does hint to the fact that I was on the right track, but I'v e since purchased a D3, and now use the D200's for Daylight imaging only & as back-up Cameras. Severly limiting I know, so I would like to resolve this issue if possible.<br>

As Alex mentions in his post, the hot-shoe is screwed into place from underneath, so there really is no way to attempt a permanent DIY fix, without dismantling the while camera !!<br>

However, to answer other people's question of what exactly I did, I've attached a JPEG image of a close-up section section from Alex' Image. I've also annotated the image with labels, so hopefully you can follow what I did from the following instructions & by looking at the Image :<br>

1) Notice from the image, that the Metal 'HotShoe Cover' ( as I call it ) has a very thin 'Lip' at the end closest to the Camera. You essentially need to 'Pop' this lip Upwards vertically away from the Hotshoe Surface.<br>

2) Therefore, get a sharp Scalpel ( or Arts & Crafts knife - but it must have a very thin blade & pointed top ).<br>

3) From the Back of the Camera ( lens facing away from you ) slide the knife forward in the Direction of (A) in the image. The knife has to be very thin, since it needs to be placed under the metal back of the 'HotShoe Cover', you may need to 'wiggle' the point of the knife under the Hot-Shoe Cover (between it & the surface of the Hot-Shoe itself ).<br>

4) then, once the tip of the knife is under the back edge of the Hot-Shoe Cover, gently lean down on the back of the knife, so that the HotShoe Cover will then 'Pop-up' in the Direction of (B) in the image.<br>

5) once that has popped up, the Hot-Shoe cover can be slid backwards and out of the HotShoe ( it can be replaced later in a similar manner, and simply 'Clips' back into place.<br>

6) with this removed, you can then see that there are a number of screws screwed-into the HotShoe plate from Underneath, hence the nub of the problem ... i.e. these can't be tightened, since the heads are inside the Camera Body.<br>

7) However, my original solution was to cut some very thin Slivers of clear & hard plastic ( approx 4mm long, by 3 mm wide, and 0.5 mm thick ) on top & on either side of the HotShoe surface, but obviously not interfering with, or blocking the HotShoe Contacts themselves. The plastic is common Plastic found on a Kid's Toy Box wrapper, or any product with a stiff Clear plastic box.<br>

The Clear plastic slivers have the effect of creating a tighter 'Spring' grip on the Flashgun's HorShoe Contacts, and 'Squeezes' the Flash's Hotshoe Contacts down onto the D200 Hotshoe.<br>

As I say, it worked for a while, and then the problem returned, so maybe another Sliver of Plastic on either side of the HotShoe may have done the trick ... I haven't returned to test that I'm afraid.<br>

Anyway .. best of luck, and I hope that works from someone ? ... Let me know how you get on ?<br>

Of course, as I mentioned at the start of this Post, ... I feel that this is defintiely a Nikon Manufacturing / Design Flaw, and I hope someone from Nikon reads this & realises how prevalent the problem is, so that they may offer a recall of the Camera to fix this issue ... Is That a Pig I see in the Sky outside :) ??<br>

Thanks<br>

John</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Hi all,<br>

apologies for the late reply to this thread, but I have received many emails since my posting, so I thought I'd better respond here, so that everyone can benefit who stumble over this thread. The Mis-firing SB800 / SB600 is indeed a D200 Hot-Shoe Manufacturing Flaw, and with a flash mounted in the HotShoe, I have experienced not just misfiring of the Flash at inappropriate moments, but it can also affect the general exposure of Images taken *without* the flash even being switched on!! I have experienced this with a D200 and a Nikon 70mm-200mm f2.8 VR lens, and an SB800 on the HotShoe ( switched off ). In a sequence of 5 images taken in Continous shoot mode, ( where the scene exposure has not changed from image to image ), 3 out of the 5 images over completely over-exposed. Remove the Flash head Completely from the D200 Hotshoe and attempt the same Sequence of images, and they all turn out fine ! So it's not just a 'MisFiring' Flash gun that can be side-effect of thei HotShoe issue.<br>

Now for the bad news ... My original fix that I posted here didn't work in the long-term. After a week of happy snapping, the Flash starting to MisFire all on it's own again, while on the D200 Hotshoe. It possibly does hint to the fact that I was on the right track, but I'v e since purchased a D3, and now use the D200's for Daylight imaging only & as back-up Cameras. Severly limiting I know, so I would like to resolve this issue if possible.<br>

As Alex mentions in his post, the hot-shoe is screwed into place from underneath, so there really is no way to attempt a permanent DIY fix, without dismantling the while camera !!<br>

However, to answer other people's question of what exactly I did, I've attached a JPEG image of a close-up section section from Alex' Image. I've also annotated the image with labels, so hopefully you can follow what I did from the following instructions & by looking at the Image :<br>

1) Notice from the image, that the Metal 'HotShoe Cover' ( as I call it ) has a very thin 'Lip' at the end closest to the Camera. You essentially need to 'Pop' this lip Upwards vertically away from the Hotshoe Surface.<br>

2) Therefore, get a sharp Scalpel ( or Arts & Crafts knife - but it must have a very thin blade & pointed top ).<br>

3) From the Back of the Camera ( lens facing away from you ) slide the knife forward in the Direction of (A) in the image. The knife has to be very thin, since it needs to be placed under the metal back of the 'HotShoe Cover', you may need to 'wiggle' the point of the knife under the Hot-Shoe Cover (between it & the surface of the Hot-Shoe itself ).<br>

4) then, once the tip of the knife is under the back edge of the Hot-Shoe Cover, gently lean down on the back of the knife, so that the HotShoe Cover will then 'Pop-up' in the Direction of (B) in the image.<br>

