cl_wood

<p>Just a little update with my experiences. First, I included the body cap even though Nikon said no accessories after reading Thom's recommendations. Even though I carefully packed the camera body according to instructions (in a plastic bag, surrounded by packing material), I didn't feel that leaving the sensor exposed was a good idea. On the printed packing slip, I wrote that I had included the body cap. I also taped a small label with my last name to the body cap. So hopefully I will get it back. If I don't, I'd still rather lose a $10 cap, than potentially harm my camera. I didn't include any other accessories, removing the cards, battery, eye cup, etc. The following is the timeline so far:</p>

<ul>

<li>5/13 - I got a UPS shipping label from the service advisory link</li>

<li>5/14 - dropped my D600 (with body cap only) at a UPS store</li>

<li>5/19 - UPS shows Nikon received it</li>

<li>5/20 - received an email from Nikon acknowledging the service and I approved the $0 estimate</li>

<li>5/21 & 5/22 - checked the status daily in the morning & evening, showed as ESTIMATE ACCEPTED</li>

<li>5/22 - in the evening, the status changed to SHOP</li>

<li>5/23 - morning, status has changed to BILLING (detail still shows as $0, good will repair)</li>

</ul>

<p>I am hoping my camera will get here next week. From reading other posts, I know that Nikon is likely to ship it and not notify me or update the status to shipped. My only real concern is that they send it to my shipping address and not my billing address. The last time I sent a camera in for repairs (D70s), it was mailed without notifying me to my billing address, even though I specifically requested them not to. My billing address is rural, so the box with my camera was placed behind the post for my gate, in a pasture. I was lucky that I spotted it, because it rained that night. There are also livestock in the pasture, and they will usually mess with new objects. I will update this post when I receive my camera back.<br>

Since I was going to be without my camera for a couple of weeks, and because my lens had never been serviced, I decided to take advantage of the free shipping to Nikon. I set up a separate service order through Nikon's website to clean & check my Nikkor 28-200mm lens. I put it in a separate plastic bag, with front & rear lens caps attached, and put that in the same box as the D600. I included it's packing slip as well, which I wrote exactly what was in the box. It follows a similar timeline - at UPS on 5/14, received by Nikon on 5/19.</p>

<ul>

<li>5/20 - I got a separate email from Nikon with a service estimate for the lens ($78, including shipping). No free lens cleaning for me - maybe that's just something they do for the customers who physically bring in their equipment.</li>

<li>5/21 - status showed as ESTIMATE ACCEPTED</li>

<li>5/22 - my bank account was charged the amount of the estimate; status still shows as ESTIMATE ACCEPTED</li>

<li>5/23 - status now shows as SHIPPED with a UPS tracking number. UPS tracking info says that the lens was shipped on 5/22 in the evening, with an ETA of 5/28. Detail does not show whether the lens is being shipped to my work or home address.</li>

</ul>

<p>Hopefully, everything will get back to me in better working order. </p>

<p>I pre-ordered mine last night from B&H. Hoping the supply issues won't be as dramatic as the D800 stories I've heard, but I'm basing my expectations on a 2-month wait (of course I won't complain if it comes in sooner). While I was hoping for a slightly lower price, like $1899, I was highly skeptical at the $1500 rumors. I am excited that most of the specs were accurate, even the slight drawbacks to this camera are miles ahead of my D70s. For example, I know some don't like the 'plastic-y' body of the D600 but I'm a small woman, so I'm thankful that it's lighter - it doesn't matter how sturdy a camera is if I can't handle it easily. Plus it'll still be an upgrade to the construction of my current camera.<br>

I bought my D70s in 2006 & have really enjoyed it. However, I've been camera shopping for 2years and the D70s's performance, even after an expensive Nikon repair, has deteriorated. As a non-pro, the D800 was just too far out of my price range, so I'd planned on a D7000, resigning myself to 5-6yrs more of DX. The D600 price is a stretch but worth it to me to have full-frame (all my lenses are FX as I started out with a N80). I'm sure I will have a learning curve but I'm looking forward to it. :) I also enjoyed Thom's article on the D600, especially the sychronicity (for me personally) of this: "All in all, the D600 seems very well rounded. Indeed, I believe it will start the FX revolution-for-the-mainstream pretty much the same way the D70 started the DX DSLR revolution-for-the-mainstream oh so many moons ago...". <br>

I also wanted to say thanks to Shun & the other knowledgeable commenters on these forums - I always research here before making any photography decisions. Even if my shooting needs are not the same as more advanced users, I always appreciate the insight.</p>

