Problems with Nikon Df Exposure Compensation Dial

[mike_halliwell]

<p>Considering it's where the dial was on 90% of film cameras, it survived a considerable amount of 'bumps' and I certainly never heard of one failing. Agreed, it's a bit taller than most, but nevertheless....!</p>

<p>Like all of these things, once the tooling is made up, the cost per widget is pennies. Someone in accounting decides how many spares to make and then the tooling is recycled. Trouble starts when servicing notice after 6 months the widget is failing more frequently than accounting thought and spares run out. Seems to happen more in lenses, maybe there are more variables involved?</p>

<p>So, it's gotta be the labour. Maybe this is the real downside of trying to make a digital camera look like a film camera....all those exposed dials? When I converted my D50 and D90 to IR, you get to see the insides. It's truly remarkable how it all fits in. Having to completely dismantle it to get at something on the outside seems kinda crazy, but I can see why. </p>

<p>It just seems that with this being the third dial replacement, something is wrong...I agree the first repair might have been sub-standard.</p>

<p>So, 4 hours at $100/hour .....and $31 for all the parts?</p>

[bebu_lamar]

<p>I think the repair has been substandard. I think Nikon service in the US isn't very competent. </p>

[scott_mclean3]

<p>Yes they said that the costs were primarily labor.</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>The Df's exposure-compensation dial is a simple, little mechanical device. If Nikon's initial repair to the original problem is sub-standard, when that Df came back from repair, the OP should have noticed the problem, again, immediately. It is very unlikely that such a mechanical part would be ok after repair but develop the same problem again and again within a few months.</p>

<p>As I said earlier, it is impossible for me to find out exactly what has happened from a distance. However, as Dan Brown points out:</p>

<blockquote>

<p>I am subscribing to Scott's own statement that "Yes it is quite likely that the exposure compensation dial gets bumped a lot".</p>

</blockquote>

<p>It is entirely possible that the cause of the problem is that this Df gets bumped a lot, which is never a good idea for any DSLR. And the Df is not really designed to take abuses as the D3, D4 are. The likes of the D300 and D800 that the OP also owns and apparently also take some beating, but even those cameras have stronger, modern designs.</p>

<p>In any case, a $431 repair bill seems unusually high. If it takes 2, 3 hours to take the Df apart to replace a small part that is on the outside, it doesn't sound right.</p>

<p>Additionally, my recommendation to the OP is that I would take better care of the Df. With all of those dials on the outside and being fairly light, it is a very different beast compared to the old F2, F3 and the modern D4 or even D800. The is one factor the OP can control.</p>

[mike_halliwell]

<blockquote>

<p> It is very unlikely that such a mechanical part would be ok after repair but develop the same problem again and again within a few months.</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>I had a binding break caliper on a car that the garage fixed. 3 months later it started binding again. They fixed it again for free but added he'd only freed the mechanism and not changed the actual caliper body itself. He was trying to save me some cash, but the actual problem remained. I got him to change out the caliper and it was fine for years.</p>

<p>We don't know if Nikon replaced the <em>whole</em> mechanism. If the main spindle of the mechanism was a minute bit bent and not replaced, the rotary dial would work for a couple of months until it wore unevenly and then died. </p>

<p>Bit like changing the batteries in a flash with intermittent charging problems will 'fix it', until the batteries drop down in voltage a bit and the trouble returns.</p>

<p>You've fixed the symptoms but not the problem.</p>

<p>What did the paperwork say for the first repair?</p>

[scott_mclean3]

Well after 3.5 years at over 100,000 shots Nikon pronounces my Df a write-off. Exposure compensation dial apparently leaked (not so water resistant I guess - makes it hard to shoot in a rainforest!), locking it to +3. They refused to repair - water damage. Just got it back. At least in their inspection they seem to have disconnected the dial locking the exposure comp to zero, and the camera seems to shoot fine. At least they did not charge me the $528 estimated repair cost. I needed something reliable, so upgraded to a D850 which seems pretty awesome so far. Glad no one else has had issues like this with the Df.

[Andrew Garrard]

(Er, I realised I should clarify: I like that you're happy with the D850, not that the Df died.)

 

I get not repairing it under warranty, but... "refused to repair"? Really, it would have cost more than a new Df?

 

Better luck with the D850 - Nikon claim to have improved the environmental sealing over previous D8x0 bodies (though a recent test suggested putting a hotshoe cover in place, because they had water ingress into the prism). I tend to use plastic rain covers just in case, but they're not exactly convenient, and the humidity inside could be worse.

[Sandy Vongries]

Have used my DF heavily / carefully since June of '14. Sent it in because the cover had stretched, and I wanted general CLA. It has always worked perfectly, and is not particularly delicate. One of my large dogs snatched it off my shoulder - lens down onto sidewalk - a broken lens hood and a knick on the exposure mode dial - still worked flawlessly. It is my favorite camera, results wise. When I shoot under bad conditions I use my D 750, and will soon be using a D 7200 interchangeably. If my DF were to "Die", I'd find the money for another. I have found Nikon service to be good, not inexpensive, and on occasion slow, but no issues.

[ShunCheung]

I think Nikon's repair objective is to restore everything back to fully functional condition, other than normal wear and tear that is inherent to an item that has been in used for a while. If there is sufficient (water) damage such that they can't fully restore all the functionalities, they would refuse to repair. However, you may be able to find a different repair shop that doesn't have such objectives.

 

In any case, these are not waterproof cameras. A few rain drops maybe ok, I would put some plastic cover over the camera and lens when it is actually raining.

[BeBu Lamar]

I wouldn't know as I never use the EC. I had the EC on my FE, F3, F4,F5 I never used it.

[bgelfand]

<blockquote>

<p>Nikon's response. Impact damage. $431 to replace exposure compensation dial.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Yikes. I don't know enough information to comment on this specific case, but it is fairly well known that Nikon repair has a tendency to use the "impact damage" excuse. However, in any case, $431 seems to be very high to repair something that is on the outside (so that it is unnecessary to take the entire camera apart). I wonder how much the labor cost is to change the exposure compensation dial on the Df.</p>

 

Isn't there a good independent Nikon repair facility? I believe some people on this forum used one in Chicago and recommended them? It would be worth getting a second opinion.

 

My experience with Nikon repair in California in 2009 was very poor. I sent an F100 in for CLA; it had to go back 3 times to fix the problems Nikon caused. They did fix it - eventually.

[chriscourt]

Glad no one else has had issues like this with the Df.

I have a similar issue with the exposure comp dial on my Df. Turn the dial and the comp. value is all over the place. It's still in the shop, but they've quoted me $299 for the repair.