D700 hot shoe problems

[User_1855600]

<p>I too have struggled with the issues presented by the D700 and SB900 with my pro wedding business. After sending in my camera and flash to Nikon, I stumbled upon what seems to be a great solution.<br>

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=wg-as3&N=0&InitialSearch=yes<br>

This device not only offers water protection to the hotshoe/flash connection, it also greatly reduces the stress on the D700's hot shoe by distributing the weight and stress of the SB900 to the areas surrounding the hot shoe. I have shot many weddings since installing the WG-AS3 on both my D700's and the flickering flash problem has been completely eliminated.<br>

-John</p>

[matthew_anderson4]

<p>I have experienced the exact same problem with both of my D700 bodies. While shooting weddings I've been plagued with misfires, random strobe bursts, etc. among my two cameras and 3 SB-900 units. This is really irritating and now I'm in the thick of the wedding season and cannot send out cameras for time consuming repairs. Common Nikon, haven't you guys figured out how to get a simple flash/camera connection right by now!?</p>

[jan_eriksson2]

<p><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=1855600">John Shetron</a>: That dont worked for me. Still same flickering....</p>

[ppema]

<p>Im having the same problem with my D700 and the problem starts with the SB600 and after with SB900 --- The Sb900 fits well on the shoe instead the Sb600 is a little bit lose and it moves on the shoe. I have done some tests with another flash the AF48-1 from Metz , the Metz use the old system of fixing the flash on the shoe , you remember with a big screw that fix the flash shoe with the camera, and also the Metz has a plastic shoe , and the flash goes ok over 1000 shots.<br>

I have tried to put something ( a thin piece of metal or paper) between the shoe of the flash and the shoe of the camera with the intention to keep firm the flash with the camera in the major cases the thing has done it job the flash was stable and fire corectly no problems at all. <br>

Second my opinion and for what i have seen with my flashes the problem is not only the shoe on the D700 but the entire system Flash shoe and Camera shoe and over all the big problem is the new system that nikon has on the new flashes the switch that fix the flash in the shoe, this system is big B.... SH...</p>

[alan_doe]

<p>I would like to add my experience with the D700 and SB-900 to the growing list of disappointed photographers. Random flashes, modeling light, focus assist on, no flash, reset to Aperture priority...</p>

<p>I sent the camera for repair which was cleaned and checked. They did not replace the hot-shoe even though I stated that this was damaged. The "repaired" camera continues to fail. </p>

<p>The flash shoe is snug and I am using the protective shoe. It appears to be something internal brought on by a number of factors. Replacing the hot-shoe appears to be the fix, but I would like to know what is really going on with the electronics.</p>

<p>The "repair" was $224 plus tax.</p>

 

[david_finchett]

<p>I posted earlier in the thread (October 2010) when my first D700 body was sent away. I bought a second D700 body (the D3 was out of my price bracket) just before it was sent away. One year later and that body has also developed the same fault. I can't believe that Nikon have not remedied this issue by strengthening the hotshoe or by changing the design of the SB900 flash mount to something more secure or have addressed the size/weight of the flash.<br>

The second D700 body has two years warranty and there were no protests from the Nikon repair centre when I sent it back for a free replacement hotshoe. That repair will also have a warranty.<br>

I can expect this fault to re-occur every six to twelve months because of a design fault with the SB900. I am considering other manufacterers of flashes, lighter flash guns/ ones with a more secure method of fixing to the camera for when all warranties have expired.</p>

<p> </p>

[david_finchett]

<p>A user in this thread suggested that the Nikon water guard WG-AS3 for the D700 had worked for him. I've now bought one (£28.34 inc vat). The item itself is a small locking collar made of rubber and plastic that fits over the flash hot shoe. If it spreads the weight of the flash over a larger surface area that may help stop the fault from recurring. It does fit quite closely to the camera body. I had no problems mounting and unmounting the flash with it on.<br>

I'll use it on the repaired body and report back in six to twelve months!</p>

<p> </p>

[peter_farrar1]

<p>Hi Daniel,</p>

<p><br /><br /><br>

You are not alone, I just sent my D700 back to Nikon to get fixed, same issue identically<br>

<br /><br /></p>

[peter_farrar1]

<p>same thing as all others, just got the quote, they wont admit, saying no one else has reported to them this issue and the cost is 256.00 dollars.</p>

<p>Can you say they are ignoring this!</p>

[serena_hinkel]

<p>Just found this forum and this thread in response to my google search. This strobe problem started happening to me last night at a wedding I was shooting, but I am using a D300s and an SB-800. It sounds like exactly the same problem, so I may just try to pliers trick first and hope that works. But just for the record, apparently this is not just a D700 problem!</p>

[jeff_hitchcock]

