D600 is back home ... again. Interesting repair note

Rick M

Senior Member
Rick, are you mostly shooting indoors, or outdoors with little sky in the frame? Seems like most of my shooting is outside in the bright sun, with blue sky in 1/4 to 1/2 the frame-that's when the spots really like to show up the most.

For the improved D600x, Nikon needs to incorporate another small compartment that will be used for a small container of Eclipse-like solution. Then, when we choose "clean the sensor" on the camera, it will automatically spritz an even number of microdroplets onto the sensor and then a mini wiper blade will run across the surface of the sensor.

I shoot 99% outdoors and landscapes with lots of sky. Most are HDR's so the spots show up clearly when I have some. Right now I have 3 spots after about 300 shots since the last blow-off. Thats also with many lens changes.
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
I'm considering getting a 600, but when I do I'm thinking of getting a refurbished one from Adorama. That way, at least it's been given a once-over if in fact it did suffer from the dust issue that's so rampant on the web.

​Sorry about your story, that really bites. I wish Nikon would have addressed the issue from the beginning.

If you read the beginning of this thread about sending his D600 in to Nikon for repair, you'd see that even repaired ones aren't being completely fixed. You should consider a new one--wouldn't it have a longer warranty than a refurbished one?
 

Eye-level

Banned
I've been looking into this a little bit.

I think if I had a body with the issue I would try to learn time lapse photography and set it up a few days until I got the shutter count up to about 5K then I would clean it and see what happens.

Maybe the new ones will wear out faster ultimately because of the lack of lubrication???

I think I would like to have a 600
 
Last edited:

eli

Senior Member
I don't understand purchasing the camera at this point when so many people are frustrated by both the oil/dust problem and Nikon's
failure to be forthright about the problem, seek to correct it, at their cost, and satisfy their customers, especially their loyal customers who
purchase multiple cameras and lenses. Have any of you thought that this camera might just be a "lemon" and in need of a recall?
I have written this before, I am going to keep with my D7000 and wait . . . though i so want to go full frame. I have this beautiful Nikkor 105micro - a wonderful lens - and it is perfect for a full frame sensor.
 

Sabra Designs

New member
Thank you for all the comments and the warm welcome. My wifewas a pro photographer at one point in her career shooting everything fromweddings, to fashion to marketing air conditioners. We have had great careersin various high tech, training and consulting ventures. While my passion liesin fishing and woodworking I have gotten an itch for photography as this issomething we both enjoy and can do together while getting some exercise andenjoying the outdoors.

We were going to go to Alaska and I wanted her toget a new camera. We went looking and when we saw and compared the D600 back inlate October early November she thought that was the right choice for her.Since we were thinking of maybe using this in a retirement business it madesense to get me a lesser version as I am truly an amateur with much lessexperience while I know my wife is more talented. It also made sense to have abackup body with less of an investment.

My wife loves to shoot Macro and we bought the105MM micro lens as well. We figured that Nikon would back their products andwhile there was just starting some rumors about a dust issue we went forwardwith the purchase(s). We have posted some "reasonable" pictures onCapture Dallas and have a lot of fun shooting nature whether that be plants,animals or minerals. I see I am repeating myself, sorry as I am tired andreceived our camera back from Nikon today. Yes I put on a lens and snappedanother 300 - 500 pics and yes the dust and oil came back around the 300th picand was all over the top left corner by the 500th as well as some larger spotsin the center top that started appearing around the 325th.

I joined several forums just recently to letpeople know of my experience. I also did this to see where I could learn moreabout this hobby. While I understand basics, I am fascinated trying to capturewhat I see on a picture to share my particular view. It is quite challengingand fun (unless I am dealing with Nikon on this D600 issue.)

I will be happy to post some of my pics and evensome of the dust issues if people are interested. I still do not feel that mypictures are anything special although I can find some (1 out of 50-100) that Ireally like personally. I certainly don't plan on trying to earn my livingdoing this as I am in awe of some of the work I have seen.

