Nikon announced a free cleaning and free shutter replacement for all D600 owners.

<p>But Bahram, the OP asked "Should I send my camera in anyway?"</p>

<p>My opinion was yes because of resale. I'm not sure what discussion about taking photos would have answered his question. I was just supplying a perspective that might have been useful in his decision making. Obviously the decision is his.</p>

<p>Thanks Phil.</p>

<p>Bergillions of items are subject to Product Recalls every year on the possibility of something going wrong. The more serious are usually automobile related, bad brakes or a steering linkage problem type thing.</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>It it ain't broke...don't fix it....??</p>

</blockquote>

<p>However, you're soon to be on location on the Moon, and around your neck is a camera that you <em><strong>know for sure</strong></em> others have been having big problems with, but hey yours is OK up to now......isn't it?</p>

<p>Do you really want to risk it?....Are you feeling lucky?...Your shutter's on 3500 frames...and you know that's when the problems begins to start, you've read the posts.</p>

<p>What are you going to do the day BEFORE launch?</p>

<p>Now, if <em>ANYONE</em> is saying the replacement shutters can't be trusted either, Nikon's screwed. You don't sell Ferrari's that, despite being serviced regularly, might not start one morning when you gotta take the pregnant wife to the hospital. However, if Ferrari knew about it, told you, but you chose not to 'Obey' the product re-call....more fool you.</p>

<p>Now, this is short of a product re-call, 'cos Nikon don't know when it started or the batch numbers affected....but get real. If you think this replacement might make your camera <strong><em>worse</em></strong>...Nikon are going the way of Kodak. RIP.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>If you think this replacement might make your camera <strong><em>worse</em></strong>...</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Mike, of course letting a repair person touch a perfectly working camera can make it worse. That is why people advice you: if it ain't broke, don't fix it, precisely because things have indeed gotten worse.</p>

<p>If your camera, be it is D600, D800, D4S ... has problems, by all means get Nikon to fix it, especially it is under warranty. Like my D800E, it is has been working perfectly. There is certainly no way they can make it better. I wouldn't send it in and let them touch it even they pay me $100 to do so.</p>

<p>That is the problem with these FREE offers, at not cost to the customers; these offers always get abused.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>There is certainly no way they can make it better.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I really hate to comment further on this post... beating a dead horse. But...</p>

<p>Shun, with your D800e that is true. But in this particular case they (Nikon) are offering to "make it better" than it was before. For me, I would not turn down this free offer.</p>

<p>I agree with Shun on this - it is not uncommon that something goes wrong in repair (be it whatever, car or camera, or a surgery on a human being - none of these things are entirely safe) and while one thing may be successfully fixed, new problems can be introduced in the repair that didn't exist before. It doesn't matter which company is doing it, the issue is that a human being is doing the repair and people make mistakes. If the unit is perfect as it is, opening it up and putting it back together can make it worse as there can always be wear from using tools and fingers may slip. It is a different situation at the factory as the people who make them do a specific task over and over again whereas a repairman has to be able to fix anything so they have a general training, and with this flexibility comes an increased risk of mistakes. Also if there is a mistake at the factory, the cost of starting over before resellers and shipping have increased the price is much smaller than going back in afterwards.</p>

<p><em>f you think this replacement might make your camera <strong>worse</strong>...</em></p>

<p>It's not the shutter itself that may make the camera worse, but taking the camera apart and putting it back together... But perhaps they can take infinite time in this operation ... not!</p>

<p><em>Nikon are going the way of Kodak. RIP.</em></p>

<p>I'm afraid the "wannabe" Nikons (i.e. companies who would like to be closer to market leader position) haven't gotten even started to think about making a professional service network so to complain about Nikon service you'd first have to get some alternatives interested. ;-) My experience with Nikon service is much better than with some other brands.</p>

<p>I will not send my D600 in unless I have an issue. And, I highly doubt I will ever sell it.</p>

<p>Shun, Nikon's not mentioning oil does not mean it is not there. If it were just dust it could have been blown out, not to mention I could see it with a loupe. I should also mention that this is my second D600, the first refurbished unit was covered in dust/oil. However, it was returned because the viewfinder display was not working. Like I stated earlier my problems lasted from 4,000-7,000 actuations but wet cleaning is not that difficult. I have a feeling that had all D600 owners been a little patient their problems would have cleared after a couple thousand shots too. But, they do not have to be patient.</p>

