D700 problem with eyepiece shutter

[gaule]

<p>When I got my D700 a year ago, I noticed the eyepiece shutter (that prevents the light from interfering with exposure when taking a photo with a remote control, for example) was a little stiff. It has since ceased completely to close. There is no movement whatsoever in the eyepiece shutter lever. It isn't a big deal. I can just as easily cover the viewfinder with a little black microfiber cloth I use for cleaning the lens, and it's hardly worthwhile sending in a camera for such a minor repair. Perhaps, however, some reader may have had a similar problem and could suggest a helpful D.I.Y. remedy. Thanks in advance for any advice.</p>

[dbcooper]

<p>You could try gently wiggling the eyepiece both CW and CCW a little. IIRC, the eyepiece shutter is keyed to it to prevent accidental unscrewing of the eyepiece...you might have a little mechanical interference going on (like when a car's ignition lock gets hung up by the steering wheel). Maybe the eyepiece accidentally got partly unscrewed? Other than that, it sounds to me like either a repair or your dark cloth idea. Good luck with it.</p>

[erik_christensen3]

<p>I had exactly the same problem after one year +, and I got a local dealer to "repair" it. He showed what he/his friend had done - they had simply removed a part inside and then it was functioning!! Later when a authorized Nihon service center was established in HCMC I went to them, and they made a proper repair free of charge.</p>

[bgelfand]

<p>Is the camera still on guarantee? If not, did you use a credit card that extends the guarantee (many credit cards double the manufacturer's guarantee up to one aditional year) to purchase it?</p>

<p>If the answer to either question is "yes", call Nikon and send them the camera for repair. If the repair is to be paid for my the credit card, call the credit card company first - MasterCard 1 (800) MCASSIST; Visa 1 (800) VISA911.</p>

[gaule]

<p>Thanks to all for the replies. Yes, the camera has an extended two-year warranty, so that is perhaps the way to go if a wiggling session produces no effect. At least the eyepiece shutter has chosen to get stuck while open and doesn't prevent normal shooting. Even when I have been using a remote release, I haven't noticed that stray light gets in and interferes with exposure, so the usefulness or necessity of that little curtain seems rather relative anyway.</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>I would get it properly fixed while it is under warranty. Otherwise, what happens if you or someone else accidentally touches it and then it somehow gets stuck in the closed position? Or if you try to sell the camera in the future, and a buyer finds the problem and rejects it?</p>

[christianaires]

<p>I'll second that. It's under warrenty then might as well get it fixed, it is a D700 ;)<br>

Another thing i'd try to do though before sending it in.. Is blow the ish out of the eyepiece. Their might be some dirt stuck in there that's stopping it from closing. It worked for me before though it wasn't a d700...</p>

<p>Anyway good luck</p>

[dbcooper]

<p>I'll third that if it's under warranty, particularly for the reasons Shun mentioned. Sending it off for a warranty repair might be inconvenient in the short term, but is less costly overall in terms of both money and aggravation.</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>Back in the 1980's, I bought a high-end CD player deck. When I brought it home, I immediately noticed that the CD drawer that comes out had a small problem in its mechanism; the motion was not smooth. I should have sent it in for warranty repair immediately, but I thought it was working ok, just not perfect; why bother?</p>

<p>A couple of years later the problem worsened and that CD drawer was finally stuck. By then, the warranty had expired and I ended up paying to repair a manufacturing defect.</p>

<p>I learned my lesson.</p>

[gaule]

<p>Again, many thanks for the helpful replies. They have convinced me that it's best to send the camera in for repair. I didn't realise that the mechanics of the viewfinder shutter was so complex as to require a full-blown repair. It's only in recent months, as I developed an interest in HDR, that I began to see the need to avoid the possibility of stray light entering through the viewfinder when taking a series of bracketed shots with a cable release, so I'd better bite the bullet and get the thing fixed.</p>

[peter_koralis]

 

 

<p >A while back I searched and found a repair manual for my <a href="http://nikonglass.blogspot.com/2010/03/rebuilding-and-getting-nikon-parts.html">D700</a> that didn't cost me nothing just to see how complex the body really was. To my surprise, it looked easy to open and repair (if i had the parts i probably would have!), but like you, i opted to send it to Nikon instead. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://nikonglass.blogspot.com/2010/03/rebuilding-and-getting-nikon-parts.html" target="_blank"></a></p>