AF-mode button no longer works

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kevmk81

Senior Member
My AF-mode button on my d7100 no longer works :-( Have had the camera for a couple months now, around 2,500 shutter releases.

So, those with the experience, how is the warranty/repair for Nikon? What kind of turn around should I expect? It'd be nice if they could provide a temporary camera I could use. :-/

If I haven't sent in my warranty/registration card yet, is it too late now that there is a problem?
 
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Dave_W

The Dude
How confident are you that the AF button isn't working? I say that because I've seen many "broken" cameras that simply had the AF turned off or the AF button was reassigned to a different function.
 
Horoscope Fish

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
Make sure you haven't engaged the focus-lock rocker-switch on the body of the camera. I've done this myself a time or two because this switch is way too easy to engage by mistake.

If the little rocker switch surrounding the "OK" button is in the "L" position, you've locked your focus. Move it back to the dot like in this pic:

7100 Rear View.jpg

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K

kevmk81

Senior Member
Horoscope Fish said:
Make sure you haven't engaged the focus-lock rocker-switch on the body of the camera. I've done this myself a time or two because this switch is way too easy to engage by mistake.

If the little rocker switch surrounding the "OK" button is in the "L" position, you've locked your focus. Move it back to the dot like in this pic:

View attachment 64784

.....
Click to expand...

Nope, it's not in that mode. I actually tried both just to be sure something wasn't whacky with that. The button actually feels "soft" now, like no responsiveness.
 
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kevmk81

Senior Member
Dave_W said:
How confident are you that the AF button isn't working? I say that because I've seen many "broken" cameras that simply had the AF turned off or the AF button was reassigned to a different function.
Click to expand...

I didn't think the AF-mode button could be changed? I believe the AF/AE lock button can be assigned, but not the AF-mode button. Am I right? I reset both the shooting menu, and custom menu to defaults and it's still not working! :-(
 
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kevmk81

Senior Member
Just got off the phone with the nearest shop, I guess they would need to send it to Nikon for repair. 4 to 8 weeks! Are you kidding? I wish there are alternatives. I paid a large chunk of change... I wouldn't expect something like this to happen. Totally unacceptable.
 
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Dave_W

The Dude
kevmk81 said:
Just got off the phone with the nearest shop, I guess they would need to send it to Nikon for repair. 4 to 8 weeks! Are you kidding? I wish there are alternatives. I paid a large chunk of change... I wouldn't expect something like this to happen. Totally unacceptable.
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They're giving you the worst possible scenario. Whenever I've sent in my cameras to Nikon, the turnaround was between 1.5 to 2 weeks. Also, consider whether or not this fix is needed now or could be put off until just before your 1 yr warranty runs out. Waiting on the fix will allow you time to gather up more possible problems and have them all fixed at the same time.

Another suggestion is to have the shop that sold you the camera send it back to Nikon. That will relieve you of both the cost of shipping as well as the cost of insurance.
 
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yauman

Senior Member
Here's my experience with NIKON repair. My daughter dropped the D60 a week after I gave it to her when I upgraded (to a 7100) Went online to fill in the form at NIKON site. Printed out the form and address label with barcode assigned to it. Mail the camera in. 1 week later, I received and email stating that the camera is repairable (the shutter spring came off) and the cost of the repair. I acknowledged the repair cost, charged it to my Credit Card no that I entered when I fill out the repair form. The cost was the minimum - $200. It was return in 10 days. So, the overall time from filling out the online form to getting the camera back was 17 days. If the camera is not repairable, they'll send it back to you with a note to that effect.

Important, when sending the camera back, strip it bare - do not send battery, UV Filter, strap, SD card, lens and even the eye piece rubber cup. Only the body cap should be sent with it - anything thing else that can be removed should be removed otherwise you WILL NOT GET IT BACK!
 
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Sandpatch

Senior Member
My D5100 shutter repair took about three weeks with Nikon "factory" service in New York; used their website to manage the transaction. Like yauman suggested, I stripped mine bare of everything except the body cap before sending it. Perhaps I was stupid, but I was even afraid of losing my Nikon box, so double-packed it in two corrugated containers with bubble wrap. My packing job was far better than Nikon's minimum packaging on the return shipment, but all was well.
 
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yauman

Senior Member
Yea, I send it back in the original Nikon box but it came back to me wrapped in bubble wrap and a generic brown box! Not cool - now I'm out my original Nikon box! Mine went to the Nikon repair center in Los Angeles.

