Sent my camera in to Nikon Service in Torrance. It was received Tuesday morning. Called yesterday and they said it takes at least 24 hours to be logged in (that must be SOME complicated login process). Called today and it's still not in the system which means it continues to sit in the box on the floor of the Torrance facility. Today they told me it takes 24-48 hours to get logged in. For those of you who have done this before, is this typical behavior? _/oe
Joe I sent my D2H to the Melville branch and it was in the shop within 36 hours and returned to me in a total of 6 days. So I hope your camera foloows same path, what type of camera and what is the problem. Mine was a D2H with a failed meter, they also replaced the cf card door and adjusted the parralex and cleaned the CCD
Hi Mike, I sure hope mine follows your experience. I took my D100 in personally once and they were fast and efficient. In person it takes less than 10 minutes go get logged in (I'm about 1,500 miles farther now than I was so "in person" is not an option). It's the D2X and it's in for focus issues, lens mount issues, microphone issues, focus setting lever adjustments and general cleaning. _/oe
Joe, what they are telling you is patently false. It does take 24 hours or so to show up on the web page, but the camera is supposed to be logged in immediately when received and assigned a service order number. I have yet to have Snail Mail get the number to me within a week, always call to track your camera. All of my experience is with Torrance. If you haven't asked for a supervisor yet do so, or just ask directly for the service manager. He was out last week but was back on Monday. I just went through some annoyance with the service people a week and a half ago, which is quite unusual. Keep on them with calls every day. Drop me a PM if you need more specifics.
Thanks Retief, I did tell the rep that I would call back later today to get my service number since it would be over the 48 hour limit. They checked via my serial number and last name and nothing. If I get any flack this afternoon I'll take your advice and talk to a supervisor and you can be I'll be calling every day. Does anyone else go through withdrawl? What a weird feeling?!? _/oe
I am wondering if asking them to rush things is a good idea. My D2X went in several weeks ago, and in the letter I asked that they hurry it up already. And they did, even overnighting it back to me. But the camera arrived with focus maladjusted and the inside of the mirror box scratched up. So I had to send it back yet again. Arrived there this past Monday. Haven't received the official notice as yet. I want the camera back of course, but I can wait. Going through all this with a "flagship" camera is very discouraging. I wish there were more choices in the DLSR market.
Joe : Can't comment either way on the service, but I would like to get a feel from you about the issues with the D2X. I've been sitting watching the D2X drama unfold with Ron, Jim, and others, but I still don't have a good understanding of all of the problems with the body. What's happened in your case ? John P.
My D2H was in for a tune-up 2 weeks ago. By the time it was logged in the system it was already on it's way back to me. Nikon received it on Friday and shipped on Monday. Looks like the service can be faster than the paperwork.
Well, I called late afternoon and again, they couldn't find it so I asked to talk to a supervisor and after an extended phone call I was provided a service number. I started out annoyed but by the end of the call seemed pretty satisfied, the supervisor was professional and courteous. The status was set at "Estimate Accepted" immediately since it's under warranty. Today I checked online and oh yeah, Service Repair Rank "C" which means "Major Repair, Major Parts Replaced". So it looks like the wheels are in motion. I will be calling once a day to check on status and will report with a conclusion. _/oe
Hi John, It's hard to say which D2X units have issues but from posts here and on DPR it seems like it was the early units (of which I am an owner). For me, I had two major problems: 1. Focus issues: I did enough testing on this to go through a bottle of Excedrin. For my unit, it happened most when I tried to focus on objects that filled less than 50% of the frame and were at least 40 yards away (for instance, taking a picture of an airplane flying overhead). Even thought the focus point was on the image was constantly out of focus. I tested this twice at supercross races I shot with similar results. For images that were larger than 50% of the frame or close up, the images were crisp, focused and brilliant. 2. Lens mount: I constantly lost the ability to auto focus while using the camera. This happened with 4 different lenses. Sometimes I would have to turn the camera on/off, sometimes I would have to reseat the lens and sometimes (believe it or not) all I had to do was jiggle the lens at the mount. Nikon seemed to be well aware of this issue. Last issue is a firmware bug that I've never brought up before... 3. Microphone sets off the shutter: I set the microphone to start recording by pushing/releasing the button (not the default which is pushing and holding the button while recording). Well when I push the microphone button and hold it the shutter goes nuts and starts firing off. I realize I am using the microphone button the wrong way but still, the shutter should not fire off like that. I think it's just a bug and I don't care if they fix it as long as they are aware of it. So that's it for me. I'll add one personal note to all this: The issues with the camera (IMHO) do not detract from the overall experience using it. I'd still buy it. It's still worth every cent. In your hands John, a D2X would fit well. _/oe
Joe, isn't it amazing that a "supervisor" can find out that the camera has been checked in and has a service number but no one else can? This has been my complaint with my last service, in the past 3 weeks. I think that something has changed, because my last service call last fall went like clockwork. Nikon still needs to update the system in real-time, the length of time from what is reproted internally to what we see on the web page is ludicrous, at a minimum one day late. Even worse is the snail mail issue. I have had my camera back for over a week now and I still have not received the estimate in the mail. Keep a watch for changes on the web site. Now that they have it logged I wouldn't expect to see a change for a couple of days, but at least you now know that they have it and are working on it. Next thing you should see is "In Shop". Good luck.
