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I sent my Nikon Coolpix 5700 in for a "5 day" repair about a month ago, and, after much complaning finally got it back today. The camera was in nicer physical condition than I remember it being in (I could have sworn there was a fingerprint on the LCD and more dust clinging to the viewfinder), but the serial number was correct. The serial number, though, is on a sticker.
I took a picture with with my CF card, which still had a pre-repair photo on it. The image count has jumped from 668 to 9091:
NOT FOUND: 1
Before I raise hell over this, can anybody think of a reasonable explanation?
The part that was supposed to be replaced is the ccd. From an email correspondance:
"I apologize for the delay, your repair was holding for a part (ccd). I was trying to get an update from the parts department and did receive confirmation that the parts came in. It will be assign to the technician shortly."
I'm having difficulty seeing how installing a new ccd would set the image count to 9091.
They likely replaced the chassis of 'your' cam with one from the refurb/good-parts box, not at all unusual with this sort of 'repair'. I think if you read the fine print in your warranty, you'll find this sort of thing is specifically allowed. Hmm, in fact, they may have swapped the entire unit, 'cept for the SN.
Best get used to it I reckon.
dan k
PS: when sending in something like this I always put a tiny mark(s) somewhere on the original, just to see if what comes back is what I sent in.
I don't doubt that the fine print states they are allowed to screw their customers.
What I'm seeking to confirm is that I didn't overlook anything innocuous, and that they really did replace my near-new camera, or parts thereof, with one that's nearing the end of its life.
Just to be fair, electronic bits per-se don't necessarily "wear out". If they replaced a circuit board to which the CCD is attached that has its own counter, well... it might well be good for a million shots yet. I would worry about getting a mechanical shutter with that many miles on it, though.
--Peace
That's what I was particularly worrying about. Googling, it appears the Nikon D70 (which is a higher-end camera than mine) has a shutter life of roughly 20,000 shots. If they replaced the entire unit (and looking at it, I think they may have), 668 to 9,091 on a consumer-grade camera is pretty significant.
Do CCDs have a similar MTBF as other ICs?
Googling for CCD MTBF numbers turns up figures for *video* cameras, and those tend to be in the 60,000-100,000 hour category. Unless higher-res CCDs are intrinsically more fragile I wouldn't worry about wearing that part out.
--Peace
Anybody know if the ccd and the firmware are on the same board?
IIRC, the D70 has a physical shutter like a film camera, so number-of-actuations is much more significant than with an all electronic device like your's. I'm not at all sure 9000 shots is 'near-end-of-life' for your model, and probably not even close.
Plus, you can't even be sure the 9000+ pic number means 9000+ actuations, it might be an artifact of the repair process.
Am I helping yet?
dan k
I posted the D70's as that's the only model I could find numbers for. I'm rather dubious that a non-SLR consumer camera has a longer life than its professional-use counterparts.
To ascertain whether or not there is such an explanation is why I started the thread. If the counter got reset to 9091 in some incredibly bizzare fashion, I don't care. If it's not my camera at all, but somebody elses camera with 13x the wear, then I do.
Knowing the number of actuations is important with a partly mechanical camera such as the D70, but is almost entirely meaningless with an all electronic model. The D70 and the 5700 are not at all comparable, completely different animals. (Hmm, I'm getting a feeling of deja vué right about now . . .
)
BTW, the D70 is NOT a pro model, merely what's known as pro-sumer, basically a gussied-up amateur model.
Have you asked around in one of the digicam forums? I'm not familiar with them (old-school film-shooter here), just know they exist, and this topic is a perfect subject for such a venue.
dan k
Actually, the 5700 has a "mechanical and charge-coupled electronic shutter". If you look into the lense when you take a picture, there's some definite mechanical action.
Hey, I could be wrong.
However, I'd guess any mechanical sounds eminate from the lens focusing and/or the aperture stopping down, not from a mechanical shutter or a finder mirror flipping up out of the way, like with a true SLR (5700 has an electronic viewfinder, not optical.)
dan k
Tom,
I'd recommend that you just call Nikon and ask what is going on. Indicate that you are concerned that the picture counter has increased from ~600 to ~9000 over the course of your repair, and that the longevity of your unit may be affected because of the extra wear involved. If the operator who answers your call is unable to help you, ask to speak to their supervisor. Repeat this process until you get a satisfactory answer to your issue.
Be polite but firm. I've heard good things about Nikon customer service, I'm sure you'll get a decent response.
Do keep us informed of any developments!
Cheers,
The Czar