<p>Thanks for posting your experience! I am wary about gray market products but had signed up for ShopAdvisor through photo.net's store (they are listed as a trusted vendor on the D7000 product page). ShopAdvisor emails me periodically with the current price point on the camera, and most of the prices listed are reputable vendors (B&H, Adorama, etc). Well, BestPricePhoto is listed as having the D7000 for $869, but after reading your review, I looked closer & under the specifications tab, there's a fine print hyperlink indicating that it's an 'Import Model'. That's why I appreciate the photo.net community so much - y'all have never steered me wrong. :)</p>

<p>Thanks for all the info in this thread! I've been asking myself the same question but came to a different conclusion - after Christmas, I'm hoping to get a D7000. Would I like to go full-frame? Sure, but I'd rather get a good camera & a great lens (I have my eye on the 17-35mm/2.8). The D700 would eat up too much budget for that. The lighter weight is another plus for me - I'm a small woman & good glass is heavy. Since I'm going from a D70s, either of these would be like going from a Pinto to a Cadillac. I started out with the N80, kept all my lenses when I went to the D70s 6yrs ago, and probably will go full-frame in the next 5-6yrs so I am staying away from DX lenses. That's one of the main things I've taken away from the many, many recommendations I've read - digital cameras have a limited life but lenses are an investment. In the meantime, I'll be keeping an eye out for D7000 reviews as more people road test them for any prevalent issues. </p>

<p>I can relate to falling into a photo rut - most of my photos come from walks around our property so I find myself with a ton of photos featuring the same subject. Even though I grew up in my small town, I've found that even within 10minutes of my home, I can still find roads that I haven't been down, with some cool structures for photos. I'm in small town East Tx (< 50k pop) but there's more street people than you'd think you'd find. Plus abandoned structures & railway tracks. It's more of a challenge in a non-urban area, plus people aren't as used to being photographed, but you can still find some cool shots. The other thing that helped me get my excitement back was to put it down for a while. I'm sure I missed a few cool shots because I wasn't toting my camera everywhere but after relaxing & just enjoying the moment for a while, I was refreshed.</p>

<p>Quick update - I accepted the estimate midday Friday. Sunday night their website updated to show that the estimate was accepted. Since it's now Monday afternoon & the camera's status hasn't moved to "Shop" to indicate that it's being serviced, I'm currently on hold with Nikon's service dept. Since they only have 2 US service facilities (east & west coast), I wish they had a phone number for each location.<br /><br />ETA - the phone rep said it is in the "shop" status but the website takes a little to update. He also told me that it should take 7-10 business days to repair. When I asked about paying extra for overnight shipping, he recommended that I call back next Monday to see how far along it was so I could possibly save that $50. So fingers crossed that I get it back by the end of the month!</p>

<p>Just an update - Nikon received the camera Wednesday morning, 9:32am; got an email with an estimate Friday (today) at 11:15am for $244. I approved the estimate & entered my payment info by 11:30am (yes, I have been obsessively checking my email for the estimate). :) <br>

Just logged on to Nikon @ 2:15pm - status is still on estimate. I'm guessing it probably won't go into "Shop" status until Monday. Will update later with info on Nikon's service. I don't know if this estimate was on the high side or average for this type of repair. From the brief "Reason for Service" description, it looks more like how I described the problem on my service form.<br>

Has anyone sent in something to the California location recently or for this type of problem? Just wondering what to expect for turnaround. Thanks!</p>

<p>I realize that damaging a camera affects its life; and that repairmen hear a lot of stupid stories and flat out lies. I've never had any bad falls or drops with my D70s. I fell on a mountain-side with my N80 & 70-300 zoom lens - the film camera still works fine but the lens had to be repaired as I'd damaged something internally. I have bumped the D70s - for instance when wearing the camera I've misjudged how long the strap was and bumped it on a chair. So this may be a factor but I think I bump the lenses more than I do the camera. I didn't mention it because I'm confident that this camera has not had anything outside normal wear & tear, and that I actually err on the cautious side with my cameras, because they are such a major investment for me. The other reason for my concern was that the problems I'm having seemed to be a recurring theme with the D70 models and I've heard similar issues with the D90; to the extent that it seems more like a design or manufacturing issue rather than a level of care issue.</p>

<p>OK, typed out a lengthy response & lost it. :( <br>

Just wanted to say thanks for the responses & info!</p>

<p>I went on a 2 month trip after college & used an Eagle Creek camping backpack with a smaller backpack that could either be clipped to the front harness of the large one, or carried on its own. I also had a camera backpack from Lowpro. It was good for carrying my SLR & 2 lenses plus accessories but I don't use it anymore because of the way it opened. If I wanted to change a lens, I had to completely take the backpack off, lay it on its back, and unzip all or most of the way around to access the lens. I prefer gear bags that are top loading now.<br>

