how soon is shutter death?

[cam]

i've heard a sign that your shutter may be going is the dreaded all-black frame. this has happened to me twice in six weeks (possibly more -- but the other times i conceded user error).

for those who have gone through the shutter failure and replacement -- is this something that starts gradually and picks up steam or does it one day just stop?

thank you in advance.

cam

 

[JonasYip]

I didn't have any problem with black frames. It just stopped working.

j

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

It's always too soon, no matter when it comes.

 

[cam]

It's always too soon, no matter when it comes.

arghhhhhhhhhhh!!!

knock on wood.

run around in circles naked.

do whatever you can to take those words back!

i would be seriously devastated without my baby and glass. i still haven't decided what to supplement it with.... an early shutter demise would lead me to Beaumarchais looking for a used film M (can't afford the M8.2 right now) and i still haven't decided which one is for me.

guess it's time to do my homework.

(please say a little prayer to the Epson god that it holds out until May when i'll be in L.A. and take it to Steve's)

 

[edhohoho]

Hi Cam,

Sorry, knock on wood, so far I haven't had any shutter issues.

However, if you suspect you are having problems or experience shutter failure and are willing to part with your camera for a little while, consider sending it to Steve Choi at Steve's Camera Service Center. Yes, I know you are located in Paris, but I went to his shop yesterday and he said he just finished repairing a failed shutter for some NBC photojournalist based in Beijing. And he was able to do this without getting any parts from Epson because Epson only grudgingly provides certain external parts to repair shops.

Good luck and hope it's just a case of the lens cap being on. 🙂

 

[cam]

I didn't have any problem with black frames. It just stopped working.

j

first off, many apologies for not thanking you for your answer.... wonder if it could be something else?

Sorry, knock on wood, so far I haven't had any shutter issues.

However, if you suspect you are having problems or experience shutter failure and are willing to part with your camera for a little while, consider sending it to Steve Choi at Steve's Camera Service Center. Yes, I know you are located in Paris, but I went to his shop yesterday and he said he just finished repairing a failed shutter for some NBC photojournalist based in Beijing. And he was able to do this without getting any parts from Epson because Epson only grudgingly provides certain external parts to repair shops.

Good luck and hope it's just a case of the lens cap being on. 🙂

Ed, if you see above i refer to Steve. he's been fixing my camera for as long as i've had it (i'm the third owner). i'm aware that he will do repair via mail, i'd prefer to hand deliver so i'd be without the camera for the shortest length of time. obviously, if it dies before i'm there, my choice will be made for me.

and, as long as i have you here, Ed. was Steve able to calibrate camera to lenses for you?

 

[filmat]

Hello

Are you using generic batteries? maybe your problem is slightly different but when using the generic 1300mah batteries (rather than Epson's 1500mah) i often got misfires or a "stuck" shutter. T

hought first it was a dormant mechanical fault until i stopped using these batteries

philippe

 

[JonasYip]

Hello

Are you using generic batteries? maybe your problem is slightly different but when using the generic 1300mah batteries (rather than Epson's 1500mah) i often got misfires or a "stuck" shutter. T

hought first it was a dormant mechanical fault until i stopped using these batteries

philippe

I second that... had problems early on when I used generic batteries that didn't happen with the original batteries.

 

[cam]

i only have one original and use that as often as possible, but.... i have two generics that were troublesome so i tried and liked (or so i thought) some batteries from Jessops when i was in the UK for christmas.

does this mean not to worry? not that i like missing shots, but it is a hell of a lot better than losing a shutter and the use of my camera.

i didn't think it possible to get the original batteries any more. am i wrong? if so, where???

 

[JonasYip]

does this mean not to worry? not that i like missing shots, but it is a hell of a lot better than losing a shutter and the use of my camera.

Well, battery problems aside I had a very real shutter failure, as have many others. So it could be happening... Basically I just assume that my 2nd RD1 will fail at some point. Luckily I live 10 minutes from Steve's...

j

 

[sevres_babylone]

I had the intermittent blank frame problem. It started at the end of my trip to Buenos Aires last November, and was very infrequent, and as I recall, single frames. But in December, I started getting repetitive failures, and by January more blanks than pictures. While that improved my quality ratio, the camera had become completely unreliable. Fortunately I had bought a used second body last fall.

Because of the symptoms, i was afraid there was some kind of electronics failure rather than a shutter failure, and that I would have to penetrate Epson's consumer services defenses. But I e-mailed Steve Choi with a descripton of the problem, and he diagnosed it as being typical of the shutter problem (although it sounds from here that there are variations). I sent it to Steve Choi, and got it back today, and it works fine.

He also did a complete CLA and cleaned the sensor (which I hadn't realized was so dirty until Buenos Aires, because most of the time here I'm shooting in dim light at very wide apertures.)
In addition, the covering on my camera body was being held to the camera with gaffer tape. Steve suggested replacing the rubber, and I am glad I took him up on that. He would have repaired the hinge on my screen, which is loose, but couldn't get a replacement part from Epson (so maybe that's why the new model has a fixed screen). I haven't heard of the hinge being a general problem; I think it's because I keep it mostly closed, but repeatedly flip it open for chimping. I should decide one way or the other.

I was very pleased with the service and quick turnaround.

Edit: Forgot to answer the question "How soon is shutter death." I bought the camera new in March 2005, and the problem as described happened last November (2008). I am not sure of the number of shots taken, because it has been accidentally reset twice and I haven't had the patience to go through files and add up the totals. But I use it a lot.

