My D700, only three months old, got blocked while I was taking some shots in a little street Market in Florence. The recorded shots are good, but the camera now shows "Err" on the top LCD and a very dark image can be seen trough the finder; pressing the release button and the "Err" message comes on again. I tried the two green buttons pressed together, but did'nt help. Following Thom Hogan's advise on page 61 of his book I took immediately the camera in for servicing. I think the mirror and the AA filter got stuck together or something. From now on I'll be obliged to travel with my little Oly E420 Pancake also, in order to finish my trips with a working camera. No good, if one can't rely on the D700 when far from home.

Ciao, Caro

This is an example, if rare, of the message I've been repeating to fotogs for years: Before you buy that third lovely new $1,500 lens, buy a backup camera. A D60 or a used D40 is only a few hundred dollars (euros?).

Edo

This is what your repair receipt said? It doesn't sound right. I would have guessed a lens problem, like a sticking diaphram because of the dark finder and the fact that the error occurred upon pressing the shutter.

Bob Baldassano
My Nikonians Gallery

"Nikonians membership - My most important photographic investment, after the
camera"

Retirement is a gift of time - Don't waste it!

It was only my guessing, they are going to let me know. I was using a Nikkor AFD 85mm f:1.8 that I have on my hands right now, pretty new and doesn't seems to have a sticky diaphram, will see.

I will get rid of other gear that I have and buy a second Nikon body. This is a very good suggestion.

Thanks to you all.

I had the same thing happen a few years ago with my D200. It turned out being the arm in the body that opens the lens diaphram pin. I must have bent it very slightly (but enough) to cause occasional "err" messages. I just bent it slightly back and it worked fine and has ever since.

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

Whether you buy a second body or not is up to you, but I have had my D700 since November with no problems and my D200 for over 3 years with no problem. My guess is you will find this to be something simple like a lens problem or as others have suggested the diaphragm setting pin got bent.

Bob Baldassano
My Nikonians Gallery

"Nikonians membership - My most important photographic investment, after the
camera"

Retirement is a gift of time - Don't waste it!

I know how a hat gets blocked but not a camera.
I know when your vision gets blocked like at the ball park a guy stands up in front of you. Did this happen?

What means 'blocked' ?

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

>
>What means 'blocked' ?
>
Just a wild stab in the dark: any chance it was not posted by a native speaker?

Tā pat arī es nēesmu ne amerikānis, ne anglis.

Dear Rudolf700Hess

If you are so smart why don't you upgrade to silver ?

Pietro,

This is a very rude personal attack you have made towards rudolf700.

We treat other members here at Nikonians with respect no matter what their membership level is.

I am sure that the moderators will be contacting you soon.

Dave
Quad Cities, USA
A Nikonians Team Member
My Gallery
SummersPhotoGraphic.com

Nikonians membership -
"My most important photographic investment, after the camera"

Share, Learn and Inspire

Piergio:

Your post here compels us to further explain what we mean in our Terms of Use (Section 1.2) in regards to Nikonians friendliness:

1. We believe that friendliness is good manners and that everyone has the right to friendliness.

2. We admire those capable of good manners and interpret them as being all about self control and making the other person feel comfortable, creating an environment that stimulates personal growth.

3. We firmly believe that such good manners are based on true sophistication, common sense, positivity, responsiveness, good humor and collaboration.

4. We believe all Nikonians members are capable to both practice and enjoy such friendliness.

We do hope you can embrace the Nikonians way and thank you in advance for your support.

Have a great time
JRP (Founder & Administrator. Nikonian at the north-eastern Mexican desert) Gallery, Brief Love Story, The Team
Join the Silver, Gold and Platinum members that help this happen; upgrade. Join your personal web site to the Nikonians WebRing
Make sure you check our workshops at The Nikonians Academy

I am sorry, I do apologise I was very upset for my D700 for letting me down. It would'nt happen again.

I bought a second camera body to keep going in any event.

English is not my native language, I do hope all of you will forgive me.

Hi Brutta Faccia...

ALL KIDDING, ASIDE, and also as a reader of this thread, there's certainly NO problem at all with me. I think you're a good man as it surely takes a good, thoughtful and gracious man to stand up and apologize to the individual and the board for a "slip of the lip"...so to speak. And, I'd imagine (hope) your apology has been both accepted and well taken in the spirit in which it was offered.

