videodave

I bought my SB-400 used from B&H a little over a year ago. It was great at first, but now it powers up, ready light comes on, flash options are available in D850 and Z6 menus, but no flash! Or, occasionally, a flash but not a proper exposure.

I would dearly like to get it fixed as I know of nothing else as light and handy. Is there any chance of doing so? The Nikon repair center online estimator won't accept it.

If it can't be fixed, is there a reasonable replacement, similarly small, using 2 AA's, similar quality?

Thanks for all the thoughtful answers. I'll consider the Delkin, though I am afraid it would slow me down. I think NK Guy is right that the actual damage probably happened some time before the screen failed, and Mars C is correct in noting that the breakage radiates from the right edge. I know LCDs are always going to be fragile if pushed in the center, but I do think a metal body may have flexed less at the edge and protected it better. Also, I believe the plastic clear screen is actually not in contact with the LCD itself.

For those who are saying the repair is expensive, the Canon service center tells me they are charging this as a "normal repair" when it would ordinarily be a "major repair" and cost me much more.

Thanks again.

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My new Rebel XTi/400D developed a bleeding LCD screen about 8 days into a

two-week trip to southern Ethiopia. There didn't seem to me to be any

precipitating event, but Canon assures me there must have been pressure on the

screen at some point. I took some photos, put the camera in its case, and when I

took it out again a few minutes later the screen was gone. The damage is not

covered under warranty. Canon is charging me $262 to fix it.

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The external, protective screen cover is intact and unmarred. I kept the camera

in a LowePro TLZ 65 AW closed-cell foam case at all times when not actually

photographing.

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I was traveling through rough areas in speedboats and Land Cruisers, and at

times had to crawl through low doorways etc. It is entirely conceivable that at

some point the camera body received, not a blow, but some pressure through the

bag. Evidently the plastic body flexed enough to destroy the LCD without

receiving or displaying any other sign of trauma.

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I am guessing that this could be a drawback of the new larger LCD - because it

has more surface area, it may be more susceptible to damage. With no secondary

screen, and minimal information in the viewfinder, I wasn't able to change

settings on the camera adequately. I could use the EOS utility on my laptop, but

even that isn't complete, and there was no way to change things in the field.

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Fortunately I also had along my EOS 350D body and was able to continue

photographing with that. I certainly missed the better autofocus of the 400D.

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It may be coincidence, but the only other Digital Rebel (a 300D) I encountered

in Africa was also broken - it gave an "Err 99" on its screen and wouldn't do

anything.

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The lesson for me is, metal bodies only for rough conditions. Are digital

cameras more fragile in general than the film cameras of old? In most cases I

guess that's a fair trade-off for higher functionality, but it's something to be

aware of.<div></div>