 

[cam]

thank you both! my camera has been behaving quite nicely (other than forgetting and putting in one of my cheap batteries during a protest march :bang: ) so i don't think there will be a problem with it holding up for a check-up from Uncle Steve in May.

as for the issue with the screen, i usually don't chimp (but i do like to check when i'm stopped). however, since getting my Luigi case, i'm not switching it backwards and forwards near as much. it stays in the open position, with the leather covering -- perhaps this is an option?

(unfortunately, i hate the design of the 4-snap LCD cover -- i've lost that rectangular patch more times than i care to remember :bang: and am considering a DYI sewing adventure so i can just flip it down like some of the cases available for the M8.)

 

[sevres_babylone]

Re the screen: my second body came with the Luigi case, and I tend to use it with the screen visible. It's a nice case, but I prefer the handling of the camera without the case. (And I know what you mean about "losing" the patch.

I suspect a cheap generic was behind the second reset of the shot count; the first was user error.

 

[cam]

Re the screen: my second body came with the Luigi case, and I tend to use it with the screen visible. It's a nice case, but I prefer the handling of the camera without the case. (And I know what you mean about "losing" the patch.

i bought a Luigi second-hand because my fingers were freezing off this winter 😛 i've kept using it, even though it's warmed up, because it muffles the shutter clunk (important to me) and makes people think it's an old film camera even more than when it's naked.... that effin' patch, though! i have left it at rehab, in bars, at friends, etc., and somehow it makes its way home every time 😱

a word about batteries: the few i got from Jessops when i was in the UK truly seem to be the bees knees. not quite as good as the original Epson, but very close.... just an FYI though i'm hoping, like everybody else, that we can finally get some of the original Epson with the "new" model coming out.

 

[cam]

why did i not KNOCK WOOD???

i received my SA today, loaded it very gently, took a few shots, and death occurred....

now i've used an SA before on my cam and really think this is just a horrible coincidence, but there you have it.... i shot my little heart out at the Tibetan march (several hours) and i think i killed it.

i will likely try to take it to a store here (yanick -- help!!!) as i'd really like to get a lens or two calibrated while i'm at, but i will also speak to Steve.

the funny thing is, i just got my M2 today as well and it looks like i will be falling head first, eyes wide shut, into the wonderful world of film.

i can't quite describe the feeling. i think i'm a bit in shock. i've had cameras fail before, but never known this grief -- i love my R-D1 that much!

it is all very odd....

 

[maddoc]

Sorry to hear about your R-1D problems and hopefully it can be brought back to live soon ! 🙂

But ... your SA arrived and a M2 ?? 😀 Isn't that good news ? 😎

Cheers,

Gabor

 

[cam]

good news, bad news, good news.... i'm just a jumble of emotions right now!

here is the last shot, underexposed, and badly composed. hey, i was just checking out the lens, not attempting masterpieces.... of interest, of course, is the new 1959 M2 is his hands, proudly wearing my v.1 Cron (a couple of years younger).


(the M2 is now loaded with 400 Ultramax as all the stores were closed and i was anxious to try anything!)

 

[noimmunity]

I'm on the same emotional rollcoaster just reading about your experience!

Fortunately, help is available. And in the time it takes to get the R-D1 fixed, you will have a chance to fall in love with the new M2, if not channel into entirely new GAS.

 

[edhohoho]

Ed, if you see above i refer to Steve. he's been fixing my camera for as long as i've had it (i'm the third owner). i'm aware that he will do repair via mail, i'd prefer to hand deliver so i'd be without the camera for the shortest length of time. obviously, if it dies before i'm there, my choice will be made for me.

and, as long as i have you here, Ed. was Steve able to calibrate camera to lenses for you?

Hi Cam,

Sorry I didn't keep up with this thread for a while. Actually, I have been pretty lucky with my lenses in that I haven't had too many problems with focusing them on my R-D1 provided that the rangefinder was well aligned, so I haven't had to have Steve calibrate lenses specifically for the body. This includes the 75 Summilux and Noctilux, wide open.

However, I do have a couple lenses I bought recently that seem a little off (usually the problem is slight front focus), but I think it is more those specific lenses than anything else. I asked him the other day about adjusting the focus on lenses, and he has the collimator necessary to do this work. I will probably have him take a look at these lenses soon so I will let you know how they turn out.

In the past he has quickly checked the focus of various lenses for me and said that focus was accurate, but I definitely know some lenses work better than others on my camera. Perhaps he needed to spend more time with them but I had a 50/1.5 Summarit and 50/1.2 Canon that I had to return because of focus issues.

It is interesting, but according to recent posts and Dirk's (JapanExposures) website regarding Contax G lenses being converted to M mount, Mr. Miyazaki, the person who does these conversions, insists that people intending to use the converted lenses on R-D1s should send their body in for lens calibration because there are individual variances between R-D1 lens mounts (but not for the M8) that necessitate this. I can't imagine why this would be, but then again there are reportedly similar issues regarding the Hexar RF and Leica lenses as well. I am hoping that I don't have a R-D1 with a miscalibrated mount that causes slight front-focusing and that the only reason most of my lenses are working is because they slightly back-focus (if I ever get a digital Leica, I am screwed). I guess we'll have to see when I send some stuff to him for conversion...sans my R-D1. (I, like you, can't imagine being without my R-D1!)

Sorry to hear about the continuing shutter issues on your R-D1. Steve seems to be gaining a lot of experience with the R-D1 because he said he gets about 5 a month that require service. I'll keep you posted on the lens calibration.

Take care,

Ed

 

[cam]

I'm on the same emotional rollcoaster just reading about your experience!

Fortunately, help is available. And in the time it takes to get the R-D1 fixed, you will have a chance to fall in love with the new M2, if not channel into entirely new GAS.

my condolences! it sucks, non?

i'm happy and sad, all at the same time, and completely sick to my stomach....