<p>I will say the only thing that I dislike about the D600 is the very small AF coverage. For $1500.00 you will never hear me complain.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>I would argue that it took Nikon 10 months after December, 2012 to have a full solution, ready for the market.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Also a big assumption - like mine. No one knows when Nikon decided to replace the D600 with a D610 and when they actually started to solve the shutter/oil issue. I could play devil's advocate and say that even the D7000 had some oil splatter issues - but from what I recall, the D600 was worse. In addition - if that oil problem never showed up in the pre-production models (which certainly should get more than a few thousands clicks on them), then the issue was somewhere on the production line and not necessarily requiring a solution in form of a new shutter (though that might have been ultimately the way Nikon chose to go - for whatever reason). It's all speculation and all that counts in the end is the result - D600 owners have a means to get the issue "fixed" now for free. Case closed.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>I will not send my D600 in unless I have an issue.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>IMO that is a wise choice. Derek, if your D600 is indeed "perfect" or anywhere close to that, sending it to Nikon will, if you are lucky, change nothing. If you are unlucky, they can potentially mess it up or it gets damaged in transit.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Shun, Nikon's not mentioning oil does not mean it is not there.</p>

</blockquote>

<p><br />Exactly. I think Nikon's service advisory is very carefully drafted, possibly reviewed by multiple lawyers so that they won't get into any unnecessary legal trouble. The fact that "oil" is never mentioned indicates that Nikon still hasn't revealed everything yet.</p>

<p>This service advisory is designed to fix those D600 that indeed have problems. If Dieter's 20% figure is anywhere close to reality, there are clearly quite a few D600 that still need repair, and at least I am glad that Nikon is finally taking care of things, although fairly late. However, there are far more perfectly fine D600 that don't require any repair. Sending those in anyway is merely wasting everybody's time and resources.</p>

<p>Additionally, there doesn't seem to be any time limit to Nikon's service advisory. If your camera is currently fine, there is no rush to send it in immediately. If some problem that is covered develops in another year or two, it won't be too late to get it fixed, for free, then. I don't think the availability of parts is an issue in the next several years.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>I will say the only thing that I dislike about the D600 is the very small AF coverage. For $1500.00 you will never hear me complain.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>The thing is that at $2750, the Df has exactly the same small AF coverage, but those who are fans of the Df are more than willing to forgive it.</p>

<p>P.S. I am still waiting for an official response from Nikon USA on whether any D600 sent to them under this service advisory will automatically receive a shutter replacement.</p>

<p>I've done a few minor dust cleanings and one wet cleaning on my perfectly functional D600. The last thing I want to do is subject it to dozens of high-G impacts during a round trip to/from Nikon, have a technician tear it down, and introduce a new highly complex assembly of moving parts that may actually misbehave later when I need it to work, all so I can fend off something that doesn't seem to be a problem.<br /><br />So unless I see some unexpectedly bad shutter-related behavior out of the body in the near term, this offer is appreciated - but not something I'd do.</p>

<p>I just wonder how much this is going to swamp Nikon's service. I know they have been farming out some repairs, and that may well be the case with these units, but I'm glad I don't need to send anything in for repair at the moment.</p>

<p>My e-mail inquiry to Nikon USA was whether a shutter assembly replacement would be automatic under this service advisory. Their reply merely repeats what the service advisory has already stated in almost identical wording. I am sure that service advisory was carefully drafted by lawyers. As far as I am concerned, there is some ambiguity built in, on purpose.</p>

<p>Nikon should be concerned that they would indeed be swamped by people seeking a free shutter replacement. For example, if someone already has 50k actuations on their D600 (probably very few D600 have reached that mark after at most just over a year), even though they have no dust/oil issues, they may feel that a new shutter can extend the normal life for their camera and increase its resale value. They have all the rights to take advantage of this free offer although not really in the spirit of it.</p>

<p>As a result, Nikon is leaving a little room for interpretations on this advisory so that if they are indeed swamped by repairs under this advisory, they can start skipping shutter replacements on the units that don't absolutely need one.</p>

<p>So unless you have a D600 that has some very unusually high shutter actuations for something that is definitely under a year and half old, and your camera is "perfect" as Derek the OP describes or something close to that, my suggestion is still: "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." As far as resale value goes, it can cut different ways. For example:</p>

