Nikon D70 can't start

[wp_cheng]

My D70 can't start. The battery is fully charged. The green light at the back

of the camera just keep blinking.

 

Can someone please advise what I can try before sending it the Nikon Service

for repair.

[tholte]

Send it in to Nikon for repair, they should fix it for no charge. Sounds like the blinking green light of death syndrome (BGLOD). Happens to just about everybody that bought an early D70. Nikon has been good about doing the repairs, even if the warranty has expired. Good luck!

[michael s.]

Tim is correct. <p>

 

This is the Form I used to send my camera to Nikon USA for that <a href=http://www.nikonusa.com/email_images/nikonusa/service_advisory/d70_service_form.pdf>D70 service</a>. <p>

 

Mine was on "parts hold" for a few weeks (status can be checked online), but has now been sent back and seems to be ok. <p>

 

The only thing I'd add would be that a recall would've been a good thing here. This happened to many cameras, not just a few. Nikon could have, and I'd say should have, put out a bulletin saying:<p>

 

<<<< This may or may not happen to your camera. If you wish, send it in now and we'll replace the worrisome part(s). Or you may send it in later, if it malfunctions, and we'll do it then. Either way, no charge. >>>> <p>

 

That way, <i>the customer</i> controls the timing, rather than have the camera poop out right at the beginning of a long trip, as recently happened to me.

[tholte]

Michael, mine went kaplooey while I was reviewing images on my LCD in a traffic jam. Would have been really corked if it happened right before a trip like happened to you. The positive thing about sending it in to Nikon to get fixed was that it came back in mint condition, they really cleaned it up nicely.

[michael s.]

<< ... right before a trip like happened to you ... >>

 

Wish I'd have been that lucky. It actually happened when we were already away on the trip, out of the country.

 

My reaction was unprintable, at least here on a family-oriented website. :)

[chansonbleu]

I agree a notice shoud have gone out warning D 70 owners. Mine pooped out at a very unopertune time two weeks after purchasing it. It did it again a year and a half later when I was on vacation. I had a backup film camera the first time, I did not bring a backup the second time. Shame on me. The good news is Nikon took care of it free of charge even though it was out of warranty.

 

I live on the east coast and it took about two weeks total (from when I put it in the mail to when I recieved it back) The on line repair tracking was kind of useless. By the time I got a repair number to track, my D70 was in a box at my doorstep.

 

Regards

Steve

[trobison]

Working at a Camera Shop, I get customers with broken cameras fairly often. I'd heard of the BGLOD error, but never really knew what it meant. The clarification BGLOD=Blinking Green Light of Death, I always thought it was more technical than that, so it brought a smile. Too bad I sent away a customer the other day with this problem, but didn't know what it was.

[rjacksonphoto]

Does anyone really know how many cameras were affected by BGLOD? I'm curious to know an official estimate.

[tholte]

R, Nikon knows and they will never tell. Michael, worse situation than I thought. It would have burned me to lug a camera around that did not function, imagining all the great shots I could have taken.

[michael s.]

I was fortunate, Tim. I had a back-up -- a p & s digital camera (a Canon) that proved to be surprisingly versatile under the circumstances. <p>

 

Without the back-up, I'd have felt ... subhuman. <p>

 

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[ernest_franklin]

Supppposedly this had been fixed with D70S, not. Mine died after three weeks. Nice job, Nikon.

[michael s.]

Evidently, Ernest, you are <a href=http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1034&message=16085877>not alone</a>. Hope you're back in action soon.