dvbird

Is my camera worth fixing?

I was walking on some wet rocks in Norway and fell. My d850 landed directly on the rocks making a loud brittle crack. That body was opened along the upper right seams going forward, backward and down. The camera was stuck in the On state. The LCD panel was blank and the power switch and rear wheel didn't work. I could remove and replace the battery to 'turn it off, and on'. It was stuck in a fairly generic A state at a reasonable aperture for the day. I was able to focus and shoot using the touch screen. I continued shooting some lighthouses and old military sights south of Oslo, Norway. Later, I bought some small screwdrivers and disassembled it. I was able to reconnect the LCD and Power switch boards and they work. Everything works. While inside I found several places where the screw holes were broken off of the main cast aluminum structure. It autofocuses accurately and there is no light bleeding onto the sensor. Everything works except the diopter adjustment won't adjust to a 20/20 vision eye, but will focus to a 'reader' pair of glasses. Of course, the body integrity is not good.

Repairing it will take a skilled repair tech hours. The shutter count is in the 210,000 range. I can't afford a new d850 or Z at this point. I have a D7100 so I'm not without a camera.

Any idea from the forum how much it might cost to repair? Do people part out broken cameras? Other interesting options?

Bill_de Loc: US

Ask Nikon about reparability, not UHH.

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awesome14 Loc: UK

I would have no idea on the cost of such a repair, or if it's even possible. But you got further with it than I ever could have! But people do sell broken bodies 'for parts only' on eBay. And they are in demand. You can get a good price for one, considering it's not working. 500-700.00.

joehel2 Loc: Cherry Hill, NJ

I'm amazed that the camera still functioned so well from your description of the damage. It sounds like a very expensive repair to bring it back to its original weatherproof performance.

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

It may be worse than falling on dry rocks in New Jersey, so I would have Nikon check it out.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

Call Nikon and ask for an estimate! Best of luck.

Archboo3 Loc: Central Florida

If you are a member of PPA you just might have insurance to cover the repairs or at least most of them. No matter what I would send it to Nikon for evaluation and a quote. The damage just might not be as bad as you think.
I tripped and my Nikon D810 landed in the middle of the road. Damaged both my lens and camera. Nikon fixed my camera for just a little over $300.00. My lens was a Sigma 120-300 f2.8. They could repair it, that model was no longer mfg. They offered me $1000.00 discount on the new replacement lens and my PPA insurance covered the difference. Good luck.

BebuLamar

If you contact Nikon they would give you an estimate. However, the estimate is just estimate they don't have the firm price until they have the camera. Any way contact them and see what they say. I feel that you should keep using it just like that as I think the repair is going to be very high.

Grump's Photos Loc: Dunedin FL

If you’re in the US, you might want to check out one of the following. I imagine that their rates would be cheaper, although I haven’t had any dealings with any of them except APS in Morton Grove when they were still a Nikon authorized repair center. Had my D7100 serviced there for a sensor clean and CLA. Reasonable price and short turn around.
Andy

Nikon Repair Facilities

Albuquerque Photo
4503 Menaul Blvd. NE
Albuquerque, NM 87110
Phone: 505-881-6600
1-800-962-4749
Fax: 505-881-6606

Authorized Camera Service
21250 Califa St., Suite 110
Woodland Hills, CA 91367
Phone: 818-340-0582
Fax: 818-340-0586

Authorized Photo Service
8125 River Drive, Suite 100
Morton Grove, IL 60053
Phone: 847-966-4091
Fax: 847-966-4101

C.R.I.S.
250 North 54th Street
Chandler, AZ 85226
Phone: 480-940-1103
Fax: 480-940-1329

California Precision
1714 28th St.
Sacramento, CA 95816
Phone: 916-451-1330
Fax: 916-451-7460

Camera Service Company
4391 West Atlanta Rd SE
Smyrna, GA 30080-6511
Phone: 770-432-4257
Fax: 770-432-4258

Forster's Camera
40 West 2950 South
Salt Lake City, UT 8411
Phone: 801-487-1288
Fax: 801-487-1350

Kurts Camera
7403 Princess View Drive
Suite B
San Diego, CA 92120
Phone: 619-286-1810
Fax: 619-286-6093

Midwest
318 Oak St.
Wyandotte, MI 48192
Phone: 734-285-2220
Fax: 734-283-7478

Peachtree Camera
562 Wylie Rd. Suite 4
Marietta, GA 30067
Phone: 1-888-539-7824
Fax: 770-795-8030

Photo-Tech
360 West 36th Street
New York, NY 10018
Phone: 212-673-8400
Fax: 212-673-8451

Precision Camera
7 Anngina Drive
Enfield, CT 06082
Phone: 800-665-6515
Fax: 860-749-6878

Pro Camera
710 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd.
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
Phone: 805-497-7240
805-497-0826

Sanford Camera Repair
1056 Massachusetts Ave.
Arlington, MA 02476
Phone: 781-648-2505
Fax: 781-648-2508

So. Photo (Delray Beach)
100 East Linton Blvd. Suite 115-B
Delray Beach, FL 33483
Phone: 561-272-2306
Fax: 561-272-9681

So. Photo (Miami)
37 NE 167th Street
N. Miami Beach, Florida 33162
Phone: 305-653-7355
Fax: 305-653-7356

Retired CPO Loc: Travel full time in an RV

I've never had to have a camera repaired but 210,000 actuations is probably close to repair time anyway. Maybe Nikon will do the repairs and replace the shutter too.

dvbird

I wish I had taken some photos or videos while I was inside, but I was concentrating really hard on getting everything back where it came from. New respect for those who assemble these things.

jcboy3

Contact Nikon. It may not be repairable, but they might send you a replacement. That has happend to me in the past (but not with Nikon; another brand). I was surprised at how inexpensive that was. What do you have to lose?

dvbird

I didn't realize I had a repair shop in my own backyard. I'll definitely pay them a visit. I have also created a repair request with Nikon. They are waiting for me to send the camera.

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

I know from Sony service that $439 is the minimum charge for a repair. Considering the damage, I would guess you are looking at a minimum of $1000 and probably more

ClarkJohnson Loc: Fort Myers, FL and Cohasset, MA

So sorry to hear about your accident! Try Nikon, but they may decide that it can’t be fixed. I had a D7500 with structural damage that they just sent back to me as unrepairable, or at least costing more than the camera was worth. Sold the body on eBay for parts.