Joe : Firstly, thanks for the compliment on my hands and shooting. It's appreciated. Interestingly, I just sent a note to Ron R. asking about his experiences saying I didn't have a clear view of the problems with the D2X. You've bridged (most of) that gap for me. We'll see what he says as well. The focus issue seems to be hitting a number of people who shoot active subjects, but it's hard to say just how prevalent it is. In a way, this is a bit like the infamous D2H metter failure issue - many people discuss it online, but the absolute failure rate (number failed/number sold) is quite fuzzy. Even the poll here in the Cafe is a bit limited for statistical sampling, as we are, by definition, a self selected group of enthusiasts. I know Jim F. has commented on the focus failure, but I haven't seen any comments recently from him about the repairs made by Nikon. He was (rightfully IMO) quite steamed over this when it started. So, I guess I'm still a bit puzzled as to the frequency of this problem. The definition of this that you provided, however, is extremely clear. Essentially, there is some software/hardware issue where a substantial number of the reticules are not acquiring proper focus. From your description, it would seem that the "voting algorithm" for the reticules isn't optimised (or perhaps reasonably functional in terms of the percentage actively voting with contrasting materials within each reticule). It would be instructive, but hugely difficult, to be able to get a more detailed set of data on the "break point" where the focus acquisition occurs. Difficult, in that creating a moving target with a specific percentage coverage, moving at a sufficient high speed, and controlling the shooting would require a lot of prep in a lab. This is a solvable but non-trivial problem. Optimising an algorithm of this type is a tough ascent, and it's quite possible that it won't be quickly addressed. FWIW, I look at smaller/simpler voting instrumentation systems all the time, and the logic for those is quite complicated (and obtuse); so this isn't just me blowing smoke. OTOH, I'd sincerely hope Nikon's engineers are much more adept than I am at this problem. On another point, the microphone issue is actually a big one for me. I purchased the D100 vertical grip after our session in December, and I now use the dictation feature constantly in my work in refineries and chemical plants to note the specific equipment I'm shooting. A failure in that feature would loom large for me. Thanks for the detailed (and reasoned) reply. John P.
I had to send my D2H in for the broken meter problem. They were superbly efficient here in England. I sent it in on the Friday and I received it back the following Thursday - all fixed. So they can get it right sometimes. Keep on at them.
Torrance Sorry to hear of your experience with Torrance. My two experiences - my D1X and my D2H were very efficient and the work was well done. Hope all turns out okay for you.
Hi John, One last note regarding the focus issue and my perspective on it. I have been using the D2X (in regards to focusing) exactly like I did with the D2H and therefore my comparisons were related directly between the two. Where the D2H shined, the D2X lacked and thus my confidence in that there was an issue. And in regards to the Trenton Syndrome, it seems to me he had a very bad unit. My results were not nearly as obvious as his. I've seen some recent shots and it looks like he's doing very well with the new one they sent him. As for the microphone issue, when used as directed, the microphone feature works perfectly so please have no worries there. It was only when I used the feature incorrectly that the shutter began to fire. The only reason I reported it was that in my opinion this is a bug that they should be aware of. We gotta get Ron out of his house and back in the field, eh? _/oe
Thomas Hogan took a while to get his camera serviced as well. I would say it is somewhat normal much to my chagrin. http://www.bythom.com/repair.htm
Final Note I was genuinely surprised today to find my D2X sitting on my doorstep. Dumbfounded actually. The repair order reads like this: ADJ Mirror Angle ADJ Auto Focus Operation Everything else was just checked (CKD) A note by a tech came back with the unit that reads "we've tested your camera with a variety of lenses including the 3 you mentioned with no problem with any of them" which to me means they didn't fix it just tested it. This disturbs me. They state that the microphone function is OK which to me means they either didn't understand my description or that they're ok that the shutter fires off like it does. Last note says "Autofocus has been readjusted for better accuracy" Man, I hope so! So without testing the unit, I'm satisfied with the end result. However if my lens mount troubles continue I'm going get really hot that they didn't address it as I requested. _/oe