You will see on other forums I have posted to thispost:
[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Justas an update, I did receive my D600 back overnight as my wife leaves next weekto travel internationally. I took the camera out of the box gently. Prepared mylens so I could do a fast switch. Pointing the camera down I took of thecamera's body cap off and quickly attached the lens. I went out side andstarted taking picture in various modes. I snapped almost 500 images.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
Bythe 303rd image I noticed the first spot. It appeared and got worse on everyimage after. When I looked at the last few images the top left corner was onceagain covered in spots. This is at F22 and F16. If I look at the F8 pictures Iam sure I could find more but why bother. I SHOULDN"T SEE ANY![/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
Sorryfor yelling. I have returned my camera for a full credit to the store thatoriginally sold me the camera. They had no hesitation in taking it back andwere shocked as they read the documentation I provided. They actuallyapologized to me.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
Iwill now try Canon. While we still have an investment in some Nikon equipment,we can no longer reward Nikon with any more of our business. Since we are atthe beginning of our new cottage business as get ready to retire, we don't havethe financial investment that many Nikon users already have. So in a way Nikonhas done me a favor by keeping my losses at a minimum and providing me with an excellentexample of how not to treat your customer.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
Yousee the product when it worked was excellent and those that have a workingmodel of the D600 will enjoy it immensely. However, the product also exposedhow poorly Nikon works with their customers especially on a known issue. Whatwill happen when there is another problem that does impact those people who arenot impacted today? How will they feel when they are treated in the manner inwhich Nikon has treated us?[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
Imay post an update somewhere on the Canon 6D which is what my wife would likeas a replacement. While technically it may not be as good a match, when youcompare it to our version of the D600 with the extra features of internal dustand oil, I am confident it will take a great snapshot. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
MyD600 problem situation with dust has been fixed. The vendor I bought it fromhas taken it off my hands for a full credit. There are still some companiesthat are truly customer centric. Have a good night.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
​Iapologize for rambling again as I am a little tired.[/FONT]
 

Sabra Designs

New member
I think your version and my version of real cheap would differ. I am taking it to the shop where I bought it tomorrow and am confident they will give me full credit especially if I take a 6D off his hands in exchange. If not I have a friend who is already financially committed to Nikon for his business. he has dibs.

But thanks for the offer :)
 

eli

Senior Member
yeah, the 6D makes sense after your experience. Good luck. It is always helpful to purchase from a reputable dealer.
 

Eye-level

Banned
Good luck to you all. :)

I hear the Canon forum folks are a lot more friendly than Nikon folks. Don't know myself I only own two Canons...never shoot them.
 

Rick M

Senior Member
I don't understand purchasing the camera at this point when so many people are frustrated by both the oil/dust problem and Nikon's
failure to be forthright about the problem, seek to correct it, at their cost, and satisfy their customers, especially their loyal customers who
purchase multiple cameras and lenses. Have any of you thought that this camera might just be a "lemon" and in need of a recall?
I have written this before, I am going to keep with my D7000 and wait . . . though i so want to go full frame. I have this beautiful Nikkor 105micro - a wonderful lens - and it is perfect for a full frame sensor.

It really isn't that frustrating to some of us, it takes 5 minutes to clean a sensor and the problem slows a great deal over time. There is currently no match to this camera, it is the best in it's class. If it wasn't, I'd take the loss and buy a D800 today.
 
As an aside, I find $132 to ship a camera by 2-day express, insured, ridiculously expensive. I ship stuff all the time and I could ship to the CA location from NJ in 2 days for less than half that. With "$15 for the box" I suspect he walked into a UPS store and also paid for the privilege of having them pack it (there's a lesson in there - save your boxes and pack yourself).
I work at the US Post Office at night handling Priority Flat Rate Mail and see a lot of what I assume are cameras going to Nikon in NJ in the Large USPS Priority Flat Rate Box which cost $16.85 and is guauranteed to be there in 2 days from here (usually there the next day) and 3 days from California.
 
