jettlich Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 Two months ago I posted a message on this forum stating a problem I was having w/ my D70 LCD screen stating "No Image Available" for some shots periodically. We came to the conclusion I should buy a new SanDisk. We've had a new SanDisk for two(+) months now. It seemed to be working fine until a few wks ago. The "No Image Available" message is starting to come up again - only periodically. But unacceptable if you can't afford to lose photos! My husband was able to recover them w/ the SanDisk recovery software. Obviously there must be something wrong w/ the CAMERA itself, not the two disks we've tried. Perhaps the pins that connect the disk to the camera brain are not working or are bent (doesn't look that way w/ a simple glimpse w/ unmagnified human eye). The question is: Is it worth it to send Mr. D70 away to get a quote and then perhaps fixed? I'd be w/o my camera during Thanksgiving, Christmas, and likely daughter's birthday, so would have to use my N80 as a back-up (yes, film! I haven't done film in 3 years!!). OR - would it just make more sense to move on and buy the D80? Don't know when Nikon may release the next in the line of D70, D80, etc. . . Thanks for any feedback. I'm curious to know if others have had this experience and if so, what they did. Also, your thoughts on what I should do. Appreciatively, Jenna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juanjo_viagran Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 I'd upgrade but to a D200, they use the same memory card as your D70 plus is a much better camera, if you have any older AI manual focus lenses you can get metering with the D200, that's a big plus for some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce_margolis Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 Jenna, everyone will give you a different opinion on this one. My take, I would send the D70 to Nikon (or some other service facility) and have them check it out. Maybe it is a quick inexpensive fix. Nothing wrong with shooting film in the meantime but another option, buy an inexpensive P&S. Even though I usually carry a lot of expensive Nikon gear, I always have my little guy with me as a backup. The cameras today take pretty good pix, at least for snapshot quality. You can get a decent little camera for $200 (US) or so. If you really need/want a D80, I also would wait a bit and go with the D200 unless it is just too large for you to handle. The D200 price should drop a bit more after the D300 is released shortly. Thus the D80/D200 price difference will be smaller. IMO it is worth a few hundred dollars more for the D200 but YMMV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonybeach Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 Do you format the cards in the camera? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jettlich Posted November 15, 2007 Author Share Posted November 15, 2007 Yes, we format the cards in the camera. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walterh Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 "Obviously there must be something wrong w/ the CAMERA itself, not the two disks we've tried." Not at all obvious to me. How could a D70 damage the CF card slowly in two month time? I just don't see that. I would think it is some software problem or a problem of the card. There are many forged Sandisc cards around perhaps it is one of them or two of them?. I personally would want to analyze the CF card and see what the problem is but this is not trivial. Perhaps you can find some computer "guru" who knows a lot about memory cards? Don't get me wrong - it is a possibility but I think not very likely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick_bumgardner Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 Are you filling the cards all the way up till you have 0 shots remaining? I have found that when you have 0 shots remaining you are much more likely to get the message you speak of. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShunCheung Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 I tend to agree with Walter. If this is indeed a camera issue, your 2nd CF card should have the same problem immediately (unless your particular D70 can somehow gradually degrade the memory cards ....). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert_hooper1 Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 Send the camera to Nikon for an evaluation. You will be better equipped to make a decision to purchase a new camera after you receive a determination of the problem and repair quote. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lahuasteca Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 Yes, I've had this exact experience. I kept getting the "no images" note, it was not recording. Mine was a D70s - I sent it to Nikon for a quote, about $250.00. Mine was a "low mileage" D70s, about three months out of warranty. To my suprise, they decided to repair it for free - I know the CCD was replaced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wei_who Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 I had same problem before with my D70. Its the contactor from D70. Fortunately, I have repair experience and fixed it by my self. If you send to Nikon, they will charge around $250 regardless what problem and plus major parts if needed. Your question become: pay $250 for old D70 or buy a new one for $$$+ performance!!!-sale old D70. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg_giglio Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 See if there's a firmware update available. If that doesn't help, I'd have Nikon look at it. Worst case, (and Nikon may hate me for saying this) have you considered the D40? About half the price of the D80 and still loaded with features. Go with what makes you happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walterh Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 Wei I can understand how bad contacts between camera and card can produce read/write errors in the card. These errors may easily accumulate but are not physical "damage" of the card. A format of the card can correct such errors, perhaps not the in camera format. It may require a special (expensive) software- hence my recommendation to look for someone who knows about storage cards. Bad contacts need cleaning or replacement of the card adapter in the D70. Bad contacts will (typically)not damage the card but thorough reformatting may be needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wei_who Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 Walter, In my case, the card was not physically "damaged", but electrically damaged. If you use different software/machine you may recover it. In the real world, sometimes things are not that black and white (connect/disconnect), it maybe in a "between" status. My guess is that the camera had ?bad write? then it can't read back:? No Image Available". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrewg_ny Posted November 16, 2007 Share Posted November 16, 2007 I would think a working D70 would be worth > $250. Perhaps buy that D80 for yourself, get the D70 fixed, and sell it. Or sell it as-is for a fraction of the cost of a good D70 and let someone else fix it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen_fassman Posted November 17, 2007 Share Posted November 17, 2007 The average Nikon charge is @200 vs the cost of a D80.....go for a D200 if you wish to spend the $. Besides, where can you get a "new" D70 for #200? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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