Nikon Attitude
Dan O'Connell
F.) While I have been very satisfied with their equipment, they seem
to have what I might call a very superior attitude towards their customers.
Could be just me. I take almost everything apart. Then go to them for
parts, manuals etc. I am usually greeted with an attitude that says:
We are NIKON!! How DARE you even consider taking our equipment apart?
We will not sell you manuals! We will not sell you parts! You must
give us your equipment and WE will repair it. And, by the way, we
CHARGE LOTS for our service!!
As a result, I usually get rather ticked off, and I am forced to find
what I need in other ways. Is this Nikon company policy, or have I
just hit upon a group of employees that don't want to bother?
And BTW, if you know where I can get parts and manuals...:-)
Robert M Atkins
Yes, you can get parts and manuals for both lenses and cameras from:
Canon!
Of course this isn't a lot of good to a Nikon owner, but I can't resist
the oportunity to point out that Canon (EOS) manuals and small parts
are freely available.
I'd also caution that EOS cameras and lenses are so complex that the
average user would do far more damge than good poking around inside
either a camera body or a lens.
Before anyone asks where to get them, it's all in the FAQ
(anonymous ftp from moink.nmsu.edu in the rec.photo/canon directory)
Bob Atkins
Ioannis Lambadaris
Nikon Canada
1366 Aerowood Drive
Mississauga, Ont L4W 1C1
(905) 625 9910
I got a new shutter for my FM and a new focusing screen.
I found them knowledgable and quite helpful.
They charge a lot for shipping and handling but this is quite common
in Canada where everybody is trying to rip off anybody (Bob R. being
the great instructor!!!!)
iel
Roger T. Smith
must supply, at a reasonable price, service manuals for the products they
sell. Sony, Aiwa, Panasonic, and Pioneer, to name a few Japanese companies,
sell absolutely wonderful service manuals (some are even in color) at very
reasonable prices ($10-$20). I would hope this is also true of Nikon since
I just purchased an N90 and lenses.
Rog.
--
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Roger T. Smith - San Francisco Muni Railway - Digital Systems Maintenance
- San Francisco State University - Continuing Student
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Edward A Davis
>Canon!
>Bob Atkins
Give me a break. The last time I needed a Nikon part, it was available,
inexpensive, and they didn't give me a hard time.
Ed
Dr Grover Larkins
: In article <Cr1Go...@newshub.ccs.yorku.ca>,
: Canon!
: Bob Atkins
I'd like to add that what Bob says about Canon cameras and lenses is just as
true for Nikon equipment. You could try talking with the people in the parts
dept. -- I've found them to be friendly and knowlegable in my dealings w/them.
And NOW A JOKE -- Maybe Canon sells repair manuals because they need fixing --
the nikon people can't understand that a camera can be made to malfunction
because theirs don't!! (That was Humor on a Wednesday).
Grover Larkins
Dennis Willson
I recently went to the PhotoWest show in San Fransico. I ask at the Nikon
booth about getting the specifications on the shutter release and data xfer
on the N90. I don't want to use a Sharp Wizard, I want to use my laptop
computer. I am willing to do all the programming to do this. I couldn't believe
the reaction I got! There may be proprietary data used by the service personnel
and so they wouldn't dream of tell people what that spec is. Well I can tell
that it is a serial interface and the data is contained in packets that
identify what type of data is being sent. All they would have to do is not
explain the data packets that have there service data!
They also said that other companies could come out with competing systems to
the Sharp Wizard and there interface card. Well, competing lower priced
attachments are what make some cameras more popular! Wouldn't that be a shame
if Nikon got to be for popular?
The bottom line is I'm not real happy with there attitude either.
Dennis
Optical Storage Systems Technology and Performance
IBM Almaden Research Center
San Jose, Calif
Paul Rubin
I haven't had this experience from Nikon. My complaint is that
it is hard to get hold of anyone by phone (the 800 number is
always busy etc.). But when I do manage to get through, I can
get what parts I need at reasonable prices, sometimes even free
(a couple times they have sent me AI coupling forks for free,
and when I cracked the red plastic lens on the front of my SB24,
they sent me a replacement for $5 or so).
