D3 toast yum yuk

[wendellt]

hi people

one of my d3's is toasted again its the same issue i had in new york and in adelaide and at fashion week in sydney, circuit board is screwed

i take a picture and the camera doesn't write the image to the card and due to this the auto image preview on the screen doesnt show up and the camera freezes and does not tuen off if you try to turn it off, the only way of turnign it off is to pull the battery out

this is the 4th time it has happened this year

Nikon explains the problem with the pcb unit and CF card unit as shorting out(which denotes water damage)
but i havnt got the camera wet

the only systemic relationships i can find is the camera has gone through alot of airport scanners
and i have used certain cf cards with it

apart from that i treat my gear really well now and it hasn't been exposed to water or really harsh conditions
and no electromagnetic fields

can a cf card that is corrupted cause a short circuit on the pcb board in the camera
or can a old d3 battery cause this sort of electronic shortout

its also interestign that both my d3's are always together but this particular one fails with this issue over and over

anyone read the forums and find similar issues with other users?

need to figure out why this is happening or ill be spending most of my money fixing the same issue over and over again

thanks in advance

[Mr Darcy]

can a cf card that is corrupted cause a short circuit on the pcb board in the camera
or can a old d3 battery cause this sort of electronic shortout

Possible but unlikely. It would need to be a very specific problem with the card.

Back in the dark ages when Hard drives were the size of a bar fridge (19 inch disks - that's about 500mm) I was a hardware techie & once had a problem where one circuit card was blowing up another. The second card was then placed into a state where it would blow up a good version of the first card in such a way that it would then blow up a good version of the second card. Can't remember how long it took before I realised I had to change both cards at the same time to fix the problem. But I know I blew a LOT of computer cards that day.

[surenj]

this is the 4th time it has happened this year

I wonder whether the logical solution is to ditch it for a new one. Perhaps it will get damaged severely so that insurance will have to pay out?

Seriously, 4th time in a year would be very annoying; Even for a hobbyist. Especially if Nikon can't help you.

Good luck in finding a solution.

[ozimax]

The solution is easy Wendell: 5D Mkii plus a few nice lens and you're laughing.

[glamy]

Hi Wendell,
Is not there a warranty on the repairs? Blaming the environment cannot stand as the other camera is OK.
I had my first experience with the Nikon service today... I took my 24PC in to have the tilt and shift on the same axis. The guy at the reception desk did not know whether it could be done, had to go and find out and came back telling me they are going to give me a quote in a couple days I felt like taking the lens back but in the end left it there. If this is an indication of their competence, fixing a more complex problem seems unlikely...
Gerard

[surenj]

first experience with the Nikon service today

Cameron is the resident expert in this area and I believe he had a good outcome for a complex issue with his D300- LCD. I would take his advice on how to approach this. In saying that, Wendell should be a VIP customer for them.

[photomarcs]

Hi Wendell,
Is not there a warranty on the repairs? Blaming the environment cannot stand as the other camera is OK.
I had my first experience with the Nikon service today... I took my 24PC in to have the tilt and shift on the same axis. The guy at the reception desk did not know whether it could be done, had to go and find out and came back telling me they are going to give me a quote in a couple days I felt like taking the lens back but in the end left it there. If this is an indication of their competence, fixing a more complex problem seems unlikely...
Gerard

I know exactly who you're talking about, and agree 100%

[MATT]

Nothing to add but I love this part of your post

apart from that i treat my gear really well now

MATT

[glamy]

Just an update about my lens at Nikon. I will pick it up tomorrow and pay the $44 fee for assessment. Here is a tutorial for the job I wanted done: http://www.motifnation.hu/index.php/type/concept/64/526
Does someone know whether this is correct? According to Nikon they have to replace 3 relays when doing this operation and the total cost is $663.22
May be I should have started another thread
Gerard