Last edited:

Sabra Designs

New member
Rick,

With all due respect, the problem has not gone away and hasn't for many others. After the third time of sending it back (having my shutter system replaced and low pass air filter cleaned as reported by many others sending it several times to Melville) they simply cleaned the sensor and sent it back,. In less than 300 images I had spots and by the 500th it was as bad or worse than before. Yes the camera is great when it works but mine doesn't and I am not the only one. If I were why would Nikon not simply replace the camera. The answer is that they do not have a fix that consistently works.

Did you notice that their profits have declined more than 50% this quarter compared to last year while their sales increased 5%? This quarter is the first full quarter that the D600 has been out and there is a problem. If yours does not have that issue I am very happy for you. But to flat out say that it disappears and gets better is just not true for many of us. I have more than 5,000 count on my camera and that is plenty.

My problem is now fixed. My wife has a Canon 6D. I would have returned my D3200 as well but there is nothing wrong with that camera and it would not be fair to the company I bought it from (although they probably would have accepted it as they did the return of the D600.) That company has a customer for life. Nikon lost my business. Not so much because of the D600 but because if how they handled my customer experience and failed to do the right thing.

Cleaning and perhaps wet cleaning a sensor should not have to be done every 300 shots. For those that are wiling to do that, you are very loyal customers and I can understand that especially with the financial investment you probably have with Nikon. Nobody likes to have their baby called ugly. However, the way Nikon has handled the D600 in particulate MY D600 is very ugly. They no longer get my business. My D3200 will remain with me but I will by third party lenses until I decide to upgrade to a Canon full frame or some other manufacturer in the future.

If anyone is thinking about buying the D600 there currently is no known consistent fix nor is it known if the newest serial numbers do not have the issue. There are rumors that Japan is working on something. If you think this is a small number of cameras being impacted then why would they simply not replace them with new ones? If it is too large a number for that then why is there not a known fix? They know there is an issue as they already released a statement about it back in February.

I hope in your case the problem continues to decrease. For my wife and I, that never happened. If I waited until now to make the buying decision there is no decision for me: There is no way I would risk spending $2K plus for a camera that may create internal dust and oil issues so quickly regardless of its specs. When that issue comes up on one of your photos that you wanted to publish but now cannot, don't get annoyed. Just take the 5 minutes to clean your sensor (again.) Sure it may happen on other cameras but definitely not as often and probably never with reasonable maintenance. You certainly cannot say that for many of the D600.
 

hrphotography

Senior Member
I had same issue, sent in my camera at around 3500 clicks. got it back..have been using it for few months. no dust issue yet. i checked the clicks today...its at 4800.
though i have not tried to close down the aperture and shoot white paper yet :)
no problems with regular photography and even HDRs so far.
 

Nikonesian2

New member
Anecdotal evidence suggests that the problem disapates around 3000 shots. No excuse for Nikon, but it did get me into a refurbed FX for under $1600. I get dust, but I have been able to rocket it off.
 

papa2jaja

Senior Member
I've never sent my D600 in for service, because my impression is that there is not yet a fix for the issue. Reading from others, it seems to come back after the camera was sent in for service.

I was prepared to clean the sensor frequently during the first months, but not as frequently as I in the end had to :) Considering the price of those swabs, it became quite expensive.

I bought a D800, since my vacation was just around the corner and I was going to travel under conditions which would make cleaning the sensor every day unpractical, and I'm happy with the D800 now. But I'm still disappointed by Nikon's way of dealing with the issue.

Economical aspects aside, wouldn't all of you guys, if you sold something that turns out to cause the buyer such grief because it had a problem you hadn't been aware of before selling it, try really hard to help him?
 

papa2jaja

Senior Member
FYI, no reappearance of the issue with the 3rd shutter, so whatever was the culprit, it's "fixable".
That would be great news indeed. Despite me having a D800 now, I still like the D600, because it is smaller, and diffraction starts later ;) (just kidding).

Maybe in a month or two, I'll send mine in for fixing.
 
Top