Actually the worse packing has to go to Tamron - I sent my 18-270mm Tamron zoom for cleaning and recalibration and for them to look at the slow - very slow AF. Flat fee of $100 and while I shipped with with bubble wrap inside a box and packed with foam peanuts, they send the lens back foam sheet wrapped (just rolled up) in a USPS padded envelope! Ouch!
 
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kevmk81

Senior Member
Which is why I'm hesitant to send it to Nikon. That's just not the way a company like that should do business. I almost wish I could just return the camera and go with a different company if that's how they treat their customers.
 
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yauman

Senior Member
kevmk81 said:
Which is why I'm hesitant to send it to Nikon. That's just not the way a company like that should do business. I almost wish I could just return the camera and go with a different company if that's how they treat their customers.
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No, you should trust them on this - they must have a lot more experience with the shipping system than you and I do. They must ship hundreds of these repair a month and if they get broken with shipping, they would have packed it different. I think they got it right - as in my experience with shipping to Tamron and getting it back barely packed - so those of us who are amateurs in shipping stuff overdo it greatly - spending too much on the postage by overpacking. Canon shipped back my colleague's speedlite sent in for warrantee repair in just a padded envelope. She sent it in with the original box and packing! The pros know how to do it. I get very fragile stuff ordered from Amazon and is always quite amazed at how little packing they get away with. So basically companies who do a lot of shipping knows how to pack it just right for shipping to pay the minimal weight charges.
 
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kevmk81

Senior Member
I'm shipping it today. Now I just need to decide on the service to get it there. Anyone recommend either UPS or USPS? There isn't a Fedex in my area, so I won't be able to use them. UPS is 10 miles away, but USPS is in town. I've shipped items before, but not something like this. And I want it to get there asap for a quicker turnaround.
 
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yauman

Senior Member
I shipped mine back via USPS. Here's the deal- it doesn't matter how fast it gets back to them (most shipping UPS or USPS is 2 days for continental U.S.).
FYI, this is how repair departments work for most gadgets of major corporations: The shipment goes to their shipping and receiving dept - which receives everything , including their own office suppliers and stuff businesses gets. The workers open the packages, scan the barcode to verify they got what they got then put the item in a bag with a label and then in a tub for the appropriate department. Your packing box will be cut open (more efficient opening) and thrown away as they open as fast as they can (job performance matrix is by the number of items they open up a day and how accurately they entered the info. - that's why you'll never see your packing box again!) The tub gets delivered to the repair department and to the appropriate work bench for the repair - lens, body, calibration, etc. When repair is done, (however long it takes is not usually related to the complexity of the repair but rather to the number of items with the problem and number of tech trained for that repair) the shipping dept picks up the items, wrap them up to their shipping spec and UPS/FedEx or whoever they contract with for shipping will pick it up and send it to you.
 
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Dave_W

The Dude
kevmk81 said:
That's just not the way a company like that should do business. I almost wish I could just return the camera and go with a different company if that's how they treat their customers.
Click to expand...

Out of curiosity, how exactly should Nikon go about fixing something that has broken on your camera? I'm sure you could argue that nothing should have broken in the first place but who knows exactly why that button broke, was it something you did or was it a manufacturing issue (if it is indeed "broke"). And if you had a time-machine, what camera would you have purchased instead? I'd like to know because as far as I can tell, Nikon's warranty policies are the same as Canon's, Sony's, etc., so if there is a company offering a better warranty, it would be good information for us to have.

Another question that keeps popping up in my mind is whether or not you have contacted the company that sold you this camera. Most Nikon authorized dealers will replace your camera outright (depending upon how long you have had it) or send it in for you, free of charge. If you did contact them, did they offer to replace this model with a new one or offer you a loaner camera to use until yours returns? If you were a member of Nikon Professional Services (NPS), a 100% free service to professional level photographers, Nikon would immediately ship out a replacement camera for you to use while your camera is being serviced.

I'm not picking on you but I am getting frustrated with so many people coming to this board after buying a very complex instrument such as a modern DSLR and then complain when one of the thousands of functions goes wrong. Would you threaten to buy a Ford instead of a Chevy if you happened to get a flat tire or your water pump goes out? If suddenly all the D7100's or all the Fords started showing the exact same problem then yes, you have a legitimate grip against Nikon or Ford Motors but in your case it's a one off and frankly who knows who's at fault here. Nikon will assume responsibility and fix it for you for free. I can't for the life of me see how they, or any other company, could offer anything more than this and stay in business.
 
