F5 - rewind / backplate safety catch repair

[a_tonkin]

<p>The spring appears to have suddenly failed in my safety catch such that it tends to default to hovering around the unlocked position - a fact I discovered when I accidentally caught the rewind knob and the back popped open ruining the film within.<br>

<br />Must be a regular problem on the F6 after Nikon seem to have dropped this in some half-penny pinching cost cutting move! I don’t buy the story that it was dropped because people found it annoying as you simply grip the rewind knob as if to pull it open but twist slightly and as you do so one finger dislodges the catch. Simple, ‘invisible’ and fuss-free.<br>

<br />Anyway, finding it hard to believe that it could have just failed completely when other much older cameras, such as my FA, have not suffered the same fault I wondered if perhaps its a common fault with the F5 or maybe just caused my some trapped dirt or something and not an outright failure?<br>

<br />Looking at the Nikon UK website it looks like they're back accepting repairs again, after going through a spell four or so years ago when they turned everyone away to authorised independents such as Fixation - who incidentally and ironically I'm reluctant to go to because when I took my FA in there four or so years ago (hence discovering the Nikon outsourcing thing) the twit on the reception was yanking and yanking at the rewind knob trying to open the back without realising it had the safety catch ... so some Nikon specialist she was! Anyone know what Nikon UK’s minimum charge is thesedays, or what they may want for fixing the catch?</p>

[Ian Rance]

<p>I have the F5 and F6. The F6 needs much more of a 'final tug' to pop the back. Also, the rewind knob fits more snugly to the top plate so catching is almost impossible.<br>

Nikon UK have hit me with some very high quotes of late. As I was told, this is probably in-line with the high skilled labour costs and what have you, but if it were me, for that problem I would just use a blob of blu-tack or tape to hold the knob in the locked position or perhaps put the repair money towards a less-used F5 and keep yours for backup.</p>

[Andrew Garrard]

<p>I work reasonably near Nikon UK, so they've been doing sensor/lens cleans for me. I recently got a big charge (80 quid) for a sensor clean, but apparently that's because they interpreted "viewfinder clean" as "dismantle it" this time rather than "wipe the screen" as before; I'll phrase it more carefully in the future. They've not come across as extortionate, although I was a little annoyed they wouldn't sell me a hotshoe blanking plate as part of the repair (especially since I had to buy a new viewfinder eyepiece because the old one fell off in some woods). That said, if they have to pull the whole camera apart to get at the offending spring for your fix, I doubt it'll be especially cheap. For comparison, my F5 was 250ukp from Mifsuds and seems to work fine, but it's missing plenty of paint. I'd go with masking tape, myself.<br>

<br>

To be fair to whomever you saw, it took me a while after getting my F5 (without a manual) to work out how to open it. I doubt the receptionists are particularly expert - they're paid to be efficient at triage and to be welcoming. Logistical and people skills do not translate to mechanical skills. In all the computing companies where I've worked, I've never met a receptionist who knew much about the product - I didn't expect better from Nikon. I take it as a bonus, since you can sometimes get them to commit to doing more than they should by asking nicely.</p>

[a_tonkin]

<p>Might try emailing Nikon to get an idea of cost. Even about 10-15 years ago when I sent something back to them they had, I think it was, a £60 or £80 minimum charge so if they're still talking £80 for a simple job then maybe in real terms prices have fallen, perhaps to compete with today's more throw away rather than repair culture. I've only been to their Kingston premises in person twice, once in around 1989 when a great chunk of the first or second floor was given over to a musuem/exhibition with many cameras and lenses cut in half to show their workings or having their many intricate parts laid out in glass display cabinets and a camera body that had a bullet lodged in it. And the second time ... all that space was just offices to satisfy the human fascination with sitting in front of a monitor aimlessly clicking a mouse between 9-5</p>

[Andrew Garrard]

<p>I should qualify my above statement: Nikon's Kingston office charge a relatively reasonable 30-ish quid for a sensor clean. Not that this helps the OP any, I just didn't want misinformation on the record. I didn't spot a museum, which is a pity because I'd have been interested...</p>

[mdma]

<p>I dont think its a common fault. <br>

If the bill does seem a bit steep, consider this - boxed near mint F5's are going on eBay for about £300.<br>

I bought mine, a well used example with manual, strap, and spare battery holder for just £180 - however you're best off probably with just some lo-fi solution as suggested previously.<br>

Nikon museum? I would have definitely been up for that!</p>

[a_tonkin]

<p>Just had it fixed. Was £60 or thereabouts, though what with sending in a D1X for firmware upgrade (the free one ... that costs £30, though to be fair they say they cleaned the sensor and also checked out what I thought was a fault on the DoF preview) the postage to send the things for me as via royal mail was about £30 insured. Seems one or both cameras ended up at Fixation even though Nikon fronted it all the way and, had the next day delivery not taken a week to be delievered after being "redirected" and my getting a progress report that included the words " ... no 2GB card at Fixation so cannot test ...." or words to that effect, I would never have known.</p>