<ul>

<li>Some buyer may indeed be happy that a particular D600 has had a shutter replacement.</li>

<li>Another buyer may feel that a D600 has problems and that was why it needed a shutter replacement. They may steer clear from any D600 with a replaced shutter.</li>

</ul>

<p>If I were selling a D600, my answer to any seller would be: this D600 is perfect as it is, why would I get a shutter replacement for no good reason? Have you heard that "if it ain't broke ..."?</p>

<p>On the other hand, if you happen to have a D600 that has persistent dust/oil issues, by all means send it back to Nikon for repair, but now, you are no longer under time pressure to get that done while the original warranty is still in effect.</p>

<p>Shun, you're right. The open-ended aspect of this advisory does make a big difference. I guess in a year's time they can choose to end it?</p>

<p>Funnily enough I was given an old D50 the other week with a broken screen. Inside was an original En-El3...and it's on the 'wanted' list. Can I get it replaced? I couldn't find a end-date on that service advisory.</p>

<p>Mike, I don't think Nikon can just terminate a service advisory. Essentially they are admitting that there is somethng out of the norm with some of the D600's dust issues, and they are responsible for fixing them out of warranty. That responsibility is essentially forever, but the real end is the availability of parts.</p>

<p>For example, the EN-EL3 was replaced by the EN-EL3e, which can be used to replace the original non-e EN-EL3. However, after November 2011, you can no longer sell EN-EL3e-based products in Japan. In other words, that original EN-EL3 advisory/replacement program is good as long as there are still EN-EL3e available for replacement. After some "reasonable amount of time," when there is no more replacement EN-EL3e available, Nikon is not going to spend lots of money to restart the manufacture facility to make you one more EN-EL3e.</p>

<p>Concerning the D600 and its possible shutter replacement, I would imagine that Nikon will have spare parts for at least another 5 to 10 years. Eventually they'll stop making that shutter and parts will run out. What exactly is a "reasonabe amount of time" is open to interpretations.</p>

<p>I returned my D 600 to my retailer after 13 months of ownership as I had given up on continuous oil spot issues on the sensor. I got a new D 610 in exchange. Unfortunately, the D 610 developed the same issues after a few outings and I returned it for a full credit. I have no faith in either the D 600 or D 610 based on my experience. I now have a D 800E. So far so good.<br>

Joe Smith</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Since Nikon was correcting the issue already under warranty, basically what they have done is extended the term. I would imagine that most that are aware of the issue and actually have it have already taken care of their cameras anyway.</p>

<p>I must agree with Shun because I am very weary when I have Nikon working on my camera. They fix one problem they could create another.</p>

<p>"I believe we can agree that early on announcing a free shutter replacement for anyone experiencing the "oil spots" would have smoothed over the internet amplification effect in a jiffy and gone a long way in increasing customer satisfaction and confidence." You got that right, Nikon blew it by ignoring the thousands of complaints here on PN, flickr and dozens of other photo sites. This was no "internet amplification" thing, this was the real deal and Nikon ignored it, much to their chagrin. Like all manufacturers that ignore their customers, they will lose a lot of money trying to remedy the situation. </p>

<p>First of all, it is not true at all that Nikon ignored early complaints about the D600 dust/oil issue. Their first service advisory was from a full year ago, February 20, 2013: <a href="/nikon-camera-forum/00bOOQ">http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00bOOQ</a></p>

<p>That was merely 4, 5 months since they started shipping the D600. You can argue that service advisory doesn't go far enough, but it clearly spelled out:</p>

<blockquote>

<p>As a first step, please follow the guidance from the D600 User's Manual (pages 301-305) related to the <b>Clean Image Sensor </b>function and manual cleaning using a blower bulb.<br>

If these measures do not remove all dust particles and you are still experiencing problems, then please consult your nearest Nikon service center. The technicians will examine the camera thoroughly, and service it as needed.</p>

</blockquote>

<p><a href="https://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/18180">https://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/18180</a></p>

<p>Throughout 2013, we have had numerous posts on this forum about people sending D600 to Nikon for cleaning, and Nikon has been replacing shutters in quite a few cases; occasionally they have replaced the shutter more than once on the same cameras.</p>