Heck, God only knows of all the mistakes I've made in my lifetime, and after all, isn't that why they put erasers on pencils?

I'd say it's now water well under the bridge...relax...and also have a GREAT day...

Dick
The Long Ranger
A Telephoto Lovin' Nikonian

"There are none so blind as those who would not see..."

Hi!, The long ranger, your words made me feel better.
Thanks.

Hi Pietro,

Thank you for taking the time to apologies, it shows that you are indeed an honorable man. It can be easy to misunderstand someone’s intentions when posting on a forum like this.

I hope you are able to get your D700 back in good working order soon.

Dave
Quad Cities, USA
A Nikonians Team Member
My Gallery
SummersPhotoGraphic.com

Nikonians membership -
"My most important photographic investment, after the camera"

Share, Learn and Inspire

Hi Piergio...

I'd suggest a second body is a "must have" when traveling, and with the way things are these days, one can pick-up a perfect, like new D200, for example, at unbelievably attractive prices.

Good luck...good shooting...and good shopping...

Dick
The Long Ranger
A Telephoto Lovin' Nikonian

"There are none so blind as those who would not see..."

>I'd suggest a second body is a "must have" when
>traveling, and with the way things are these days, one can
>pick-up a perfect, like new D200, for example, at unbelievably
>attractive prices.


Hi Long Ranger, I followed your advise: next Saturday my Grandson is bringing me a brand new D90 body from London.
Thanks again.

>Hi Long Ranger, I followed your advise: next Saturday my
>Grandson is bringing me a brand new D90 body from London.
>Thanks again.

Hi Piergio...

And, a heartfelt THANKS to you, too... You seem to be a very thoughtful, and sincere man and it's been my pleasure to kinda' get better acquainted. Wow... And, now your grandson is bringing you a D90. That is WONDERFUL news and you're a very lucky grandfather in at least two ways. 1) You seem to have a very, very nice, loving and caring grandson; and 2) You're about to receive a beautiful, new D90. That's just GREAT.

I also must add I'm very much impressed with your command of the English language which I find truly most admirable. Like so many Europeans, in particular, you seem fluent in both reading and writing English (and as an aside, I'd say that holds true with "our" two founders, J. Ramon and Bo, as well.)

Heck, here in America, many of us - as parents - may consider ourselves to be fortunate if our kids finish school with a mastery of English much less a second language. But, this is no doubt a matter for another time and another board.

For now, I suppose all that's left to say is that "all's well that ends well" and I think this has. Good luck with your new D90 and ALL best wishes, too...

Dick
The Long Ranger
A Telephoto Lovin' Nikonian

"There are none so blind as those who would not see..."

I'd still like to know WHAT MEANS 'BLOCKED'?

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

>I'd still like to know WHAT MEANS 'BLOCKED'?

PaulBennet,

I wrote "blocked" because I used a Widget on my MacBook Pro that translated the italian word "bloccata" into "blocked". I tried again few minutes ago and it gave me the same answer.
I should write a complain to Steve Jobs but he's not feeling well these days.

So, 'blocked' means BLOCCATA (Italian).

Be prepared for more STRAFALCIONI: errors (italian slang) ERRORI (good italian), reading my posts.

All my best.
Pietro

Hi Dick, I'm sorry, I'm reading your post only now. Thanks very much for your nice words. Yes, my Grandson brought me a new D90 from London at a very good price because of the Euro being so strong against the British Pound.
Actually my English is very poor, it's fading away. I use to live in the States for quite a few years but I came back to Rome in 1983, long ago, I have very few occasions to exercise my english. What's happening to me now is that I translate from Italian into English, but it does'nt work that way. The language structure is very different. It helps a lot reading books and american newspapers and magazines. I am 80% retired since six months or so and that gives me plenty of time. Photography, reading and walking are my hobbies and I only spend a couple of ours a day at the Office where I use to be the President. It's a Printing Company that partially still belongs to myself and that I founded in 1966.
Two days ago the D700 came back from Nikon Service in perfect order but they did'nt tell me exactly what was wrong with it, they only mentioned a total resetting and new firmware check. I did the downloading of new firmware days before the camera stopped functioning or "got blocked" as I wrote opening this thread.
Thanks again and till next time.

