Nikon D800......

I've read about sensors being ruined in wet cleans, never heard of dust exploding through them though. I do seem to be cleaning the D800 more than other camera sensors.
 
Wow, a little touchy in the forum today...

Bastic, check out this article explaining the make up of the sensor.

Cleaning a sensor is a standard operation however you are correct that the filters are sensitive and in some instances can be scratched.

There is a good reason why manufacturers do the sensor cleaning in anti-static clean rooms.

Also read this article where someone scratched their sensor when trying to clean.

Anyway, education is better than humiliation :clap:
 
Wow, a little touchy in the forum today...

Bastic, check out this article explaining the make up of the sensor.

Cleaning a sensor is a standard operation however you are correct that the filters are sensitive and in some instances can be scratched.

There is a good reason why manufacturers do the sensor cleaning in anti-static clean rooms.

Also read this article where someone scratched their sensor when trying to clean.

Anyway, education is better than humiliation :clap:

This is the reply bastic should have got, no call to try and make the guy look and I'm sure, feel like an idiot.

Not everyone is a rocket scientist about camera sensors.
 
Guys, can we keep it civil please.

I was just factual. The advice given was patently nonsense, and it needed to be unequivocally clear that it was nonsense. It's scaremongering like this that makes people think they need to spend £40 getting their sensors cleaned professionally, when they simply don't. The "professionals" will do exactly what you can do yourself, safely and easily: They can do it themselves with no real risk whatsoever if they just seek proper advice and stop listening to urban myth.

Call me old fashioned but surely we have a responsibility to be giving accurate information to beginners and those seeking advice. He was talking nonsense. I never insulted him personally.. but the advice was nonsense, and highly misleading and I see no problem with saying so.

That's my last word on the matter.
 
I don't think that this was scaremongering - there is a true and real potential in some circumstances for people to cause some damage as has been evidenced time and time again. Bastic shared a perspective - just like yours. Your hypothesis being that its scaremongering like this that makes people spend £40 doing it professionally - thats not fact, its just your perspective which no amount of rational debate will change.

Many people have others do it for a myriad of reasons, they are more than capable yet exercise their choice. £40 to derisk sensor cleaning is a great deal for some people and they are happy with that.

Accurate factual based information and education rather than rational debate and humiliation, a new paradigm in the knowledge hierarchy.
 
That's my last word on the matter.
A tenner says it's not :D

Sorry David, you left yourself wide open for that one.

Your advice is usually/mostly accurate but not always, it's well thought out and very welcome and im sure many folks are glad of it but to some i suspect you can come across a bit blunt or even a tad arsey, nothing wrong with that though, straight to the point is always best. :thumbs:
 
Last edited:
A tenner says it's not :D

Sorry David, you left yourself wide open for that one.

I'm holding back from making a cup of tea waiting for the response :lol:

Th only thing wrong with the D800 is its depreciation, I paid the £2600 or whatever is was to start off with. Then see them selling for less than £1400 second hand, should have bought the D3X ;)
 
I certainly agree on the sensor cleaning. I have done my own for the last few years. I know a few togs with 30-40 years experience and they still dont clean their own sensor.

Cheap and easy to do rather than be ripped off by calumet £60 for FX sensor clean!

:bang:
:bang:
:bang:
 
Your advice is usually/mostly accurate but not always, it's well thought out and very welcome and im sure many folks are glad of it but to some i suspect you can come across a bit blunt or even a tad arsey, nothing wrong with that though, straight to the point is always best. :thumbs:

Dust, no matter how fast it's moving can never, ever harm a sensor, charged or not - Fact :) Ooops... I owe you a tenner.


Wiping grit or anything abrasive away can though, which is why you need to follow instructions with sensor cleaning kits carefully. Using a blower is utterly safe however.
 
Last edited:
I'm really starting to love my D800!

The detail and dynamic range is fantastic!! I've hardly picked up my D3 since getting it! I do think though I may need to tune in my lenses on the D3 too though.

However I think I need to upgrade my computer soon! My MBP is starting to lag a bit now when I do a bit of editing! :(
 
Well I briefly joined the D800 club but it appears it has to go back (left focus issue). I can't afford to buy new so it leaves me wondering whether its worth bothering again given the sheer volume of people experiencing the focusing issues. I've lusted after the D800 since the day it was launched and never actually thought I'd own one but the whole thing has left a sour taste in my mouth to be honest.
 
