D800 Dead or Alive?

<p>My D800 camera is acting strange - it looked dead (the top right screen was totally blank), then came alive again after I moved the battery and the card in and out.</p>

<p>Now it is dead again and I can't seem to revive it.</p>

<p>Never had this problem with a camera. Usually it was either dead or alive. But maybe now it is actually dead - really dead now? Any idea?</p>

<p>Just now I opened the battery door and it came "alive"! I am afraid to turn the camera off. </p>

<p>Is it the battery contact? If so, what's the best way to deal with it?</p>

<p>Oh no, I pressed the exposure compensation button and the display is gone again. </p>

<p>Have a flashlight handy? I would check the battery compartment for any corrosion or oxidation. Clean that if necessary. Also try another, fully charged EN-EL15.</p>

<p>Are we talking about a CF card or SD card? If it is CF, I would check for any bent pins inside the CF compartment.</p>

<p>P.S. Should I mention <a href="/casual-conversations-forum/00dGDM">Schrödinger</a>? :-)<br>

Sorry Mary, I know it is not fun with a malfunctioning camera.</p>

<p>Now it seems to get back to normal, but not sure for how long. It went through an "err" message during which I could still shoot (strange).</p>

<p>I checked the battery compartment and it looks clean. I did try another battery as well when the problem occurred. Also tried another card (and another lens) in the process before I posted. I'll let it rest for now. If there's any other idea, pls let me know.</p>

<p>Didn't get your <a href="/casual-conversations-forum/00dGDM" rel="nofollow">Schrödinger</a> joke - yet. Will look closer. ;-)</p>

<p>If the problem comes back tomorrow, I would definitely send that D800 for check up. That camera is not dependable.</p>

<p>Maybe the message is to upgrade to a D810 or switch completely over to Micro 4/3.<br>

<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schr%C3%B6dinger%27s_cat">Schrödinger's cat</a></p>

<p>Mary-<br>

Try scrolling all of your control wheels (mode dial, etc) to make sure you don't have one in between "stops" - long shot, but I've had it happen with erratic results.<br>

Shun-<br>

Pretty heady analogy...</p>

 

<p>Personally, I'd send it in for service right away</p>

<blockquote>

<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schr%C3%B6dinger%27s_cat" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Schrödinger's cat</a></p>

</blockquote>

<p>Shun, I got it now. Appropriate analogy!</p>

<p>Chuck, I just tried most any button and can't get it to die now - not complaining. It very well could be possible that some setting was amiss because I placed it (with the 200mm micro lens attached) in an uncomfortable position atop a ridiculous mishmash of camera stuff just before it played dead. Just a guess, not sure.</p>

<p>If it happens again I will definitely have it checked. I plan to use it for a fashion shoot tomorrow. It will be a good test. I will also bring the Olympus E-M1 as backup - just in case.</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>Sounds like poor battery contact Mary. A sure sign of loss of battery power will be that the camera viewfinder goes dim and out-of-focus. Hopefully the fault is with the battery and not the camera. Try a different battery if the fault reappears. It looks to me like the contacts on the En-EL15 battery are less substantial than those in the camera.</p>

<p>You could try spraying the contacts on the battery (and <em>only </em>the battery contacts - well away from the camera) with a switch cleaner aerosol.</p>

By any chance moisture or condensation might have gotten inside the camera? If that is minor, the problem could go

away after things dry up. If the problem returns, by all means get the camera checked by Nikon. Otherwise, if they cannot

reproduce the problem, I am not sure what a technician can do with a working camera.

<p>Rodeo, that's the most logical explanation. Shun, don't think there was any moisture at all. Anyhow, I will check it out tonight in the event photography. If it can hold out through the entire event, then it has probably recovered from whatever. We'll see...</p>

<p>curiousity killed........</p>

<p>The camera seems to work but with these two problems at minimum: (1) Occasional "err" that would go away. (2) Focus problem even with the 24-70 and 70-200. In my past experience, these two lenses snap on the focus immediately.</p>

<p>Not wanting Nikon to just casually examine it and dismiss it as "user error", I will need to talk with them first. Thanks for lending your ear.</p>

<p>If you see "err" occasionally, i.e. not just once or twice, it is clearly not a user error. Unfortunately, that maybe an indication that some electronics inside needs replacement, and that will likely cost some money.</p>

<p>Definitely something is wrong. Wonder if the warranty covers it. Will deal with it next week. Thanks.</p>

<p>Thought some of you may be interested in an update: Many thanks to Nikon (Melville, NY) for fixing my D800 for free and returned it in one week! I was pleasantly surprised, as the warranty has already expired.</p>

<p>The identified defect was "Communication Focus".</p>

<p>The repairs as stated on the invoice:<br /> <br /> - RPL FRONT BODY<br />- RPL HOT SHOE<br />- RPL SHUTTER MECHANISM<br />- GENERAL CHECK & CLEAN<br />- CLN CCD<br />- CKD EXPOSRE<br />- CDK FLASH OPERATION<br />- ADJ AF SYSTEM<br>

<br /> Repair Charges: 0.00<br />Complimentary: 0.00<br />Shipping & Handling: 0.00<br />Total Amount: 0.00</p>

<p> </p>