Adorama & D600 dust

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
I understand wet cleaning is recomended which should remove the particles

Wet cleaning should remove particles, though it may take several applications. It's also something that if done improperly can damage the sensor and void the warranty, so if you don't know how to do it then don't do it yourself. Best first step, if the self-cleaning doesn't work, is to use air to clean it. Do not use compressed air or blow on it yourself. Get a bulb blower and, after locking the mirror up and holding the camera face down, use the blower to blow particles away and let gravity and air pressure remove them from the camera. Again, if you're not comfortable doing this yourself then bring it to someone. There are plenty videos available if you look on YouTube to show you the proper way. It's not difficult, but it could be costly if you mess up. You know yourself, and whether or not you should be capable. If nothing else, watching someone else in person the first time is likely the best assessment of whether you can do it the next time.

Nikon will clean it under warranty, but you'll have to take it to an authorized repair shop or ship it back, so if you do this then try to get enough shutter actuations under your belt that you're past 3000 or so, which is where I've heard this problem dissipates.
 

eli

Senior Member
But does anyone actually have information about whether the oil/dust issue has been resolved in manufacturing, before we purchase the camera? I also spoke to someone at adorama, seeking information about the value of my D7000 so i could put that money toward a D600 purchase. I raised the oil/dust issue and the salesman told me the new 600's no longer have that issue. I would like some verification of that, but from whom? from where? My understanding is that Nikon never admitted to the problem so they have not publicized that the issue is resolved once and for all.
By the way, i am so worried about this, that i am considering just keeping my 7000 and enjoying that since it is a pretty good camera.
I just thought that full frame would bring me back to my pre-digital days with a nice viewfinder and pictures approaching the beauty of film.
 

Rick M

Senior Member
But does anyone actually have information about whether the oil/dust issue has been resolved in manufacturing, before we purchase the camera? I also spoke to someone at adorama, seeking information about the value of my D7000 so i could put that money toward a D600 purchase. I raised the oil/dust issue and the salesman told me the new 600's no longer have that issue. I would like some verification of that, but from whom? from where? My understanding is that Nikon never admitted to the problem so they have not publicized that the issue is resolved once and for all.
By the way, i am so worried about this, that i am considering just keeping my 7000 and enjoying that since it is a pretty good camera.
I just thought that full frame would bring me back to my pre-digital days with a nice viewfinder and pictures approaching the beauty of film.

They won't acknowledge it. It's just dust and it can be removed. I'm surprised you are happy with your D7000 which has dust, oil and focusing issues!
 

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
They will acknowledge and fix instances of it when they are presented with the camera, but they will not acknowledge it as a systemic problem - regardless of whether it's been corrected or not. It may or may not be evident in every one, but as an owner of both a D7000 (where I saw it, but not nearly as quickly) and a D600 (where it appeared with no lens change after 100 actuations) I have to believe that it is, in fact, a manufacturing "problem" regardless of its current state of correctedness. Alas, formally acknowledging it means recalling all product on shelves and the potential to service every working D600 out there, even if the owner has never had an issue. Easier to handle it this way, let the "internet rumors" persist and wait for bodies to show up under warranty.

I'm disappointed with having to deal with the problem, but as long as I've got a fresh battery and an air bulb available I can keep it at bay. I shoot a dust check image before I head out, clean if necessary (air blow - I've only wet cleaned once) and check again after I get back, if only to try and determine if I have an issue. I was shooting a non-stop stream of snow geese flying overhead on Saturday and about 30 shots in from a clean sensor that morning - BOOM - a big spot appeared near the center of the bottom edge. There were two factors that likely aided this. 1) I was shooting straight up, so gravity helps. 2) I had the camera in CH mode. The latter, with it's rapid and many mirror flings, seems to bring about this problem much more quickly than when using single frame mode, acting like a fan inside the body (I tend to keep the camera in Quiet mode as it also seems to aid in reducing movement - a lesson learned with the D7000's aggressive mirror).

And while I tell these stories I will say that I have no regrets purchasing the camera. I will likely send it in for a once over after I log another thousand or so clicks on it, particularly if I don't see the problem abating. I wouldn't blame others for wanting to avoid the issue, particularly if they are not inclined to do pre-shooting prep every time they go out, or are less inclined to stick their noses inside and prefer to wait. My Dad instilled a bit of a rule in me long ago that says if you want to use a particular tool then you better be willing to know how to maintain it. That means changing your own oil and tires on a car, strings and electronics on my guitars, and at least knowing how to check my cameras and lenses for dust and getting rid of it when necessary. YMMV, but if I had to send stuff in every time it needed tweaking I'd be spending a lot of time at the post office.
 