<p>Thank goodness for Google. I'm outside London at a big conference that my company is holding. My SB-900 stopped working this morning on my D700 body. Tried my second SB-900, same issue. Tried the SB-900 on my D5100 (use primarily for high def video) and it worked, so I knew it was the D700. A quick search and I found this post as well as others.<br>

I used some heavy printer paper to apply pressure to the springs inside the hot shoe, increasing the tension, and that solved the problem for now. I'll send the body in for repair when I return to the US.<br>

Do the professional bodies have this issue? I'm open to upgrading if, since I never use the on-body flash in the D700.</p>

[cesar_far_as]

<p>Dear fellows.<br>

I am a weadding photographer in Ecuador and had these very same problems. For us, sending the equipment to the states to get fixed is more than a pain!..but what can be worse than having an unreliable photo equipment and since my two D700 are missfiring and I had to finish my last job this Saturaday using a D90 I am thinking about taking a trip to NY and visit the nikon offices in Melville and try to get more than an unswer. Has anyone talked to them about this problem?<br>

When the first camera gave me problems, I bought an otherone and then more flashes...and same thing kept happening.....some howis a relieve to know about you guys!!sorry you are going through the same thing though!!<br>

I simply love my D700s but i am very dessapointed since, after many years of being a Canon guy, I sold ALL my gear loosing a lot of money to get the best equipment....and it is...when it works properly....please advise!!!</p>

 

[rebecca_davison1]

<p>Wow. I read this whole forum after narrowing my issue down to the hotshoe of one of my two D700s. It has all these symptoms, it strobes, it fails to fire, camera won't fire, but it completely misses the boat using TTL- underexposing horribly. I thought I was nuts all of a sudden. I can send it off for replacement right now, as long as they don't dally, but from all these responses, I am concerned that they will get it right. Very bothersome indeed.</p>

[dean_beal]

Just read through thread trying to see if I could find an answer to my problem. I have all the same symptoms but not on

the D700 and SB800. I use a D90 with SB600. It works fine when directly connected to the shoe on the camera. But

when connected via cable to the Stroboframe I get the same syndrome. The flash does not seem to clip in as solidly as

on camera but wiggling it by hand does not seem to affect whether it flashes or not.

[jeff_hitchcock]

<p>Sent my D700 into Nikon for service. US$240 to fix. Ouch. But it was quick -- back in my hands two days after authorizing the repair.</p>

[nicholas_butler]

<p>I have the EXACT same issue.. (D700/SB900) issue.. so, what you all are saying is to get the hot shoe replaced? damn..... I tried to test this issue and a D90/SB900 combo worked fine.. but not on the D700.. I got the D700 a month after it came out, so Im way out of warrantee. Should we complain to nikon as this seems to be an engineering problem?</p>

[dean_beal]

<p>Since the locked in SB600 was clearly not as well seated in the Stroboframe mount as on my D90, I squeezed down the side clips of the Stroboframe just slightly. Seating is more firm and my initial testing indicates problem solved.</p>

[richard_flood1]

<p>OMG. After reading post after post after post of all of us having the same problem with the Nikon products, I'm absolutely stark raving MAD. I didn't read through 100% of the responses here, maybe 50%, but all over the world, photographers, professional or not, are having the exact same problem with this product, and not just product, but an entire SERIES of products by the same manufacturer.. We've paid thousands of dollars for and the ONLY solution you guys are talking about, aside from hammering the camera (which I may be driven to do eventually) is to send it for repairs, or just boy a NEW ONE??</p>

<p>Maybe I'm in the minority here. I shoot in nightclubs, and my relatively inexpensive D200 has received a lot of punishment, a lot of wear and tear. Besides that, I shoot for and publish my own magazine, so I need my camera to be a workhorse of sorts.. I cannot afford to have multiple D700s and D3s, three and four SB800s, etc. at my disposal. So I just assumed this flickering, misfiring and miscues were a result of overuse. However, from reading this thread, you guys don't abuse the camera nearly as much as I THOUGHT that I did.</p>

<p>Which leads me to the conclusion, as I'm sure all you have reached, the product is DEFECTIVE. And obviously, Nikon is not owning up to the problem. I don't know about other countries, but in America, is the automobile industry the only one that has a LEMON LAW? The Nikon product should have been recalled, and the problem corrected YEARS AGO!</p>

<p>Is the only recourse we have to go and spend even MORE money with Nikon on a defective product that, eventually is going to need to be repaired, or does anyone agree that since Nikon isn't going to do ANYTHING about this problem, perhaps a class action lawsuit should help Nikon FINALLY find a SOLUTION to the problem instead of continuing to push defective products on the market?</p>

<p>You guys have invested in your equipment and careers just as I have. With no fault of our own, they are asking us to shell out more money, buy more equipment, and pay for unnecessary repairs when they have the ability, the finances and technology to fix the problem before it gets sealed in a box and put on the open market for all of us to miss that money shot because of a defective hot shoe. Forget the warranty. With so many photographers having the exact same issue, it falls under the jurisdiction of a MANUFACTURER DEFECT, and not a warranty issue.</p>

