Questions about D600 warranty repair

I had to return my new D600 (purchased 12/12) to Nikon for warranty repairs/cleaning last month. When I first bought this D600...worried

after reading about the sensor dust/oil issues being reported...I tested it carefully before actually using it in the field to see if my particular

example was affected. These initial tests showed it was not, and I reported that fact here.

 

 

I took the new D600 on its first extended photo trip to Utah and Arizona a couple of months ago, along with a D300 and D700 I've owned

for several years. During this trip, at some point during the first 2000 shutter actuations, images taken with the D600 showed there were numerous spots on the sensor, and the problem seemed to be getting worse the more I used it. Upon close inspection most shots revealed perfectly round, translucent, dark circles of varying sizes spread over the entire image

area, most noticeable when shooting at f/8, f/11 and smaller, and most visible on the light, even-toned passages. To me the spots did not appear to be dust, they looked like some type of oily spatter or residue on the sensor.

 

 

I had initially set up the D600 to clean the sensor whenever I turned the camera "on" and "off". I hadn't used the camera or changed lenses in dusty conditions. Neither the D300 or D700 showed any signs of dust after having been used in similar conditions as the D600. And blowing off the D600's sensor with a blower bulb

did not remove any of the spots in subsequent images. I conducted several tests to see what was going on, and it was obvious my

D600 was suffering from the dreaded oil/dust on the sensor problem.

 

I called Nikon, discussed the problem, sent them a few test images showing these spots on the sensor and they sent me a shipping label to return the

camera to NY. To make a long story short, after four weeks I got the camera back today. I just tested it and the sensor is

completely clean...for now. The repair paperwork included states they did the following: "replace shutter mechanism", "clean low pass filter",

"firmware upgrade" and various other "check and clean" procedures.

 

Some questions:

 

- What do they do when replacing the "shutter mechanism" on a D600. I've replaced both cloth and metal focal plane shutter

curtains on film cameras in the past. I had damaged reflex mirror assemblies repaired on SLRs years ago. But, what makes up the "shutter

assembly" on a DSLR? Do they replace the reflex mirror assembly?

 

- Others who have had this particular warranty work and repair performed by Nikon: has this sensor spot problem returned after a few thousand additional shutter

actuations, or does the "shutter replacement" resolve the spots on the sensor problem for good ? (I realize the D600 doesn't have the track record of older models.)

 

My concern now is the (oil?) spots will

return, mostly due to some design problem or defect with the D600 itself, after the 1 year warranty period has expired. Neither my D300 or D700 (and the D70 I owned for years) ever experienced these oily looking spots on the sensor; at most they only needed only a quick blower cleaning of the sensor every few years. I can deal with a simple sensor cleaning, but I'm very worried about having another "shutter replacement" if that's what's required to remedy this problem in the future. I hate to admit it: I no longer trust this D600.

<p>This D600 problem is too well known for Nikon not to do the right thing for its customers. I have heard that the<br>

replacement shutters are "oil spot free" for the future.</p>

<p>Its a known issue. It would have been quicker and cheaper for Nikon to swap out the whole sensor/shutter assembly that to try and fix it. That's what they did with yours.</p>

<p>Sergio: Don't know if Nikon released this statement in the US ... or even if it helps, but here:<a href="https://nikoneurope-en.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/55647">https://nikoneurope-en.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/55647</a>. FWIW, I have a 600 (purchased the day of release, so an 'early' one.), I have had no issues with it at all ... might even be a little cleaner than my D7000 ... although, so far the 7000 is used more. I think with a new shutter, and being 'on record' with Nikon you can, and should, use with confidence.</p>

Bruce: yes, that advisory also appeared in the US a few months back.

 

The good folks at Nikon USA first tried to convince me the spots were merely "dust", that the cause was "environmental"

and I should "blow the dust particles off the sensor with a blower bulb", as per their instructions. I took issue with that. I finally spoke with a supervisor who admitted to me this problem is not dust, it is "something else" appearing on the

sensor that couldn't be blown off.

 

Where this "something else" comes from was not made clear to me. Obviously my camera was suffering from that mysterious "something else", not "environmental" dust particles on the sensor, or they wouldn't have been forced to replace the entire shutter assembly. I'm guessing it's some lubricant from the shutter assembly mechanism that eventually is deposited on the sensor's low pass filter after a certain number of shutter actuations.

 

When I asked why they don't issue a recall on all D600s, so they could remedy that "something else", the lady supervisor said the

number of affected cameras wasn't sufficiently high enough to require a recall. I imagine it's an economic decision and they'll just continue replacing shutter assemblies on

affected D600s as they are returned, and as long as the warranty is in force.

 

After the 1 year warranty runs out, though, good luck getting Nikon to pay for the repair. Replacing an entire shutter assembly will be expensive if not under warranty. Nikon advised they will provide an

additional six months warranty on the original covered repair only, but that doesn't help me since that wouldn't extend my

warranty beyond the standard 1 year period. If the sensor spots come back next year, after the warranty expires, what

kind of expense am I looking at then?

<p>Thanks for the info. I will make sure to send the d600 in for repair before the warranty period ends, right now we need the camera cant afford to wait 4 weeks...<br>

I noticed the dust and oil after 500 shots or so. I figured it will continue to get worse so I plan to send it in after it gets dirty enough lol...rather than keep sending it into Nikon for 2~3 times and still not get the issue fixed, from others' example</p>

I bought a new D600 in February and within a month it had to go back to Nikon to have the sensor cleaned. After getting it

back I once again had to return it to Nikon due to more sensor spots. This time they replaced part of the shutter plate and

cleaned it but within a couple of weeks I was getting oils spots once again.

 

Nikon Australia eventually agreed to either refund the purchase price or replace the camera with a D800. They told me

that about 30% of D600's were affected by this oil problem and because they don't know which ones are affected they

won't replace a D600 with another D600.

 

I opted for the D800, paying the difference, and have been extremely happy with it, but it is a shame that Nikon don't deal

with this problem properly, as the D600 is a wonderful camera - with one obvious exception.

<p>It seems to me that the oil spots come from excess lubricant in the shutter mechanism splashing on the low pass filter and the solution is to replace the shutter assembly. Obviously they rectified the problem in production.</p>

<p>In countries where there are strong consumer laws the buyer has a satisfactory recourse. Thats why Nikon swapped the whole camera for Martin above.</p>

<p>My D600 nightmare: I bought a D600 in May of this year (2013), and after three weeks a few spots appeared. I was on vacation so I continued to use the camera. After four weeks a MASSIVE number of spots appeared and I sent it in to Nikon's New York repair facility. Two weeks later I received the camera back, they had replaced the shutter mechanism and cleaned the low pass filter. I took the camera outside to take some blue sky test shots which revealed about ten dark spots still on the sensor. I called Nikon and complained about it. I sent it back with a letter asking for a product replacement or at the very least a sensor/lowpass filter replacement. Yesterday I received the D600 back from Nikon and the workorder shows all they did was re-clean the already cleaned sensor. Test shots show the exact same spots present as when they received it for the second time. <br>

On the phone again today with a manager asking for a product replacement. She told me they have to evaluate the camera first, so back to Nikon A THIRD TIME! How ridiculous is it that an untrained consumer can see a serious problem in 5 minutes, and Nikon's service center has now twice sent out a camera with a damaged sensor.</p>

<p>One more thing: HEY NIKON - can we end the fantasy that the problem is dust? From the owner's manual: "Note, however, that the filter is extremely delicate and easily damaged." And apparently it is damaged when lubricant from the shutter mechanism hit it.</p>