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Rick M

Senior Member
Not true they will acknowledge it and fix it priority. Atleast that is what they told and did for me and my D600.

I may be wrong, perhaps I missed an official press release from Nikon Corporation? I'm sure individual dealers will acknowledge it and clean the sensor, but that is not the same as Nikon Corporation saying there is an issue(which is what I meant).
 
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I3igcircle

Senior Member
No my bad I took it out of context as in they will not acknowledge it and help, as that was not my experience. I was not referring to a public / official announcement.
 
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eli

Senior Member
Some replies: to BackdoorHippie - I can't really see myself purchasing and cleaning a new camera knowing the issue going in. It isn't the way i do things though i would like it if i was more "mechanically" competent in that regard. My car goes to the mechanic even for an oil change. When i purchase a product, say a camera, i expect it to be problem free. And that is my response to Rick M! THough i bought one of the first D7000s sold in my neighborhood, I haven't experienced oil or dust issues. Yes, sometimes focusing is challenging, but i always figured that was as much my fault as the camera's. Regardless, for an amateur like myself, the camera is a tool for enjoyment and not for business. I love playing with ideas and have an ever developing vision for what a camera can do for expressing my artistic side. I don't claim any talent, but i also don't judge anyone for being hesitant about purchasing a camera that has a problem before it is even shipped! Like everyone who reads these threads, we hope our camera purchases help us fulfill our photographic vision. We just don't want it to get in the way with oil or dust that should have been caught by the manufacturer as a product defect. So i will wait until i feel reasonably assured that i won't have to deal with this and then i will upgrade to a Nikon full frame, if that reassurance comes.
I hope everyone on this forum continues to enjoy their cameras and gets the shots that fulfills their artistic hopes!
 

Rick M

Senior Member
Some replies: to BackdoorHippie - I can't really see myself purchasing and cleaning a new camera knowing the issue going in. It isn't the way i do things though i would like it if i was more "mechanically" competent in that regard. My car goes to the mechanic even for an oil change. When i purchase a product, say a camera, i expect it to be problem free. And that is my response to Rick M! THough i bought one of the first D7000s sold in my neighborhood, I haven't experienced oil or dust issues. Yes, sometimes focusing is challenging, but i always figured that was as much my fault as the camera's. Regardless, for an amateur like myself, the camera is a tool for enjoyment and not for business. I love playing with ideas and have an ever developing vision for what a camera can do for expressing my artistic side. I don't claim any talent, but i also don't judge anyone for being hesitant about purchasing a camera that has a problem before it is even shipped! Like everyone who reads these threads, we hope our camera purchases help us fulfill our photographic vision. We just don't want it to get in the way with oil or dust that should have been caught by the manufacturer as a product defect. So i will wait until i feel reasonably assured that i won't have to deal with this and then i will upgrade to a Nikon full frame, if that reassurance comes.
I hope everyone on this forum continues to enjoy their cameras and gets the shots that fulfills their artistic hopes!

I guess what I'm getting at is if everyone waits for a new camera to come out without any glitches, you may never get a new one. I totally agree they should be trouble free, I was extremely disappointed at first, but it is such a great camera I would buy it again. I'll bet, just like your D7000, that not every unit has an issue. Only time will tell...,
 

Eye-level

Banned
My F2 I change the seals and go with it.

My D5000 Blow it out and go with it.

Every now and then clean them up.

Photographers from the very beginning have had to deal with sticky shutters and oily aperture blades.

Routine maintenance. If you are going to shoot a lot you are going to have to keep up your tools.

Yeah all these new bodies with glitches is sort of disturbing but the more I think about it if you can make the tool work and get it through it's teething problems then go with it.
 

eli

Senior Member
Good points Rick. It is likely that not every 600 will have the problem. I hope you continue to enjoy the camera as i will continue to
enjoy my 7000. However, i wouldn't be on this forum if i weren't tantalized by the thought of purchasing a D600. take care everyone.
Should i make the purchase, i will let everyone know if i find the dust and oil spots!
 

Rick M

Senior Member
Good points Rick. It is likely that not every 600 will have the problem. I hope you continue to enjoy the camera as i will continue to
enjoy my 7000. However, i wouldn't be on this forum if i weren't tantalized by the thought of purchasing a D600. take care everyone.
Should i make the purchase, i will let everyone know if i find the dust and oil spots!


If you are patient, it may be worth it to you to wait. I don't know if these types of issues get resolved in production or the topic just fades away with the next's models problems. It would be nice to know.

As I think about it, it's amazing how many new products all around us come out with "issues". Millions of new cars are recalled every year for problems, Boeing's newest Jet was just grounded. My three month old laptop just crashed! I think this has always happened, as mentioned elsewhere, we just all know about this stuff immediately due to the internet.
 
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