I haven't asked Nikon about manuals. I do know that Ed Romney sells
some Nikon repair manuals though.
Faler Harry
Martin Tai
-> Dan O'Connell <d...@writer.yorku.ca> wrote:
-> >I have been a long time user of Nikon equipment. (Still use mainly
-> the old >F.) While I have been very satisfied with their equipment,
-> they seem >to have what I might call a very superior attitude towards
-> their customers. >
-> >Could be just me. I take almost everything apart. Then go to them
-> for >parts, manuals etc. I am usually greeted with an attitude that
-> says: >We are NIKON!! How DARE you even consider taking our equipment
-> apart? >We will not sell you manuals! We will not sell you parts! You
-> must
You are not supposed to take the camera apart. It must be
serviced by a qualified technician. Nikon has good reason to
protect their reputation. When you take apart lens and camera
and try to put them back by yourself, the precision will be lost
because you do not have the necessary ( and very expensive)
alignment equipment. The result will be a sub standard equipment
bearing "Nikon" name, and they don't want that to happen.
The fact that you cannot put the camera back shows exactly
you do not have the necessary experience. The best thing to
do is to send to good repair shop or let Nikon put it back
and then you can have things set to its original tight
tolerance.
z_mcda...@ccsvax.sfasu.edu
well, i've been rebuilding cameras since i got into photography as a means to
get good cameras cheaply.... everything from old Zeiss stuff to Land cameras
and Argus rangefinders...
i've only had to go into two nikons... an F and an F3...
the owner decided not to have the F3 repaired (just the LCD display)
the F is my all manual backup... flash wouldn't fire, some contacts were bent
up, took disassembly of nearly the entire body to get to...
and of course i've done plenty of lenses to, which i really wouldn't advise
anyone to pursue... ughhh...
if you're needing parts for a camera, an excellent place to start looking is in
some of the stores and ads in the back of shutterbug... big stores will usually
have junk equipment around for selling at cut rate prices to those folks that
work on their own gear...
and if you're not sure about the desgin, having a junk body for parts will
allow you to explore the possible causes of the problem without having
disassembled your semi-functional one... you can decide ahead of time if the
job is going to be over your head....
hope that helps some folks out...
later...
cody
Drew P. Griffin
>
> Canon rules!
>
> harry.
I should have expected someone looking for "a place to take good pictures"
in Paris to be a Canon shooter!
Good pictures aren't found.....they are MADE! That's what seperates us!
-Drew Griffin, Professional Photographer and
Proud Nikon Owner
--
****************************
dr...@cadence.com
cary, north carolina
****************************
David Jacobson
Well, I just got back from a long vacation and missed the first part
of this topic, but I'll chime in with my $.02 worth.
I have an 8008 (pre-S). When the battery voltage drops below some
threshold, it thinks the batteries are getting low and goes into
an energy saving mode in which it turns off the meter after just 2
seconds, instead of the usual (alrady too small) 8 seconds. When the
voltage gets a little lower yet, it just refuses to work.
The problem is that NiCd batteries start out at only around 1.25 volts
each, which is perilously close to the threshold. Consequently, the
camera will often go to energy saving mode after only a few rolls of
film (or maybe it is weeks since last charge). This is a nusiance. I
know the batteries are not really run down, since I can move the to my
SB-24 flash and get many flashes out of them. So I called
1-800-NIKON-US.
ME> You know, the 8008 detects when the battery voltage gets low and
goes into a mode in which the meter times out after just two seconds.
NIKON> Right. That is a feature...
ME> Is the voltage at which it does this set by some kind of
adjustable control?
NIKON> Yes.
ME> Well, my problem is that [repeated above explanation]. Would it
be possible to have your service people adjust the threshold voltage
down by 20 or 30 millivolts so it would't think NiCds were run down
when then weren't.
