Do you think Nikon would find the problem with my camera which doesn't always show up? (Page 2): :sm24:...

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

BebuLamar wrote:

Well it's my toy and unlike tools which only have to do the job, toys have to be perfect.

lamontcranston

BebuLamar wrote:

My Nikon Df is acting up again. From time to time the meter quits working but not most of the time.

The first thing I would try for an intermittent problem like that would be to clean the contacts on the camera and lens. It's a simple procedure and you could possibly rule that out before proceeding further.

BebuLamar

lamontcranston wrote:

The first thing I would try for an intermittent problem like that would be to clean the contacts on the camera and lens. It's a simple procedure and you could possibly rule that out before proceeding further.

And I know for sure that is not the problem. The meter in fact would and should function without a lens attached.

David Taylor

BebuLamar wrote:

And I know for sure that is not the problem. The meter in fact would and should function without a lens attached.

Humour us both, try cleaning the contacts. If it doesn't work, I apologise in advance.

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

BebuLamar wrote:

My Nikon Df is acting up again. From time to time the meter quits working but not most of the time. I would send it to Nikon but only afraid of that when it's there the problem doesn't show up and I would be ended up with an unfixed camera and some charges.

It took Nikon 4 times to finally fix my Nikon 200-500 because the problem was intermittent. BUT, they finally got it right. Good for them. And they were very nice to work with, very apologetic at not getting it right the first time, they would send me pre-paid mailing stickers so it cost me nothing to send to them.
Sometimes they don't get it right the first time, but they will stand by you until you have equipment that will function.

BebuLamar

billnikon wrote:

It took Nikon 4 times to finally fix my Nikon 200-500 because the problem was intermittent. BUT, they finally got it right. Good for them. And they were very nice to work with, very apologetic at not getting it right the first time, they would send me pre-paid mailing stickers so it cost me nothing to send to them.
Sometimes they don't get it right the first time, but they will stand by you until you have equipment that will function.

OK! I will send it in this weekend. Thanks for the cleaning contacts tip but I am sure it's not the problem. Thanks for the shooting the video tip. I think if I send a USB thumb drive with the camera they can see the video.

Elmerviking

Are you sure there is no problem with the battery or the contacts in the battery chamber.?
I would test with a new battery and also check the battery chamber with a magnifying glass to see if any contact is bent or damaged.
By the way, are you sure Nikon DF has two exposure meters..one for viewfinder and another for live view? Sounds a bit unlikely o me.
/Bosse

BebuLamar

Elmerviking wrote:

Are you sure there is no problem with the battery or the contacts in the battery chamber.?
I would test with a new battery and also check the battery chamber with a magnifying glass to see if any contact is bent or damaged.
By the way, are you sure Nikon DF has two exposure meters..one for viewfinder and another for live view? Sounds a bit unlikely o me.
/Bosse

I am sure there is no problem with the battery. I am also sure that all DSLR with live view use 2 different meters for the 2 modes. It's simply impossible to do with 1.

Elmerviking

BebuLamar wrote:

I am sure there is no problem with the battery. I am also sure that all DSLR with live view use 2 different meters for the 2 modes. It's simply impossible to do with 1.

There is no dedicated exposure meter for live view. The amount of light falling on the sensor determines exposure, that is the camera amplifies the signal from the sensor to what it guesses is “normal”. Many ppl have found out that live view exposure differs slightly from view finder exposure, and this is why. If you shoot M mode you can adjust aperture and/or time and it will NOT adjust exposure in live view.

BebuLamar

Elmerviking wrote:

There is no dedicated exposure meter for live view. The amount of light falling on the sensor determines exposure, that is the camera amplifies the signal from the sensor to what it guesses is “normal”. Many ppl have found out that live view exposure differs slightly from view finder exposure, and this is why. If you shoot M mode you can adjust aperture and/or time and it will NOT adjust exposure in live view.

That is true that there no dedicated sensor for metering in live view. The camera read the information from the imaging sensor and determine the exposure. My camera doesn't have problem with live view so that rules out the down stream circuitry. I believe somehow the camera main CPU lost communication with the 2016 pixel sensor in the viewfinder so it acts like it see no light at all. Lens to camera contact isn't the problem because the camera detects the lens fine and it doesn't show FEE. Even with lenses that have no contact the camera would function fine when it works so the contact isn't the problem. Not the problem with the battery either as the camera has sufficient power to capture the image correctly, run the LCD, operates the shutter and operate all the display. All that needs a lot more power than the metering circuit.

IDguy Loc: Idaho

Elmerviking wrote:

There is no dedicated exposure meter for live view. The amount of light falling on the sensor determines exposure, that is the camera amplifies the signal from the sensor to what it guesses is “normal”. Many ppl have found out that live view exposure differs slightly from view finder exposure, and this is why. If you shoot M mode you can adjust aperture and/or time and it will NOT adjust exposure in live view.

I don’t see how it can’t be different on a DSLR. When using the viewfinder the mirror is down so metering takes place in the viewfinder light path. When using live view the mirror is up, blocking the viewfinder light path. Metering has to happen using the sensor. And yes, both metering and focus can differ depending on image.

BebuLamar

IDguy wrote:

I don’t see how it can’t be different on a DSLR. When using the viewfinder the mirror is down so metering takes place in the viewfinder light path. When using live view the mirror is up, blocking the viewfinder light path. Metering has to happen using the sensor. And yes, both metering and focus can differ depending on image.

It can be different if they don't calibrate the meter well. Using 2 different sensors there is always be a small difference.

Elmerviking

BebuLamar wrote:

That is true that there no dedicated sensor for me... (show quote)

If you look at the battery it has 5 contacts...1+ and 1- pole and 3 more. As I understand it it uses two of the contacts for different functions. I guess the two contacts that support the viewfinder exposure meter are faulty. The circuits inside the camera are connected with flat cables which are locked in place with a small latch. It is hard to believe they can come loose. I still think the contacts in the battery chamber are dirty or damaged if the contacts on the battery looks good. If you can’t see anything wrong I suggest you send it in to Nikon repair.

BebuLamar

Elmerviking wrote:

If you look at the battery it has 5 contacts...1+ ... (show quote)

At this point I am sure that there is no problem with battery or lens to body contact. I think there could be some loose connection between the sensor in the viewfinder and the camera or god forbid there is something in the viewfinder that block the sensor.

Elmerviking

BebuLamar wrote:

At this point I am sure that there is no problem with battery or lens to body contact. I think there could be some loose connection between the sensor in the viewfinder and the camera or god forbid there is something in the viewfinder that block the sensor.

Would be interesting to know what the repair guy finds out😋