D800 focusing issue. The end.

Haven’t had time to post here about the saga with my D800 (previous posts are here and here). After much debate with Nikon Richmond Service center I got referred to the corporate office in Mississauga, Canada. Even though originally it seemed like my issue was going to be ignored further, I actually got good service and in the end the camera was replaced with a brand new unit since the original one was malfunctioning beyond repair as I understood from our communication.

With this I want to say few final words.

  • I believe Nikon should have been more customer friendly with this issue. I don’t understand why they are afraid to acknowledge the issue since I’m sure it would be viewed mostly positive and as a desire to make it right.
  • I would advise you to fight until the end if your camera has the issue. Be polite, but firm. Demand actions and do not back down if your camera is faulty. Do not give up, because then you will be left with a very expensive piece of equipment that you could really use only with a Live View focusing (and trust me, it’s not fun at all if you do anything but orchestrated landscape shots).
  • If you think about sending your camera in, first contact Nikon Service office and request a pre-paid shipping label. First time I sent my camera in I was foolish enough to pay out of my own pocket (which amounted to a LOT, since I paid for shipping + insurance).
  • If your camera is faulty, do not delay sending it in. Your camera will run out of warranty soon and you will be left with a unit that is possibly beyond repair.
  • Good luck!

D800 focusing issue. Part 2.

Today I got my camera back from Nikon’s service center in Vancouver, BC. They sent it back saying it’s within specifications. I set up another test environment with different target this time – star chart.

This was a second trip to the service center. After first trip my camera came back with improved focus when using left group of sensors (the problematic ones) but my center sensor became much, much worse – it does not focus properly now. And, apparently, center sensor should always be pretty much the best out of all of them.

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D800 focusing issue. The beginning.

So, it’s been few months since I got my D800. Unfortunately there are issues with the camera – quite infamous focusing issue with left group of focusing sensors. What is even more unfortunate is that Nikon completely denies any problems related to this widely known and proven issue and does not take any responsibility that one would expect from a well know company.

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