NIKON> No. [Stern tone of voice] Is is against Nikon policy for Nikon
or any authorized Nikon repair facility to adjust a camera out of
factory specifications.
ME> [attempt at persuasion]
NIKON> Well, you might find some [extra stern tone] unauthorized
service place that would do it for you. But [long warning about the
dangers of taking your camera to anyone but an authorized service
center... and more about how an unauthorized repair facility wouldn't
have Nikon manuals and special tools, etc.].
I call that "an attitude".
-- David Jacobson
BIRNY
David Jacobson <jaco...@cello.hpl.hp.com> wrote:
>SB-24 flash and get many flashes out of them. So I called
>1-800-NIKON-US.
>
>ME> You know, the 8008 detects when the battery voltage gets low and
>goes into a mode in which the meter times out after just two seconds.
>
>NIKON> Right. That is a feature...
>
>ME> Is the voltage at which it does this set by some kind of
>adjustable control?
>
>NIKON> Yes.
>
>ME> Well, my problem is that [repeated above explanation]. Would it
>be possible to have your service people adjust the threshold voltage
>down by 20 or 30 millivolts so it would't think NiCds were run down
>when then weren't.
>
>NIKON> No. [Stern tone of voice] Is is against Nikon policy for Nikon
>or any authorized Nikon repair facility to adjust a camera out of
>factory specifications.
>
Well, if it is adjustable someone thought that there would be
a need to adjust it. And if yours is going into the power saving
mode much to early, then yours must OBVIOUSLY be out of
factor specifications to begin with.
Take it to your local dealer, I'm confident they would
drop the threshold by 20 - 30 millivots.
>
> -- David Jacobson
Robert E Klimkiewicz
: NIKON> No. [Stern tone of voice] Is is against Nikon policy for Nikon
: or any authorized Nikon repair facility to adjust a camera out of
: factory specifications.
This is strange since they had/have the deal where you could send in
your 8008/8008s and have them modify it to leave the leader out of the
can after rewinding.
--
Robert Klimkiewicz, Jr.
George Mason University
rkli...@mason1.gmu.edu
sax...@hwsys.com
David Jacobson (jaco...@cello.hpl.hp.com) wrote:
: NIKON> No. [Stern tone of voice] Is is against Nikon policy for Nikon
: or any authorized Nikon repair facility to adjust a camera out of
: factory specifications.
Robert Klimkiewicz, Jr. Wrote :
RK-> This is strange since they had/have the deal where you could send
RK-> in your 8008/8008s and have them modify it to leave the leader
RK-> out of the can after rewinding.
Has anybody stopped to consider the possibility that the
adjustment in question might not be advisable? That the camera
might not operate properly if this threshold was set 20 or 30
millivolts lower than factory spec ? After all, if we are talking
about roughly 1.5 volts nominal supply voltage, 20-30 millivolts
is a significant change. Who knows exactly where in the circuit
this adjustment is, and what other functions (besides low-battery
shut-off) might be affected.
sax...@hwsys.com (Everett Carroll)
---
ş SLMR 2.1a ş
David Jacobson
The 8008 has 4 AAs in series, so we are talking about 20-30 millivolts
out of 6 volts, or a .33 to .5 % reduction in voltage. Here is more
info. When I take NiCd batteries out of my charger they have about
1.25 volts. When this trouble happens, they measure about 1.20,
which, interestingly, is the labeled nominal voltage on the cells.
I'm pretty sure that working voltage per cell is not below 1.195 as
long as the cells have any usable charge. Thus I'd like the
low-battery warning threshold to be lowered from 4x1.20=4.8 to 4x1.195
= 4.78, a drop of 20 millivolts.
Of course, what I really ought to do is ask them for the factory spec
is, and check that my camera is not out of adjustment, which just
might be the case. Does anyone else out there have trouble with a
Nikon camera that gives up early on NiCd cells? (Please no remarks
from owners or F's or Nikkormats or FM-2's that you've never
experienced this problem :-).
