drdonald

Thanks. I will keep trying. I keep believing it is something simple....

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

What lenses are you trying to use? I traded for a used D300 a few years ago. It worked fine with the latest all-electronic lenses, but when I tried an older lens that required the AI ring to communicate aperture information, I got the same error. Turns out there was damage to the internal parts of the AI ring system from someone somewhere along the way trying to install an older lens that was not built to interface with that ring. Repair was accomplished, but it required finding a donor body and spending quite a bit of money.

Verify that you have the same problem when you try to use the camera with a newer lens. (Preferably a "G" lens, but not an "E" or "P" lens.)

If it works, you either have damage to the AI parts (the moving, spring-loaded tab by the lens mount) or you are not setting the lens you are using to its smallest aperture and locking it, or there is something else deeply wrong with the camera. (If it doesn't work, there is a problem in the camera.)

You can also do a 'green button reset,' but I doubt it's likely to do any good for you.

You might also check the manual for other troubleshooting ideas. It has a whole section on that...

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

Duplicate post deleted. Trying to type in the dark...

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Looks like you can fix it yourself. How great is that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XZJEO4FgYQ

keywest305 Loc: Baltimore Md.

Could be the lens.

olemikey Loc: 6 mile creek, Spacecoast Florida

I have one, on the shelf as a "shelf queen" (really, looks beautiful, doesn't work though)...mine suffered the the shutter mechanism failure that was fairly common for some of the D80's (slow death over a several month span, till no more shutter. Waste of time and money to fix (IMHO), you could pick up a good D90 (very much better camera) for around $100, and could probably get one with a 6-12 warranty from one of the major resellers (MPB/KEH/Roberts UsedPhotPro/B&H/Adorama/Samys/Hunts/etc for a few dollars more. Your battery will work in the D90 too, and the learning curve will be lessened, as it was the next model in that line. My two D90's don't get as much use these days, but still make wonderful photos.

I moved on to D90 when mine failed (way out of warranty, or Nikon support), used them for years before jumping to D71/7200. If you want to spend a little more you can move into the D7XXX series, and (or D3xxx D5xxx), but those won't work with any screw drive Auto Focus lenses you might have, and with that you can af tons of older lenses.

Good luck in your quest

richardsaccount

I too am the proud owner of a Nikon D80 with an ERR message. This happened a few short years ago.
I took it back to the camera a store where I purchased it and one of the associates mentioned some internal
design flaw which I can't recall. I took it to a meeting of a camera collectors group which I have been a member
for several decades and asked if any of the members had experienced such a problem. The camera got passed around. One member had it in his hands and said the camera was hot. I thought he was joking. I replied that I bought it from an authorized dealer. He then said no, it's really hot!. He gives the camera back to me and the original Nikon battery was melting down. I quickly removed it and put it in a sink that was in the meeting room.
I don't know if that caused the ERR message in my camera. I did read that some of those batteries did that.
At the time there was a place I believe in N.J. that would fix the err message for $95.00. I didn't go for it. If you
look on EBay you can find D80's for a lot less. I think I would put in on a shelf for display. Good luck.

ecobin Loc: Paoli, PA

Really - I don't doubt you Paul, but I've never had that issue with mine. I don't use it much anymore and will sell it someday.

bonjac Loc: Santa Ynez, CA 93460

Have you tried resetting the camera to factory settings?

BrianFlaherty Loc: Wilseyville, CA

I seem to recall that a few Nikons (of the D80 & D70 era) required you to set the lens at f22 when installing them on the camera. . .Costs nothing to try it. . .

. . Just remembered, after installing the lens set to f22, I also had to run through ALL the "f" settings (back & forth). . after that, everything worked OK. . .

rochephoto

I think it means you made an "err" buying a Nikon....

BrianFlaherty Loc: Wilseyville, CA

Wow! That is a really helpful reply. . .

rochephoto

Thanks! Always happy to contribute!

RRiggins Loc: Colorado Springs

Hi. My name is Rick. I’m the owner and lead technician at Discount Camera Repair and a member in good standing here at the UHH. I’ve been doing repairs for other members here at greatly discounted rates and would be glad to help.

I'd be more than happy to repair the camera for you and keep the cost as low as possible. If you’re interested, please respond by private message.

JeffL Loc: New Jersey

The problem is common to the D80. I had the same issue. I sent it to FantasTec NE (www.fantastecne.com) for repair. I think it was $90.00. All those people saying don't fix a broken old camera haven't owned a D80. It is a tank and can take a lot of abuse. It also will work with a lot of older film camera lenses that don't have a focus motor in the lens. Most newer cameras won't work with those lenses. I carry a D5500 and the D80 in my bag. The IQ is just fine since I am not blowing photos up to poster size. Anyway, fix it or trash it, your choice.