I can't wait to get mine back. I also am really looking forward to getting the sigma USB dock for my 35mm. If sigmas other art line lenses are as good as this ill be buying them for sure. Never seen a lens as sharp wide open. It doesn't even get much sharper stopped down.
 
Last edited:
As someone said ealrier it only seems like it's a huge issue, because most people who have no issues whatsoever, aren't posting that have no issues!

I bet the number of those affected by the left focus issue are in the small minority. It's unfortunate there is an issue at all, but it's not so widespread as you might imagine.

Has anyone with the E suffered this issue? I don't remember seeing any posted.
 
As someone said earlier it only seems like it's a huge issue, because most people who have no issues whatsoever, aren't posting that have no issues!


Exactly. I don't have the issue on mine, and therefore had no reason to post anything abut the left focus issue.
 
Tony and Cagey kindly confirmed my AF is fine so thanks to them for that :thumbs:

So it doesn't affect all of us, but I can understand how frustrating it must be. Hopefully it gets sorted for you. In the end I never bothered with test charts just shot stuff I usually do wide open and moved the af point round and checked in LR.
 
Last edited:
Exactly. I don't have the issue on mine, and therefore had no reason to post anything abut the left focus issue.

Yes I can totally take this point and entirely agree but the fact is I posted on the forum asking how to test for the issue before I even received the body and when i have received it and its been tested it turns out I have the problem. Now what would the odds be for that happening if the issue was rare? If you have been unaffected then great but others have been so it is a legitimate concern to those individuals.
 
Tony and Cagey kindly confirmed my AF is fine so thanks to them for that :thumbs:

So it doesn't affect all of us, but I can understand how frustrating it must be. Hopefully it gets sorted for you. In the end I never bothered with test charts just shot stuff I usually do wide open and moved the af point round and checked in LR.

This!

I also think alot of AF "issues" could possibly down to user error like inaccurate testing etc

Also if you look at how +20 and -20 in AF fine tune actually affect AF performance it is seriously minuscule. Try it and see for yourself
 
Partly why I dont like using test charts (prefer eye lashes, textured objects and annoying my cat), dont take photos of charts for a living so no real need, worst case testing a lens I use batteries, pretty easy to see if camera or lenses are off with LR at 1:1.

Yeah, +20 or -20 sounds loads but like you say its really nothing.
 
It only seems to be the users who have no issues or want to defend Nikon that say this is a small issue.. For every 5-6 users I see online that say there's no issue I see at least one that does. That's not a small no.

Yes there will be a lot of users not posting about having a good camera,but I bet there are just as many who don't spend all there time on forums or looking at stuff online regarding this and have no idea they have the issue, or just don't post saying they do when they have.

Look how many units were sold do you really think it was just pro's and knowledgable users that bought them.. I bet more than half were people just wanting the best they could get and bought one...just look at how many 5dmk2 were about. I see this loads when in china every others person has a else and they have to be the top model, but you see them used with the cheapest lens or don't see to know what there doing.. I was at an even where someone couldn't get there 7d to focus and spend nearly an hour trying to fix it, then told me I had a look and they had knocked the MF/AF switch on the lens..
 
I bet there are loads of units out there with the issue but its not known to the owner, i tested mine but only because of comments made on here, have no need to use the left side focus points as i focus then recompose and i bet dozens do the same so have no need to check the left side AF issue

It only seems to be the users who have no issues or want to defend Nikon that say this is a small issue.. For every 5-6 users I see online that say there's no issue I see at least one that does. That's not a small no.

Yes there will be a lot of users not posting about having a good camera,but I bet there are just as many who don't spend all there time on forums or looking at stuff online regarding this and have no idea they have the issue, or just don't post saying they do when they have.

Look how many units were sold do you really think it was just pro's and knowledgable users that bought them.. I bet more than half were people just wanting the best they could get and bought one...just look at how many 5dmk2 were about. I see this loads when in china every others person has a else and they have to be the top model, but you see them used with the cheapest lens or don't see to know what there doing.. I was at an even where someone couldn't get there 7d to focus and spend nearly an hour trying to fix it, then told me I had a look and they had knocked the MF/AF switch on the lens..
 