-- David Jacobson
sax...@hwsys.com
>Has anybody stopped to consider the possibility that the
>adjustment in question might not be advisable? That the camera
>might not operate properly if this threshold was set 20 or 30
>millivolts lower than factory spec ? After all, if we are talking
>about roughly 1.5 volts nominal supply voltage, 20-30 millivolts
>is a significant change. Who knows exactly where in the circuit
>this adjustment is, and what other functions (besides low-battery
>shut-off) might be affected.
>
>sax...@hwsys.com (Everett Carroll)
DJ-> David Jacobson
DJ-> The 8008 has 4 AAs in series, so we are talking about 20-30
DJ-> millivolts out of 6 volts, or a .33 to .5 % reduction in voltage.
Ack !! You are so right. I somehow was thinking of the mercury
cell / meter accuracy issue. Excuse me for being a space cadet.
Actually , it seems to me that NiCd batteries have a lower
average voltage than alkalines (for example), but they also have
a flatter discharge cycle - they tend to change very quickly
near the end of their cycle.
But, I have also noticed another thing they do. I have completely
discharged them , then let them sit for a few hours, only to come
back and find they have "re-gained" some of their charge !!!!
DJ-> Of course, what I really ought to do is ask them for the factory
DJ-> spec is, and check that my camera is not out of adjustment, which
DJ-> just might be the case. Does anyone else out there have trouble
DJ-> with a Nikon camera that gives up early on NiCd cells? (Please
DJ-> no remarks from owners or F's or Nikkormats or FM-2's that you've
DJ-> never experienced this problem :-).
DJ->
DJ-> -- David Jacobson
Please don't be insulted by this, but, have you made sure to
completely discharge the NiCds between charge cycles to avoid the
memory affect ? As you probably already know, they will quit
early (very early!!) if you don't discharge them completely
between charges. Also, I have noticed that the "recovery" effect
that I mentioned above is more dramatic when I have not
discharged between cycles. I have seen battery packs QUIT working
, and then 3 minutes later come back , then quit, come back ,
over and over again. This experience was using them with a small
portable fluorescent light fixture though ....
Tanvir...@transarc.com
sax...@hwsys.com (Everett Carroll) writes:
>Please don't be insulted by this, but, have you made sure to
>completely discharge the NiCds between charge cycles to avoid the
>memory affect ? As you probably already know, they will quit early
>(very early!!) if you don't discharge them completely between charges.
>Also, I have noticed that the "recovery" effect that I mentioned above
>is more dramatic when I have not discharged between cycles. I have
>seen battery packs QUIT working , and then 3 minutes later come back ,
>then quit, come back , over and over again. This experience was using
>them with a small portable fluorescent light fixture though ....
Don't discharge the Ni-Cads completely. For one thing most of the
modern Ni-Cads and not as much suseptible to memory effects as were
the older Ni-Cads. The other issue is that unless all the cells are
carefully matched, a weaker cell in the middle will be reveresed
charged and ruided the other cells in short time also. It is safer to
use ni-cads without deep discharging and taking risk of some memory
effect then deep dischargings and risking reversal of one of the cell.
I don't use ni-cads in my camera equipment but in ham-radio, I have
several ni-cads for my "handy-talkies". It does not matter if I take
extreme care of the pack (like fairly deep discharging) or charging
whenever the voltage drops below a certain point, the packs go bad at
pretty much the same rate.
Tanvir
Gutman Keyser
> [...] Does anyone else out there have trouble with a
>Nikon camera that gives up early on NiCd cells? (Please no remarks
>from owners or F's or Nikkormats or FM-2's that you've never
>experienced this problem :-).
>
> -- David Jacobson
My 8008 (non-s) exhibited similar behavior when powered by NiCd cells.
I switched to using lithium AA cells, which lets me keep a set in the
camera for an extensive period of time.
I have also abandoned NiCd cell usage in my MD-12 motor drive, due to
the same problem: impractically low number of rolls/time in the unit
for non-professional use.
- Gutman Keyser.