K

kevmk81

Senior Member
Dave_W said:
Out of curiosity, how exactly should Nikon go about fixing something that has broken on your camera? I'm sure you could argue that nothing should have broken in the first place but who knows exactly why that button broke, was it something you did or was it a manufacturing issue (if it is indeed "broke"). And if you had a time-machine, what camera would you have purchased instead? I'd like to know because as far as I can tell, Nikon's warranty policies are the same as Canon's, Sony's, etc., so if there is a company offering a better warranty, it would be good information for us to have.

Another question that keeps popping up in my mind is whether or not you have contacted the company that sold you this camera. Most Nikon authorized dealers will replace your camera outright (depending upon how long you have had it) or send it in for you, free of charge. If you did contact them, did they offer to replace this model with a new one or offer you a loaner camera to use until yours returns? If you were a member of Nikon Professional Services (NPS), a 100% free service to professional level photographers, Nikon would immediately ship out a replacement camera for you to use while your camera is being serviced.

I'm not picking on you but I am getting frustrated with so many people coming to this board after buying a very complex instrument such as a modern DSLR and then complain when one of the thousands of functions goes wrong. Would you threaten to buy a Ford instead of a Chevy if you happened to get a flat tire or your water pump goes out? If suddenly all the D7100's or all the Fords started showing the exact same problem then yes, you have a legitimate grip against Nikon or Ford Motors but in your case it's a one off and frankly who knows who's at fault here. Nikon will assume responsibility and fix it for you for free. I can't for the life of me see how they, or any other company, could offer anything more than this and stay in business.
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I guess it's all opinion. I bought the camera at Best Buy (which I admit that was a mistake). I've called them, mentioning that I've had the camera for less than 90 days. But they insisted that I go through Nikon for repair. That was a lesson learned. Don't shop there for camera equipment anymore obviously.

As far as having a time machine and knowing what I would have purchased instead? I don't know really. I thought I wouldn't have a problem like this. I understand it's a small chance that a problem like this would even happen. But I've seen better repair options with other non-camera/electronics companies. Why does Nikon insist that warranty work be done only at their 2 (?) locations in the states? That makes things difficult for customers. But I guess I understand. And no, I'm not a member of NPS. And to me, this button failing is like buying a Ford, and the blinker would stop working. I would then have to send that Ford to a state that's thousands of miles away, and possibly wouldn't have that Ford for 8 weeks? Because of a blinker that's broken? This is a broken button issue. And it's something I didn't cause. I can promise you that. I take care of equipment like this. VERY good care. That goes along with pretty much everything I own that I use and enjoy a lot. I take pride in being able to keep things in great working order! I still get complements on how clean my car is... and it's a 2003. :) I apologized if my post bothered you. I'm just miffed because I really wanted to be able to continue my time lapse project I've been doing. I can always just use an older camera of mine or my iphone i guess... but it's just not the same. Maybe I can make it work somehow with editing. I know most of the time you can take great photographs with no matter what camera you have, but this is one of the cases that the camera does in fact matter - for consistencies sake.

It's like trying to rent an apartment while having dogs. Those with dirty, annoying dogs have ruined it for those with clean, well behaved dogs. Those that don't take care of their equipment, have made it more difficult for those that take great care of their equipment. Customer's are typically not 'always right' anymore. We are questioned to death, and doubted upon. That is really what annoys me. I'm sure Nikon assumes it's the customers fault. It's just another company trying to cut corners. I'm sure Canon, Sony, etc.. would be the same. And I can work with that. But sometimes I want to vent about it.
 
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yauman

Senior Member
When it comes to the retail business in the US, comparing anything to the car sales business is a non-starter. By law, new cars must be sold by an authorized dealer in most states (Teslar is trying to challenge that law in many States because they want to sell their cars in their own Show Room.) Profit margin is very high and manufacturers give the dealership all kinds of incentives and allowance to deal with fixing manufacturing and cosmetic defects (non-safety related) so the customer is happy.

