My D700 appears to have died.

[Keith]

Unbelievable .... I always assumed that this would be the last digital camera I would ever have trouble with but to day I picked it up to take a pic and the shutter jammed and the viewfinder went black and also showing error on the top LCD. Occasionally it bursts back into life for a few frames then locks up again and is getting worse the more I attempt to use it.

I'm gutted ... this is my go to camera that I always have nearby at home with a 24-120 zoom on it for photographing those unpredictable moments that seem to happen regularly around here. The thing wouldn't have much more than twenty thousand shutter actuations so I am somewhat surprised!

And probably not worth repairing I would imagine! 🙁

 

[Pioneer]

Sorry to hear about your camera troubles. My Pentax Q serves exactly the same function and I would be equally lost without having it handy for those every day shots.

Hope you find a replacement.

 

[lynnb]

You wouldn't expect this to happen with around 20k actuations Keith. Very disappointing. Is it insured, or perhaps covered in your home contents insurance?

 

[Stelios]

Weren't these rated for 150k frames?
Just speculating but Nikon could replace the shutter. Alternatively there are plenty of D700 out there, someone will have a spare shutter (assuming for the price, it's worth replacing). They are cheap at the moment. Mine (touch wood) has probably over 30k at the moment.

 

[Freakscene]

Get it fixed Keith - they are still on Nikon's pro repair list. I have one at work that has over 100k actuations and is still going fine, so it would be worth it unless the repair quote is more than another camera of equivalent condition.

Marty

 

[Keith]

You wouldn't expect this to happen with around 20k actuations Keith. Very disappointing. Is it insured, or perhaps covered in your home contents insurance?

No recourse ie insurance or similar unfortunately. It just seems to run out of power and the mirror stays up then it comes back to life a few seconds later and repeats the process. It's an old camera in many ways now and I do have my D4 so I'm not without a good DSLR ... but the size of the D700 was nice and the D4 is a bit of a behemoth as good as it is. 😛

The thing did get pretty wet a couple of times a while ago so maybe that has been a factor. I can live without it but I was pretty attached to it having had it since they first came out many moons ago.

 

[michaelwj]

If it got wet it's probably toast. As far as repair, a quick look online and you could probably pick up a used one for about A$500. A D700 still might be the last digital camera you own, maybe just not the first one you bought!

 

[zuikologist]

Possibly a dud battery?

 

[Fraser]

I would leave it without a battery for at least 24 hours then try it again with a fully charged original Nikon battery, you never know it may work.
good luck.

 

[JoeLopez]

Good advice above. I would not expect insurance to cover this issue, unless it was dropped, damaged, etc.

Do you use third party batteries? Good tip above about charging up an OEM battery and trying again.

I'd certainly contact Nikon about sending it off to repair. Good used bodies seem to go for $750-$1000 or so depending on condition.

 

[Bille]

And probably not worth repairing I would imagine! 🙁

Send it to Nikon and tell them you are disappointed with the shutter breaking at only 20k. Maybe they will replace it for free.

 

[Roel]

I really love mine and i am still photographing marriages with two D700s. Would be really disappointed if these were to stop working.

Hope you get it fixed!

 

[splitimageview]

Wait, what? oh by the way, it was dunked? Lol

 

[blumoon]

Don't know if this would fix it, but have you tried reinstalling the up dated firmware.
I acquired a used Nikon D70 which was giving me the E (error). I reinstalled the firmware and it's been working fine.

 

[Timmyjoe]

Sorry to hear about your D700 Keith. Up until last month I was using a D700 as part of my work kit. Picked it up in 2009. Every other year, during slow season, I'd send it in to Nikon for a check/tune-up. It did get caught in a rainstorm a couple years ago, and that caused a little fog on the rear screen, but it keeps chugging along. If you can afford it, and really love the camera, you might look into sending it to Nikon for a check.

You could also replace it with something like a D750, but I don't think the build of the D750 would match the old D700. Or you could use this as an excuse to save up for a D850, which would give you a major jump in megapixels.

Best,
-Tim

 

[p.giannakis]

Don't know if this would fix it, but have you tried reinstalling the up dated firmware.
I acquired a used Nikon D70 which was giving me the E (error). I reinstalled the firmware and it's been working fine.

Try that. Worked with my old Coolpix 8400.

 

[Rob-F]

Wait, what? oh by the way, it was dunked? Lol

Keith didn't say it was dunked. The D700 is said to have good weather sealing, I believe.

I like the suggestion to let it sit a while with the battery out. I cured a wet (dunked) Olympus Stylus film camera by sealing it in a ziplock bag with a lot of silicon desiccant packs. You know, the stuff you're not supposed to eat. I left it in there for a couple of weeks. When I put the battery back in, it worked.

 

[Bolo Kukus]

Keith, you should get a quote from your local reputable camera repair shop. This will cost you a few dollars but may well be worth it. Most good repair shops credit the quote fee to the repair job if you go with it, but even if you don't get the 'fix' you will at least know what ails your beloved D700.

If you decide to buy again, many good camera shops have low mileage D700s available at reasonable prices. Mine in Melbourne (Camera Lane in Hardware Lane, CBD, if any want to know) is highly reliable and recently had an as new D700 with about 15,000 on the mileage clock, for about A$800. I bought mine from them in 2012 and it has reached 175,000 exposures without needing any repair other than a quick clean to remove two spots from the shutter, which I had done in Singapore. When it finally bites the bullet, I will either buy another used D700 or go the whole hog on a new D610, which isn't really in the same league but appeals to me for nostalgic/sentimental reasons, as it may be my last DSLR in this lifetime.

I hope your D700 will return to life and give you good service for a long time to come, but if not, you have options galore.

 

[BillBingham2]

Keith, sorry to hear but as Miracle Max said "... It just so happens that your friend here is only MOSTLY dead. There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead."

I think the suggestions about battery, reloading firmware, letting her sit for a bit are all good. I'm wondering if there is a factory reset combination you could try.

Play a bit yourself before you send it in, a brand new OEM battery might be just the trick. Pull the memory cards and battery out, take the lens off and put on a plastic body cap while it sits. You never know which 1 has turned to 0 inside.

Keep us in loop and good luck.

B2 (;->

 

[02Pilot]

I like the suggestion to let it sit a while with the battery out. I cured a wet (dunked) Olympus Stylus film camera by sealing it in a ziplock bag with a lot of silicon desiccant packs. You know, the stuff you're not supposed to eat. I left it in there for a couple of weeks. When I put the battery back in, it worked.

If you don't happen to have desiccant packs lying around, the low-tech version is rice. A week or so in a bag of rice and any moisture will be long gone, no matter how deep it got.