As for security, I was in East Asia & Europe and was very paranoid about theft, more pickpockets than muggers. What I did was to use small luggage combination locks on my backpacks zippers. Also, I if was was on a subway or other crowded public venue, I'd turn my backpack facing forward so I could have my eye on it. On subways, my sister & I both did this & faced each other. We may have looked goofy but we didn't lose a penny.</p>

<p>Cute article! My little nephew was about 16months old at Christmas 2009. I'd taken photos of him from a new-born on, so he was used to me pointing my DSLR at him. I had the camera in my lap, when he toddled up to me, reached out with one finger & started pushing the shutter button. I let him take 15-20 'pictures' before putting the camera out of reach. What kills me is that most adults freak if I hand them the camera to take a quick photo - now I just tell them it's so easy, a toddler can do it. ;) <br>

I agree with John Robison - kids are so fearless. My 'fancy' camera didn't intimidate my nephew at all the way it does adults. When I have kids, I definitely want to get them their own camera to get a little of their perspective.</p>

<p>Thanks for posting your experiences - this gives me hope for my repairs. Just sent off my D70s for repairs (to the East Coast center). Am hoping & praying they can get it back to me before a trip in May. Otherwise, may have to pony up for a D300s which would mean canceling another trip later for budget reasons. I've heard some horror stories about Nikon repair - maybe they're working on improving their rep. </p>

<p>How long is a Nikon camera intended to last? And is that answer very different from other manufactuers?<br />I realize that the answers differs depending on usage but I term myself an amateur without a lot of free time - meaning that I may take 300-500 photos in on a good day/weekend, then go 3 weeks without touching my camera if work is busy. I pose the question because my D70s, that I purchased new in 2006, began having issues with the CF cards (CHA & FOR errors) in January 2009. I was able to 'work around' these errors by reseating my cards & being dilligent about reformatting. However, this weekend I took 300 photos of which only 90 were able to be imported to my computer. So I'm sending it in for repairs. My (refurbished) N80 film camera was used for about 5yrs before I went digital and even then I didn't trade up because because the camera stopped working. But for what I paid for the D70s, I expected it to last at least 5yrs before equipment failure. Was this unreasonable?<br>

<br />How often do most of you send in your equipment for repairs? What about sending it in for general servicing/cleaning? I live in the sticks so mailing it in is really the only good option. And I will admit I've never sent my camera in. I keep it as clean as possible but don't go near the sensor.<br>

<br />I'm considering the D300s (the D700 is just too far out of my range). How long would be a good guesstimate for its camera life?</p>

<p>I've been on both sides. As a guest, I'll bring my camera but I try to be careful & respectful of the hired photographer - not using my flash, not getting in their way & holding my camera in down while they're taking a photo to avoid anyone inadvertantly staring at my camera. Most of the pro's seem to appreciate this & even have been extra nice to make time for me to shoot. In one case, it worked out well that I took the same shots since the "pro"s photos came out terrible. It was a cousin's wedding and after the family got the photos back, they came to me and asked if I had any good shots. I didn't think mine were that great until I saw the ones they'd paid for - I gave them a CD will all my shots after that! So as a guest, I don't mind getting the same shots as the pro - I would never sell or market them as my own, but just in case of equipment failure or other problem with the pro's photos, then there are some pictures of the event. I mostly take them as personal mementos & to improve my own technique.<br>

I've also been on the paid side and have to agree with some of the other posters, it's not the amateur photo enthusiasts that cause problems - they're usually more aware of what the pro has to deal with. In my experience, it's the aunts/grandmom/extended family with point-and-shoots, either moving to close & blocking my shot or calling out to a member of the wedding party. I'm short (5'3") & female so even with the gear I can't get the intimidation factor. But I can be vocal & have resorted to waving with my free hand above my head, then taking the shot.<br>

As for print sales, I don't think you can fight Facebook & the digital age, but I also don't think it would make significant inroads on revenue. The primary revenue source is the bride/groom (and possibly their parents). A few other family members (grandparents,etc) might buy prints but in my experience, the majority of the guests never had any intention of buying pro prints - before digital, they just did without photos. I do think that Facebook puts more pressure on the pros to get their proofs uploaded to a viewing website quickly; because you'd rather have that traffic & word of mouth coming to see your photos of the wedding.</p>

<p>I did a 2-month trip through Thailand/Malaysia/Sinagpore and a 2 week trip through Europe in 2002 with a film Nikon N80. The SE Asia trip wasn't primarily vacation so I took approx. 40-50 rolls of pictures. It came out cheaper than my Europe trip because I was able to purchase a good bit of film in Bangkok. I was worried about taking the film through several airport security measures so I had most of it developed in Bangkok as well. They did an excellent job, the photos were delivered to me in little pasteboard books with each photo in a sleeve and I paid less than half for developing than what I would have paid in the US.<br>