Electronic gadgets (camera's come under that category) can be sold by anyone (including the manufacturer) - it's a very low barrier to entry of this retail business; all you need is enough capital to buy inventory to sell. Profit margin is very low. There are "authorized retailers" that manufacturers will designated - and these retailers may get training on the product and will take care of warranty repairs (which basically meant they take care of shipping the product back to the manufacturer and receiving it back, thus usually delaying the repair cycle.) Unlike the car business, they don't have to be a "licensed" or an "authorized" dealer to sell any gadgets so you are on your own. Best Buy may not be an authorized dealer for Nikon so even if they take it back from you to send to Nikon, how are they going to do that? They would have to fill in the warrantee card and pretend that they are the owner of the camera to get the warrantee repair from Nikon. But if it's your camera and Nikon's registry says it's you, you get the warranty repair not Best Buy.

I bought my D7100 from Mikes Camera - one of the only camera retailer's left in my area. They were willing to match B&H and Amazon retailer price and I had to double check with Nikon to make sure they are an Authorized Reseller for Nikon - they are. So within a month of having the camera I suspected that the battery is not holding charge as well as a new battery should or that the charger is not fully charging it, so I took it back. Basically they told me that if they have to send it back to Nikon, I have the option to send it directly myself and get it back directly -if i go through them, all I am saving is the postage and packing but it will take longer. I asked if they are willing to swap battery with me as I suspect it's just a bad battery - they were, so I'm happy. But you should see the paperwork they and I have to fill out for them to get reimbursed from Nikon for that swap! That my friend is retail business on the edge!
 
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Dave_W

The Dude
FYI - In the US, you can only buy a Nikon from a Nikon authorized dealer. A purchase outside this network will immediately invalidate your warranty.
 
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Dave_W

The Dude
kevmk81 said:
I guess it's all opinion. I bought the camera at Best Buy (which I admit that was a mistake). I've called them, mentioning that I've had the camera for less than 90 days. But they insisted that I go through Nikon for repair. That was a lesson learned. Don't shop there for camera equipment anymore obviously.

As far as having a time machine and knowing what I would have purchased instead? I don't know really. I thought I wouldn't have a problem like this. I understand it's a small chance that a problem like this would even happen. But I've seen better repair options with other non-camera/electronics companies. Why does Nikon insist that warranty work be done only at their 2 (?) locations in the states? That makes things difficult for customers. But I guess I understand. And no, I'm not a member of NPS. And to me, this button failing is like buying a Ford, and the blinker would stop working. I would then have to send that Ford to a state that's thousands of miles away, and possibly wouldn't have that Ford for 8 weeks? Because of a blinker that's broken? This is a broken button issue. And it's something I didn't cause. I can promise you that. I take care of equipment like this. VERY good care. That goes along with pretty much everything I own that I use and enjoy a lot. I take pride in being able to keep things in great working order! I still get complements on how clean my car is... and it's a 2003. :) I apologized if my post bothered you. I'm just miffed because I really wanted to be able to continue my time lapse project I've been doing. I can always just use an older camera of mine or my iphone i guess... but it's just not the same. Maybe I can make it work somehow with editing. I know most of the time you can take great photographs with no matter what camera you have, but this is one of the cases that the camera does in fact matter - for consistencies sake.

It's like trying to rent an apartment while having dogs. Those with dirty, annoying dogs have ruined it for those with clean, well behaved dogs. Those that don't take care of their equipment, have made it more difficult for those that take great care of their equipment. Customer's are typically not 'always right' anymore. We are questioned to death, and doubted upon. That is really what annoys me. I'm sure Nikon assumes it's the customers fault. It's just another company trying to cut corners. I'm sure Canon, Sony, etc.. would be the same. And I can work with that. But sometimes I want to vent about it.
Click to expand...

Yes, I completely understand the venting issue. And I must apologize for coming off so gruff. But believe me when say that we see a lot of people come through here with unrealistic expectations and no, I do not believe you have unrealistic expectations at all, it's more that I'm a bit sensitized to it and I broke the rule #2 of the internet - posting before coffee. Had I finished at least one cup I'm sure my response would have been either missing or much more gentle.

So I'm hoping I didn't scare you off of the forum and I most sincerely hope you post your time lapse work here when you receive back your D7100. I hope it's a fast turn-around and that it marks the one and only time you have to submit your camera to Nikon. And again, I'm sorry for anything that may have sounded rude or unsympathetic. I really do understand how frustrating sending a camera in and I should have simply ignored your "I wish I hadn't bought a Nikon" and chalked it up to someone venting their frustration.
 
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