5) once that has popped up, the Hot-Shoe cover can be slid backwards and out of the HotShoe ( it can be replaced later in a similar manner, and simply 'Clips' back into place.<br>

6) with this removed, you can then see that there are a number of screws screwed-into the HotShoe plate from Underneath, hence the nub of the problem ... i.e. these can't be tightened, since the heads are inside the Camera Body.<br>

7) However, my original solution was to cut some very thin Slivers of clear & hard plastic ( approx 4mm long, by 3 mm wide, and 0.5 mm thick ) on top & on either side of the HotShoe surface, but obviously not interfering with, or blocking the HotShoe Contacts themselves. The plastic is common Plastic found on a Kid's Toy Box wrapper, or any product with a stiff Clear plastic box.<br>

The Clear plastic slivers have the effect of creating a tighter 'Spring' grip on the Flashgun's HorShoe Contacts, and 'Squeezes' the Flash's Hotshoe Contacts down onto the D200 Hotshoe.<br>

As I say, it worked for a while, and then the problem returned, so maybe another Sliver of Plastic on either side of the HotShoe may have done the trick ... I haven't returned to test that I'm afraid.<br>

Anyway .. best of luck, and I hope that works from someone ? ... Let me know how you get on ?<br>

Of course, as I mentioned at the start of this Post, ... I feel that this is defintiely a Nikon Manufacturing / Design Flaw, and I hope someone from Nikon reads this & realises how prevalent the problem is, so that they may offer a recall of the Camera to fix this issue ... Is That a Pig I see in the Sky outside :) ??<br>

Thanks<br>

John</p>

<p> </p><div></div>

<p>I just experienced the same issue with my D200 and SB-800. Because I most always use the SC-29 TTL cord and off camera flash, I did not notice the issue until I was demonstrating the use of the Red focusing pattern with the flash on the hot shoe and the red pattern was erratic and the flash just too off with a life of its own.<br>

After reading a bunch of threads on this subject I tried one thing I read (sorry I cann't find and credit this idea to the proper person), which was to lightly hammer the left and right channels down a tiny bit. Part number 316 in the prev post. I layed my camera base down on a solid vise, took a small hammer and an aluminum rod and gently tapped the front and rear of one side, then the other. I test fitted my flash and after the second round of gentle tapping, it fits perfectly and all the electrical gremlins are gone. Camera still works too, haha.<br>

Thanks to the person who suggested this fix.<br>

tom</p>

<p>Yo!<br /> I was browsing the Nikon web site for accessories and I found this interesting thing:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.nikonusa.com/Find-Your-Nikon/Product/Miscellaneous/25393/WG-AS3-Water-Guard-for-D700.html">http://www.nikonusa.com/Find-Your-Nikon/Product/Miscellaneous/25393/WG-AS3-Water-Guard-for-D700.html</a></p>

<p>It's a hot-shoe protector, designed to fit between a D700 and SB-900 to protect the hot shoe from water. If you look on eBay, you'll find the blueprint images, showing that it's supposed to fit perfectly.</p>

<p>I wonder if it would fit between a D200 and a SB-800 as well?</p>

<p>Edit: there's also a WG-AS2 for D300, which should fit... I guess.</p>

<p>The same thing is happening to my D700. The flashes fit noticeably more securely on my D300 bodies.</p>

<p>I was about to send the body to APS which gave me a worse case estimate of $235. After finding this post, I may try to get Nikon to address the issue or Tom Geisler's gentle hammering fix. (The camera is four months out of warranty.)</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Just noticed this same problem on my new D700 last night when taking pix here at home. Googled and found your solutions. The method I used was even easier to do than trying to slip a piece of plastic in. I used black electrical tape and placed it on both sides of the shoe upper lugs...too tight wouldn't fit....so I tried doing it on one side only...worked fine. I used a piece of tape sticky side up and slid it under the upper lug on the left side then wrapped it around the entrance of the shoe where the flash slides in and pulled tight sticking it to the exterior of the shoe. I then took my Xacto knife and trimmed most of the tape off flush with the shoe...slid the flash in and it worked. I always carry a roll of the tape in my bag anyway to if this piece goes missing I will always have more to replace it.</p>

<p>It appears to be a common problem with DSLR's my D2x has a similar fault. Although it wouldn't fire at random the SB-80Dx was heavy enough to lift the hotshoe slightly breaking conact with the camera. As there is no way that I could afford to send the camera off for repair and after an examination I discovered the the screws are fitted internally I thought about superglue, really thought about just sticking it down, then though well I must be able to work around the problem. So here it is I bought a dedicated hotshoe extension cable, SC-28, and sourced a Vivatar flash bracket off E-bay. the whole lot cost me £20 and although it adds weight to the set up, not that the D2s wasn't heavy enough already, it also adds a bigger separation between the flash and camera that should reduce flash nasties a bit more. Hope this might help a few of you suffering loose shoe problems. :)</p>

Hi all

 

Ok so ive had this issue with my trusted D3000 and sb700.

 

The flash would randomly change settings, fire at random, then not fire at all. Auto zoom works then it doesnt or the flash

would insist I use it in manual mode only, by flashing an "M" and showing a down arrow. It would also evidently mess with

the ttl resulting in over or under exposure.

 

I fixed it by taking a sturdy pair of pliars and GENTLY squeezing the hotshoe edges towards each other. Effectively

slightly bending the two ridges down,

 

The flash is now sitting very tight (you can feel when you mount and dismount it) but Ive had no more weird issues.

 

Just be very very careful and apply very little pressure. Also use some sort of material as a buffer between your hotshoe

and the plairs, I used the strap of my camera bag.

 

I hope this helps someone out there.