<p>Am I crazy?<br>

Signed,<br>

Frustrated.</p>

[sean_walsh4]

<p>I've had the same problem with my D700 and two of my SB-700 flashes. I thought it was my first SB-700, so I bought a second one, thinking I had a lemon or it had to be repaired. When the newer flash acted the same way, I realized it had to be the camera. A colleague of mine said he had the same problems with his D700 before going over to the dark side (i.e. he shoots Canon now...), and after reading a number of testimonials here, it sounds like this is a model defect.<br>

Fortunately my D700 is under warranty for another 2 weeks, so I'm dropping it off today to get it serviced. I'll post here again with an update when I get my camera back.</p>

 

[david_finchett]

<p>I agree with those who believe that this issue should have been rectified by a redesign and recall. The SB910 certainly could have been redesigned to deal with the issue.<br>

Sean, I'm sorry to hear that the problem is also happening with the lightest of the three main guns, so it is reasonable to assume that the d700 hotshoe problem will be caused by the weight of any of the SB700/900/910 models.<br>

I have been using the Nikon water guard WG-AS3 which fits over the bottom of the SB900/910 flash and effectively increases the surface area that the flash has to sit on the camera. This puts less strain on the hotshoe by spreading the weight over the camera. I've been using the guard daily for three months (I'm a Press photographer), so far without the hotshoe problem recurring.<br>

Unfortunately I haven't found a guard for the SB700 on the net.<br>

For those of you with SB900's or 910's the guard is worth a shot, and a few dollars/pounds (I bought mine for around £24) on this is a cheaper solution than switching to Canon (assuming of course that it works long term and the problem doesn't happen again after six months or so). I'll let you know if it does.<br>

Good luck!</p>

 

[glenn_m2]

<p>I've been experiencing this issue with my D700 + sb-600 and 800 for the last few months. It's very frustrating that it seems to occur mostly during weddings when I need the flash to behave.<br>

My camera is out of warranty, so I think I would be paying a lot for a repair on this.. </p>

[dale_tidy]

<p>My friends experiencing this problem. The SOLUTION as with all things in life is: Duck tape, duck tape, duck tape. Tape small little squares on the bottom of your flash just after the hot shoe where it will rest up against the in built flash. It will secure it and stop the flash rattling around and miss firing/strobing.<br>

I know this isn't a long term solution but for those not wanting to send it off the Nikon it is a cheap and effecting option. I have had no problems with it since and you can barely notice it. <br>

Cheers, Dale</p>

[jan_eriksson2]

<p>can you contribute with a pic on the duck tape solution?<br>

cheers, Janne</p>

[dean_beal]

<p>The pic would really help as I am not clear on wher you put the duck tape. Thanks. Dean</p>

[charles_sternaimolo]

<p>Nikon D700 hot shoe problems - again.<br>

After being embarrassed while my Nikon D700 w/ SB900 Speedlight <strong>ON A BRACKET WITH AN SC-29 TTL REMOTE CHORD </strong>started acting more like a disco strobe light during a college award ceremony assignment I sent my D700 and SB900 to Melville NY for repairs. Got both back with no explanation from Nikon as to what was fixed. This was well over a year ago and the items were still under warranty so I was not charged. <br>

Now, I am having problems with my hot shoe again. I almost always use an SC-29 and bracket when shooting with my SB900 - so there is really no weight being put on the hot shoe. However, the flash now acts as if it is possessed by the devil. Regardless of what I have the camera set for the flash will suddenly read ISO 100. When I shoot the photos will be blown out to pure white. I take the SC-29 off the camera and put back in - same problem. Then, for no apparent reason the camera will work fine for the rest of the assignment. But then it happens again out of nowhere on the next assignment - a problem for a bit then goes back to normal after some fiddling. <br>

There seems to be a little bit of play in the hot shoe when the SC-29 or the SB900 is seated on it. The SC-29 is extremely light so I don't know how it is lossening the hot shoe. <br>

I refuse to take a hammer or pair of pliers to my hot shoe. I just don't have the confidence or skill to pull something like that off on such a sensitive piece of electronics as a $2,500 camera body. Duct tape might be a good temporary solution - but it looks tacky.<br>

Nikon has a tendency to keep items in for repair for quite a long time - sometimes well over a month. It seems some people on this forum have had the hot shoe replaced with a stronger version for little or no money while others have had the same hot shoe with a fee of over $250. Some get it back in days and others in a month or more. I wonder what process I should go through to assure I get the better hot shoe and little or no charge and short time?<br>

Anyway, I thought readers would be interested to know that using the SC-29 TTL chord has caused the same problems for me with that hot shoe so maybe it's not a weight thing.</p>

<p>-Charles S.<br>

Fitchburg, Mass. USA</p>