Pietro

Pietro your English is a lot better than my Italian.

Bob Baldassano
My Nikonians Gallery

"Nikonians membership - My most important photographic investment, after the
camera"

Retirement is a gift of time - Don't waste it!

Bob, being Baldassano your last name, I new you were of Italian Origin. Is your Italian fading away from you exactly like my English ? I have the excuse that my second idiom was only glued to my tongue while I lived in the USA ages ago. I have been back in July 2004 with my Wife and Grandsons and we drove from Marblehead (MA) down to Washington DC. We were very much impressed by the beauty of what we saw and the new face makeup of NYC that Rudy Giuliani was capable to achieve during his Mandate: from the Bronx down to the Village. Even more so were my Grandsons that saw your Country for the first time. We navigated along the East River down to the Statue of Liberty and I had my right eye on my Nikon F801s (N8008s) and a pocketful of Kodachrome. Hope that will not be my last trip there!

Till next posts,

Pietro Valdoni

Pietro:

My grandfather was from Sciacca Sicily, and came to the states around 1902. My father, the second oldest, was born in the US, but his older brother was born in Sciacca. The rest of the family was born in the US. I am therefore a second generation American. We did not speak Italian at home as my father married a woman from a Ukrainian family. So I only know a few sentences in Italian, although I grew up in what was mostly an Italian, Irish and German neighborhood in New York City. It sounds like your trip to the US was a good one, especially for your grandson. Many of the old Italian neighborhoods are disappearing, even Little Italy in Manhattan, where my father lived for awhile when he was growing up. My wife and I love Italy, and have been there many times. When we go there she is always wearing dark glasses and people think she is Italian, which is funny because she is mostly Chinese and Filipino mix. People are always surprised to find out I am of Italian decent, as I guess I don't look very Italian. They never consider that I am married to my wife and think she is a business associate, probably because they cannot figure out why such a good looking woman is hanging out with me.

Bob Baldassano
My Nikonians Gallery

"Nikonians membership - My most important photographic investment, after the
camera"

Retirement is a gift of time - Don't waste it!

>My D700, only three months old, got blocked while I was
>taking some shots in a little street Market in Florence. The
>recorded shots are good, but the camera now shows
>"Err" on the top LCD and a very dark image can be
>seen trough the finder; pressing the release button and the
>"Err" message comes on again. I tried the two green
>buttons pressed together, but did'nt help. Following Thom
>Hogan's advise on page 61 of his book I took immediately the
>camera in for servicing. I think the mirror and the AA filter
>got stuck together or something. From now on I'll be obliged
>to travel with my little Oly E420 Pancake also, in order to
>finish my trips with a working camera. No good, if one can't
>rely on the D700 when far from home.

I skipped to the end of the thread to by-pass all the slinging..

If I understand correctly, you were getting an ERR error...usig the 85/1.x? Did you check that the aperture ring is locked? If it moves from it's locked setting the body will thrown an error message.

--------------------------

Michael
D300, D700 and a lot of other stuff
Member NWPLI

The 85mm 1.8 AFD was locked ok to it's closest f:16. As i posted somewere I got my D700 back from Service in perfect order after three weeks. They did'nd write down what the problem was so i called them up and they told me that somehow the mirror got stuck together with the AA filter and that my "err" showing was an hardware issue. I'm not sure I got the real truth but I'm not worried: it is working fine now and I spent few Euros (6) for my insured shipping to them. They returned it very well packaged and at no charge.

>The 85mm 1.8 AFD was locked ok to it's closest f:16. As i
>posted somewere I got my D700 back from Service in perfect
>order after three weeks. They did'nd write down what the
>problem was so i called them up and they told me that somehow
>the mirror got stuck together with the AA filter and that my
>"err" showing was an hardware issue. I'm not sure I
>got the real truth but I'm not worried: it is working fine now
>and I spent few Euros (6) for my insured shipping to them.
>They returned it very well packaged and at no charge.
>


Ends good!

Glad you got it back in good order!

--------------------------

Michael
D300, D700 and a lot of other stuff
Member NWPLI