D70 Repair Service

[charles_sullivan]

The first D70 I purchased a little more than a month ago worked well

except for poor focus when taking closeup photographs. Regardless of

which settings I used, the images were not sharp. I returned the

camera to Ritz and got another one. The same problem. The Nikon tech

rep looked at the images I sent him by email and acknowledged that

there is a problem with the closeup focus. He advised me to return the

camera for service. I know that some of you have done this and

reported excellent results upon getting the repaired camera back. My

question is how long do I have to be without my camera? It bothers me

to have spent so much money on a camera--actually two of them--that is

defective. And now I have to send it out for service. Is there a way

to expedite service?

[ilkka_nissila]

Could you show us an example picture? How did you focus the image?

[walterh]

hello charles, yes it must be a pain. besides the money - for me and most likely for you as well its the long wait to use the new toy - grr.

 

which "settings" could influence sharpness? hmm - focus yes - but "settings" - (you probably know that slow shutter speeds give blurry images) - hmm give us a clue - could there be some "operator error" ?

 

cheers

walter

[ilkka_nissila]

You need to realize that in order to get good close-up pics, you need to put the camera on a tripod, focus preferably manually and focus very carefully on the main subject. Often you need to decide which part of the main subject should be sharpest. Then, stop down to f/11 and take the picture with a cable release or the self-timer. Preferably use a Micro-Nikkor as zooms often produce poor results up close.

[charles_sullivan]

I have many years of experience at macrophotography and have never before had problems obtaining a sharp image . I don't know how to upload a sample image to this site or I would do so. The settings that affect image sharpness include: image quality; I usually select JPEG fine or RAW format; additonal sharpening under the Optimize Image menu; and using matrix exposure metering, as well as spot focus on the center weighted maximium size or '12' setting. I have tried both manual and auto focus; but always resulting in images that get close to sharp but remain just slightly out of focus. This is not a backfocus issue, by the way. This is the same setup I use for getting good closeup images of wild flowers, etc., using my Nikon film camera.

 

I am going to return the camera to the closest Ritz Camera store one last time this afternoon and try to get another exchange before returning the camera to Nikon. I presume that sending the camera out for service will mean doing without it for a month or so. Dang! I've waited so long to obtain this camera only to be disappointed.

 

User error? It's always possible, I suppose; but I have taken great pains to assure that I have done everything right. Perhaps I am overlooking something. I've also tried fast shutter speeds, even though wildflower photography often requires slow shutter speeds and maximum depth of field. It appears that others have reported similar focus problems with the D70. Any suggestions?

[vivek iyer]

Charles,

 

It is a little puzzling about your claim of the close up pictures.

 

I would try this:

 

1. Use the kit lens (if you have it) and get pictures at various distances using AF (check the minimum distance possible and work with that).

 

2. If you try it for Macros and manually focus, please check if your diopter switch in the right position. I messed up a few pictures this way and now make sure that the diopter switch is properly placed (at 0 for me) before I take the pictures. Otherwise, everything will be blurred. Tripod is a must for all Macros (whether film or digital) if you want sharp pictures. To focus correctly, you may want to use a ruler with black lines on white (high contrast) near the area of the object you want in focus.

 

 

Vivek.

[Carl Stone]

If the camera goes to Nikon for service, a month may turn out to be optimistic. Now if

we could get Nion to extend the warranty period by whatever amount of time it was

tied up for warranty work, the delay would be easier to take.

[walterh]

"I have many years of experience at macrophotography and have never before had problems obtaining a sharp image . "

 

 

Charles this makes it easier to comment, sometimes its hard to tell if its a novice or experienced from the question.

 

 

"I usually select JPEG fine or RAW format; additonal sharpening under the Optimize Image menu; and using matrix exposure metering, as well as spot focus on the center weighted maximium size or '12' setting. "

 

 

only raw will help in case of problem, forget jpeg since it alters the image. same is true for sharpening. dont use it. you want to know what the camera optics does - not the cameras computer - right? exposure mode should be irrelevant just expose right .-) focussing will be a major concern. i can not say that i can be certain to have the manual focus just right with this camera unless the conditions are really vafourable. i can say that with many other cameras. the above comment about the eypeace adjustment is absolutely right, unfortunately will not solve all problems, only reduce them. macro gives certainly less than favourable conditions for focussing. i bet focussing is where your problem is. shoot a flat macro object at an angle of 45 degrees, just like for an "backfocus test". this is always what i do first in cases like this. use a flash! this eliminates camera shake pretty well. if you have no other flash and the cameras flash will be obscured by the lens use a mirror and/or white paper as reflector. a macro tent will be even better. do your test again with a lens - ring - bellows - any setup you have tested before and know that works well. this test will tell you if you get any sharp image at all. if you do then you most likely have a focussing problem. i personally would rather spend many hours trying to pinpoint the problem before sending the camera away. good luck !

 

cheers

walter

 

PS: its easy to upload an example since you already have digital images. just give it a try and you will get there .-)

[spohn]

D'Oh - I just ordered a D70. You just mentioned other folks had mentioned

problems along these lines - do you have a feel for how prevalent this

problem is? I.e., are those out there *not* experiencing this problem with their

D70?

 

Thanks,

Al

[vivek iyer]

Mine is A OK. It was purchased here in the Netherlands.

Made in Thailand.

 

Vivek.

[andreatau]

Hi charles

 

My D70 was sent to the Nikon Service centre (Norway) to get the back-focusing problem fixed. It should be just a matter of re-calibrating the camera by a PC with specific software so I'm confident that it will be back in reasonable time. How long, I guess, will depend on the workload of those repair-people.

 

I don't "have a feel for how prevalent this problem is" and am not particularly happy with sending my camera away just a few days after purchase, but rather that having it mis-function all the time... I prefer to take it positive :-)

[patricks]

charles,

expect to be w/o the camera for at least a month, perhaps longer as summer/vacation start soon.

 

the lesson to be learned is not to rush and bush 1st/2nd production batches of DSLR - regardless of brand. Canon 10D had similar problems the first couple of months. Canon 1DMkII - the new pro flagship - has tons of little issues/bugs to iron out. It is not very surprising that the D70 has them as well.

 

Is this a sad statement? Sure it is, but as Nikon & Canon competes/leap-frog each other in the digital rat race, time to market and MSRP are more important that rigorous quality control and tight tolerances in manufacturing.