Dark images on D300 - sent to Nikon to be fixed ( ? )

[mauricio_orozco]

Hi guys, I have a D300 and recently I sent it to Nikon to be fixed. Since I have this camera, I have had two 3rd party

lenses : Tamron 17-55 f/2.8 and Sigma 24-70 f/2.8. I do not have them anymore, so I had to return them, because I

was getting dark pictures sometimes, I mean, completely black in my LCD screen. In the begining, I thought,

probably that they were not performing as they should because they were 3rd party lenses and I was unlucky by

getting bad copies, so I better decided to return them. Finally, I decided to stay with only Nikon lenses : 16-85 VR,

70-300 VR and my baby Nikon 50 f/1.8. The other day I was shooting tigers at Bush Garden here in Tampa and

again, I got a couple of dark pictures using my 70-300 VR mounted on my tripod. I was shooting from the indoor

glass room and it was in the morning around 10 AM when suddenly I got a couple of dark pictures in my LCD. I

started to inspect my camera and also changed some settings. I started using center weighted, spot and matrix and

viceversa, different WB setting, AF settings and I noted my next pictures were getting underexposed. Initially I was

shooting S and A but then switched to M and the same results were there. So I was freaking out because then I

knew the same thing happened before were I had the 3rd party lenses mentioned above, so I did realize that was not

a lens problem but probably a camera problem so I decided to send the camera to Nikon for inspection and probably

to be readjusted. My question is : has anyone of you have had this same problem with the D300 ? Please don't ask

me about if the battery was fullly charged because it was, the VR was off because I was using a tripod, so I do

believe I am very careful when I go out for shooting so I did my homework before starting my shooting session.

Also, back when I had the Tamron, I was shooting at night using my SB-800 and suddenly 2 pictures were

completely black, so I do not know if this a common problem or simply my camera needs to be readjusted. Is

anyone of you guys having this problem ? If so, did it happen using Nikon lenses or 3rd party lenses ? My camera

will be in Nikon hands today and I expecting they call me soon to let me know what the problem is and as soon as I

know, I will update you for future references but again, please help with your inputs to find out if what happened to me

was something to expect or not. Thanks in advance. You are the best !! Maurice.

[gp photography]

I had the same problem with my D300. I was shooting in my Studio and had my Nikon 17-55- 2.8 glass attached. It was working fine through 600-700 shots, then started going under-exposed with the settings at M - 250/f8 with pocket wizards firing (4) X-1600 white lightning strobes. It wasn't constant at first, but then became, as I continued to shoot. Tryed other glass same issue. It then started to 0 out on the f/stop when any glass was added, but would be fine when glass was removed. So I figured it had to do something with the camera/lens connection area on the front of the camera. I also started having some battery issues once I installed the latest software update from NIKON. Don't know if this had anything to do with the lens issue or not. Now at NIKON being repaired.

 

Gary

[tri-x1]

No, I have never had that problem

[frank_skomial]

I believe this poster complained about dark images when external studio strobes were used...

 

Though responses are on similar or the same subject. You may have a look at it.

 

http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00QhvP

[wpahnelas]

mauricio: don't be (too) upset... it sounds like your baby is broken. but the nice people at nikon will fix it or send you a good one. no worries... i am a little surprised at your troubleshooting protocol, as you concluded that you were "unlucky" in getting 2 bad 3rd-party lenses, without even a little suspicion about the D300 itself. there is nothing very extrordinary about electronics failing -- even the best brands have some failure rate (as you have discovered). it is not a crisis. you will soon be a happy shooter again.

[ronald_moravec1]

If in sunlight, you should see the same exposure required for film of the same ISO. I sometimes use sunny 16 or a hand meter for digital.

 

If you are getting wildly shorter exposures, the camera meter is recommending wrong exposures. If the meter readings are correct, then the shutter is running fast.

 

Generally electronics that will fail, fail early in their life. This is why good manufacturing dictates they burn in new circuits to catch the bad ones. Statiscally they catch most. There will always be few that fail just outside the burn in time. It is impossible to find all with 100% sucess.

 

You were unlucky, that is all. That is what the warrantee is for and why you buy USA registered product.

[mauricio_orozco]

Thank you guys for your inputs. Yes, I should feel lucky instead because this is happening before the expiration of my warranty so I guess Nikon will honor and fix whatever problem they may face and make me happy by either fixing my camera or replace it for a another one.

[moniquedicarlo]

Same thing happened to me! Black images with fully charged battery. Also sometimes the camera just doesn't respond at all, nothing happens when I pressing any buttons. I turn it off and back on and then it works again. I use a Tamron 18-200 XR. Should I return my camera???

[mauricio_orozco]

I would send it in under the warranty Monique. This is a very expensive equipment and should not behave in that way. I do believe you should contact Nikon and go from there. Mine is today in New York and I am expecting they call me today to let me know what the problem is and have it back next week.

[moniquedicarlo]

I just called my camera store and they'll ship it to Nikon for me. Hope it'll be fixed and have my camera back before my camping trip during Columbus day weekend! Thanks and keep us in the loop!

[gp photography]

I had mine fixed, got it back and it happened again within 2 weeks...now going back to NIKON, their expense. Glad I have 2 D300's and 1 D200 or I would be out of work!

 

G.

[robert_perry3]

Wow, for many months I googled for someone to have this problem besides me. This is pretty close, except I have the D200. I don't know what causes this to happen but I will turn on the camera be shooting normally...(that is auto-focus working fine, ISO is at 100 or at a setting appropriate) turn it off, new location, turn it on and the 1st thing I notice is that the autofocus is not working. That is the initial indication that the F-stop is also reading 0. Which equals dark images. I am using Nikon 35-200 VR Lens on auto. I have tried to adjust the ISO, nothing. Played around with the auto-focus, nothing. Turn the camera off and then on, nothing. Replace the battery, nothing. I then give up. Then maybe sometime later I turn the camera on and it is functioning normal again.

As I bought this in May of 2007, I think the warrenty may be up, but I'm not sure.

Anyone have an answer as to why?

[ron_matason1]

<p>Let's revisit this.<br>

Has anyone gotten positive results from Nikon on thie black image problem?<br>

My new d300s just started to give me black images. I saved the last one. They always happen using available light in normal daylight using ISO 320-500 and my 18-135 DX lens. The black frame is followed by a normal exposure. <br>

I have also seen a recurrence of a previous 18-135 DX issue and that is "no auto focus action." Sometimes the focus stutters but then stops. I had this issue repaired twice by Nikon at a cost of about three months wait time for "parts." Last time I removed the lens and wiped the contacts and replaced the lens. Auto focus started working then. I am waiting for the next black frame and will then send the D300s back to Nikon.<br>

RonM</p>

[robert_perry5]

<p>Ron,<br />I had the problem on a D200. It got to the point where auto focus never worked and every shot was black. The f-stop read 0. (See my post above from 2 years ago Oct. 2008). I brought D200 to an authorized Nikon repair shop and the problem was corrected for $278.00 (out of warranty). What was repaired were broken/loose contacts between the lens and the camera body. These were re-soldered and cleaned. By my visual inspection I could NOT tell the contacts were broken. The camera was never dropped or abused. After the repair I did not have any problems at all. I now have a D300S and it is sad to hear that this is still a problem. I hope my camera is still under warranty when it breaks this time.</p>