In Europe, film cost as much or more than US so I ordered a big lot of film from B&H before I left. We only stayed in each place a day or two so developing wasnt' an option.<br>

Most of the places I traveled had tons of internet cafes, I imagine there are even more now. If I were to do it again, I'd probably go digital (with my D70) and take an external harddrive to use for backup or backup to the internet every couple of days.</p>

<p>Thanks, Joseph! The Hyper-drive looks like what I'm looking for - portable so I don't have to leave it in the hotel room & can use it to backup to small external drive (acheiving triple redundancy). The reason I was considering an iPhone for a similar device was so I could possibly backup to an online service while overseas. I appreciate the advice!</p>

<p>Yeah, I've pretty much gone full digital with a D70s. I still have my old film N80 that I could use for backup in theory but I'm trying to minimize the amount of stuff I'm carrying. <br>

I've put a lot of funds into a new computer gear, a new lens & a flash this year so I wasn't looking to spend alot on backup gear. I guess everyone here must carry their laptops or netbooks along.</p>

<p>We're considering a trip to London/Paris in either the beginning of Sept or Oct (a 9 day trip). My initial plan is to fly in to London from Tx on Friday night/Sat morning, take the Chunnel rail from London to Paris on Wednesday or Thursday, then return to Tx from Paris on Sunday/Monday. <br>

Which time period would be better? I'm hoping to miss the summer student crowds. I'd love to catch the leaves changing for fall but if October in London is going to be miserable raining, then maybe not. The only time I've visited these cities was in August - I was blessed with sunny days & lovely flowers. Are there still flowers blooming at the beginning of Sept? Would the leaves be changing the first week of Oct? Any recommendations would be welcome!<br>

Also, I'm trying to figure out a good system for backups. After almost losing a vacation's worth of photos due to a faulty 8gig card, I'm wondering what others do. I don't want to lug a big laptop around. I've considered getting an 32gig iPod touch or iPhone so I can back photos up to it at night. Has anyone had sucess with this?</p>

<p>I have a D70s and have primarily been using film lenses (not DX) on the body when I get this error. Usually, all I have to do is turn the lens a little bit. There seems to be some play in the connection and if it turns too far one way, the contacts don't connect. My aunt has the same problem with her D80 & the kit lens so I don't think its a brand issue. Hope this helps!</p>

<p>Thanks for all the help! I appreciate all your suggestions & think I've just about got it worked out - I'm going to go with the HD HDX & X-rite Eye-One and just calibrate the external monitor. My mom has an HDX 18 and while it is heavy for travel purposes, I'm not planning on moving around that much but I would like to be able to work in the same room as my family more (as opposed to my office). I think I'm going to go ahead & get Lightroom too. <br>

The only thing I have left is external monitor - Staples is having a sale on their 24" HP & Dell monitors. The HP 24" looks great - the only thing it's missing is a DVI hookup(it does have HDMI) - is this a big deal? I'm just wondering if it's on sale for this reason.</p>

<p>I'm currently laptop shopping and would say I'm at the advanced beginner level for photography. I've been looking at the HP HDX 18" laptops with a Core2Duo processor (3.06GHz) & 4GB DDR2 memory & 64bit Vista. I'll be purchasing the higher ed student edition of CS4 to go on it. At $2100 for the laptop & CS4, its pushing the top edge of what I can afford. I'm curious about other software/accessories that would be good to have, such as:</p>

<ul>

<li>- which is better for inexpensive color calibration - Spyder3 Pro or X-rite eye-one? The reviews mention that you can only calibrate one monitor if you only have 1 videocard but I can't tell from hp's specs if there is just one videocard. Is this something I'd have to add to my laptop if I want to plug a second monitor to my docking station.</li>

<li>- is this the best photo editing computer for the money? Or would a 17" alienware or vaio be better? (alienware is offering a free upgrade to Windows 7 in the fall but I'm not sure if that's a big enough plus to overcome the clunky design)</li>

<li>- they have a 24" Viewsonic monitor at Sam's for $230 - is it an ok monitor for photo editing?</li>

<li>- any other suggestions would be great. I'm not locked in on anything right now. I shoot with a Nikon D70s in RAW if that makes a difference and since I've been out a computer with Photoshop for 4months, I have a huge backlog of photo editing. Is Lightroom worth it for an amateur like me or will batch processing in CS4 be sufficent?</li>

</ul>

<p>Thanks!</p>