allanwalls Loc: Fairhope, Alabama, USA

Good day all.
I am posting these comments to see if anyone else has experienced D850 problems similar to mine. I would be very interested to hear how the issue was resolved for other Nikon users.
About 6 weeks ago, at the beginning of a shoot, my D850 suddenly and completely lost power. The camera was completely dead, as evidenced by the blank top LCD screen. I was using a new 24-70mm f/2.8, a freshly charged Nikon EN/EL-15a in the camera and a freshly charged EN/EL-18b in the MB-D18 battery grip. Nothing would revive the camera. After returning home I removed and tested the batteries, which were all fully charged, and removed and replaced both the XQD and SD (UHS-II) cards. The camera came back on when I replaced the camera battery (without the MB-D18) and remained on for several test shots before suddenly losing power entirely. I cleaned all battery terminals and battery contacts in the camera and tried to get the camera to turn on with 6 different, fully charged, OME Nikon EN/EL-15a batteries. I sent the camera back to Nikon for repair.
Two weeks later the camera was returned with a note saying that the camera had been cleaned and tested and was working properly.
After about 10 minutes of use the camera died again. I once again went through the battery/card replacement process. Occasionally the camera would power up for a short while, but it would inevitably lose all power within seconds or minutes. When the camera did power up, I could now hear a distinct, soft popping sound coming from the top of the camera. This popping sound would coincide with the top LCD screen flickering, right before all power was lost. So, within 4 hours of getting my D850 back, it was repackaged and on its way back to Nikon. So far I have spent $220 on shipping and insurance.
It has been a couple of weeks since Nikon took receipt of the camera but, other than an email to tell me they had the camera, I haven't heard from them.
The D850 has been a real letdown so far, and I am very disappointed with Nikon's service department. Part of my frustration stems from this not being my first rodeo - last year I had another brand new Nikon DSLR that required multiple round trips to the repair shop before they were able to diagnose a defective shutter and replace it.
If anyone else has experienced this apparent "dead battery syndrome" with the Nikon D850, please let me know what was found and what was done. Most importantly, please also let me know if your D850 has had any additional electrical problems after repair.
Any feedback would be most appreciated. Thanks, Allan

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

I'm curious as to whether or not your second round of failures was with the grip installed. Was the grip returned with the camera on the initial return?

WessoJPEG Loc: Cincinnati, Ohio

Thats the reason i don't use grips.

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

I have thousands of shots with four different Nikon grips and never experienced a problem until I purchased a non Nikon grip. I quickly returned it and paid the ridiculous price for something that works without issues. I like the feel of a grip and it nicely facilitates vertical shots.

allanwalls Loc: Fairhope, Alabama, USA

I did not send in the battery grip either time. The grip was in place when the problem first occurred (set to drain the EN/EL-18b first) but the problem recurred and then persisted using the camera battery only. After the initial service the battery grip was never re-attached to the camera but the symptoms were exactly the same. I did give Nikon a written report of everything that happened, in painstaking detail, and they only wanted the camera and the battery that was installed during the most recent power failure. My first thought, when the power was lost the first time, was that this was a battery grip problem (I think I had read something here about battery grip problems with the D750) but that doesn't seem to be what Nikon thinks.

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

Sounds like due diligence! Good luck and I will be watching for your resolution!

wolfman

I've used non Nikon grips on the D800 & D810 for over 2 years now, without any problems.

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

Yes, there have been many satisfied customers here on the forum. My copy was an exception and I just opted to stick with Nikon and hopefully lessen the probabilities of failure. Hopefully!

alx Loc: NJ

By any chance, what was the weather like and humidity levels when the problems occurred? Since you don't state a location or the circumstances of the shoot, it is hard to judge.

That might sound silly, but I have a long story that goes way back with a new at the time Nikon F2S. I was shooting an airshow here in NJ and the metering system in the head went dead. Sent the camera in to, if I recall the name correctly, "Marty Forscher?" who was considered to be the top pro Nikon Authorized repair artist in NYC at the time.

Camera came back as nothing being wrong.

On another shoot, same thing. Metering was dead. At least in those days the shutter was mechanical and the only electronics was the metering in the head, but this was still a major problem for a new, and expensive, professional camera.

This time I sent it into Ehrenreich Photo Optical (the official importer in those days before Nikon USA) in Long Island. When I called to check on the status they said there was nothing wrong with the camera. Remembering that this always happened outside on hot, humid summer days, I drove out there again (3 hours) to pick up the camera on a hot sticky day. They showed me that the camera was working just fine, looking at me like I was crazy.

I took the camera and walked around the building 3 times and had a dead camera. I wasn't surprised. I put it in a zip-lock bag and went back inside. I wouldn't let them open the bag (they wanted to) and made them verify on the spot that the head wasn't functional - totally dead. They finally figured out that checking out a camera in a climate controlled, air-conditioned shop wouldn't find the problem and they replaced the head there and then. The replacement has worked fine ever since (at least since I last checked).

Point is, the electronics of a D850 today are far more sophisticated than a 1970's F2S. Sophistication brings additional potential for problems. Although it's a great camera (I have a D850 myself), a humidity prone lemon is always a possibility and wouldn't surprise me. And I'm sure they checked it out in a nice, cool and comfy workshop.

Hope this helps you find the problem..

allanwalls Loc: Fairhope, Alabama, USA

Thanks for sharing that story. It certainly sounds like a plausible explanation for what is going on here.
I live down on the gulf coast and the humidity has been unbearable since March. But I use my camera almost every day and, while it hasn't been actually rained on, it has been used in unrelenting high humidity since I got it. All my other Nikon have too, though, and none of them have developed electrical problems. I was shooting on a relatively low-humidity night when all this started. I was trying to capture some of the action during the Perseid meteor shower. When it died it was connected to my Nikon 10-pin cable release, the battery grip, and nothing else.
Since writing this post this morning, I have received notification that the camera is on its way back to me this week. Fingers crossed! I'll let you guys know what they said, if I can figure it out from the cryptic documentation they usually provide.
Thanks to everyone for taking the time to give feedback.
Allan

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

I've had a couple of 'loss of power' incidents over many years and many bodies, but not the D850, so far. As I recall, most were issues with the battery contact systems. This can be very frustrating. Best of luck.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

My guess would be the power switch - losing contact.

Country Boy Loc: Beckley, WV

I had a similar problem with a D7100. They did not find the problem on initial attempt and failed within 20 minutes after I got it back. They sent me the UPS postage to return it and found and replaced a defective power card and returned it with a note I had a 6 months warranty on the repair. I have used it for 8 months trouble free now. Hope you have a similar experience. Electronic problems can be hard to find however, on the second visit I think they give it a better workout to ensure it is fixed.

allanwalls Loc: Fairhope, Alabama, USA

Thanks for the encouraging note! I sure hope they have put more effort into the second "repair" of my D850. It would have been helpful if they had paid for the second round of shipping, but they didn't. But I am supposed to get the camera back this Thursday and, hopefully, this time it will be fixed. I must say that my experience with Nikon over the last 12 months is making me think seriously about switching to Sony. I don't see myself taking another chance on a $3K Nikon!

peterg Loc: Santa Rosa, CA

Please keep us updated.
I've had only one D850 problem. On the top LCD "Control Panel", "err" was displayed at the bottom right. I reinserted the XQD card and I got a normal display showing the number of exposures remaining. I now check for a normal Control Panel display after inserting a memory card.