<p>The problem is that this is mostly a hardware issue. If it is a software/firmware issue, you fix the bug and ask people to upload the new firmware and that is it. When it comes to hardware, it takes time to develop a solution that indeed fixes the problem and then it requires manufacturing to accumulate a sufficient number of new spare parts for replacement, and then you need to line up enough technicians to perform the repair. It is not like you snap your fingers and all of a sudden, lots of spare parts and repair capability will appear out of thin air.</p>

<p>Just imagine that early on Nikon asked people to send D600 back for cleaning and shutter replacement before all the logistics are lined up, and people had to wait weeks to a few months for parts and technician availability, the complaint would have been far worse.</p>

<p>I really don't think Nikon has been handling the D600 dust/oil problem all that poorly. Whenever you have a hardware issue, there is no quick and painless solution; there are only a number of bad options to choose from, and you would definitely receive a lot of complaints.</p>

<p>Another difficulty with this dust issue is that the problem is not well defined. Exactly how many D600 indeed have real problems, and how many cases are merely from people reading the internet and started worrying about a few dust spots at f22? How many D600 are now getting some totally unnecessary shutter replacement? I am afraid that we'll never know; even Nikon themselves will never know.</p>

<p>Just a curious question...:-)</p>

<p>What could the D600 shutter do that the old D700's couldn't do that required the use of possibly the wrong lubricant and/or construction materials that made the un-defined sensor-speckling debris?</p>

<blockquote>

<p>What could the D600 shutter do that the old D700's couldn't do that required the use of possibly the wrong lubricant and/or construction materials that made the un-defined sensor-speckling debris?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Be cheap(er)?</p>

<blockquote>

<p>don't think Nikon has been handling the D600 dust/oil problem all that poorly</p>

</blockquote>

<p>They never openly admitted to an oil splatter problem - and oil on the sensor is not something that the build-in sensor cleaning or a few puffs of air from a blower will eliminate. Not even the usual wet cleaning will get rid of it - a detergent-based cleaning solution needs to be used first, followed by the usual wet-cleaning to get rid of the residue left by the detergent. Of course, this can all be reduced to pure semantics - all what counts is that they eventually came around to servicing those cameras (even though paying for shipping was left to the owner for all I know).</p>

<p>As to the Canon 6D be the only camera in that segment had Nikon stopped production - that's the price to pay for either rushing a not fully tested product to market or having poor quality control. They could have come up with a D400 in that period - and would have had that market segment all for themselves then :-)</p>

<p>The D600 shutter is quieter than the one used in Nikon's earlier FX cameras. I assume that that's why they developed it and what led to the problems as well. The Df and D610 also use this type of shutter but presumably the oil/dust/debris problem has been solved through a modification (at least Roger Cicalo of lensrentals.com says the D610 is free of this problem and I've not read of anyone reporting dust issues with the Df). The D700 makes a quite loud and distracting sound when a shot is taken and as a result I've been told to use a silencer/blimp (which I don't have as they can be lens and camera specific and not inexpensive). The D800 is a bit less loud than the D700 (as are the D3/D4 family cameras) in my subjective perception but the Df/D600/D610 are still quieter.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Df/D600/D610 are still quieter</p>

</blockquote>

<p>surprisingly enough, subjectively, the Df sounds quieter than the mirrorless Sony A7R and even the A7. The A7R lacks the electronic front shutter of the A7 and makes two loud noises while the A7 only makes one. </p>

<p>"I really don't think Nikon has been handling the D600 dust/oil problem all that poorly." I would like to poll D600 owners and see what they think. </p>

<blockquote>

<p>"I really don't think Nikon has been handling the D600 dust/oil problem all that poorly." I would like to poll D600 owners and see what they think.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Of course, if you poll people who are affected, they are naturally unhappy.</p>

<p>The fact of the matter is that Nikon had a service advisory early on, in February 2013. They have been accepting affected D600 for warranty cleaning and repair, including shutter replacement. In some cases they have even exchanged them with new D610. Now Nikon has extended the warranty period to essentially forever.</p>

<p>It is unfortunate that some D600 had problems; that is never a good situation. There are stories that certain D600 have gone back several times for this same problem. Clearly, that is very frustrating for those D600 owners. However, Nikon has pretty much done what any responsible company would have done.</p>

<p>Tim, I am afraid that your earlier statement:</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Nikon blew it by ignoring the thousands of complaints here on PN, flickr and dozens of other photo sites.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>is simply untrue.</p>

<p>They might not have done a perfect job repairing all affected D600 cameras the first time around, but Nikon never ignored those complaints.</p>