Lets not forget that the users that may have had the issue with the earlier run initially post on a forum, send it to a camera co who then sell it on used, the next person to buy has the issue posts about it, sends it back, the next person gets it, posts about it.... until that camera gets sent back for repair or accepted by the purchaser it'll keep getting sold, 'reported' on forums and then returned to only get sent out again.
 
This!

I also think alot of AF "issues" could possibly down to user error like inaccurate testing etc

Also if you look at how +20 and -20 in AF fine tune actually affect AF performance it is seriously minuscule. Try it and see for yourself

I have to disagree massively with you on that Tony.

My 70-200 was out. I use my camera day in day out for a living. The difference was shots worthy of the bin and sellable images. And mine needed a +16 btw. :)
 
I have to disagree massively with you on that Tony.

My 70-200 was out. I use my camera day in day out for a living. The difference was shots worthy of the bin and sellable images. And mine needed a +16 btw. :)

Might depend on the lens then, just to check I set my Sigma 50 to +10 and -10 at F1.4 test and there was pretty much no difference than from zero.
 
Well on the prime lenses I have tested wide open I can 100% confirm this was the case for me. Maybe on a 70-200 zoom this is different. It's also distance related too so I suppose I haven't tested it at long range!!
 
Well on the prime lenses I have tested wide open I can 100% confirm this was the case for me. Maybe on a 70-200 zoom this is different. It's also distance related too so I suppose I haven't tested it at long range!!

On my 85 it makes a massive difference wide open
 
I bet there are loads of units out there with the issue but its not known to the owner, i tested mine but only because of comments made on here, have no need to use the left side focus points as i focus then recompose and i bet dozens do the same so have no need to check the left side AF issue

I very much suspect that you are correct. I always focus using the central point and recompose.
 
I very much suspect that you are correct. I always focus using the central point and recompose.

I am in the same camp to be honest but did the tests with one eye on future saleability. If I ever needed to sell the body on then I would have to admit the issue and take a hit on the sell-on price or other buyers may be put off entirely. I don't see why anyone should have to make a compromise when your talking a body for close to £2k or more however.
 
Did you ship to nikon using there labels or by yourself ?

When I asked regarding insurance, at the post office they couldn't confirm if the item would be insured or not.

If its theres its with parcel farce who have a habit of breaking and loosing item.

hope you get it back okay.
 
Last edited:
Fed ex in my experience are good couriers, if your D800 was with a few other certain companies id be very worried.
 
I am in the same camp to be honest but did the tests with one eye on future saleability. If I ever needed to sell the body on then I would have to admit the issue and take a hit on the sell-on price or other buyers may be put off entirely. I don't see why anyone should have to make a compromise when your talking a body for close to £2k or more however.
If you have sent it away to be fixed, then it will be fixed and won't be an issue at all.
 
It only seems to be the users who have no issues or want to defend Nikon that say this is a small issue.. For every 5-6 users I see online that say there's no issue I see at least one that does. That's not a small no.

Yes there will be a lot of users not posting about having a good camera,but I bet there are just as many who don't spend all there time on forums or looking at stuff online regarding this and have no idea they have the issue, or just don't post saying they do when they have.

Look how many units were sold do you really think it was just pro's and knowledgable users that bought them.. I bet more than half were people just wanting the best they could get and bought one...just look at how many 5dmk2 were about. I see this loads when in china every others person has a else and they have to be the top model, but you see them used with the cheapest lens or don't see to know what there doing.. I was at an even where someone couldn't get there 7d to focus and spend nearly an hour trying to fix it, then told me I had a look and they had knocked the MF/AF switch on the lens..

I would say it's more like 1 in 15, if you look around other forums. People with the issues are more likely to go online, find forums like this with people discussing the issue, and post. We see it all the time, brand new members posting on whatever issue, because that's exactly what most do when they find one.

I like how some assume that a tonne of people are out there clueless as to how to work the £2000 or whatever they paid for it camera.
 
The point is thats if you look on this thread for example its not new users but established members ,similarly to the FM forum, there are plenty of long time posters with this issue.

Theres likely to be plenty that do not know of this issue or don't post about it a well as those that have a perfectly working camera.
I know plenty of photographers good and bad that dont waste there time using forums and looking for reviews, like we all do. they buy a camera to use.

Similarly if you check the FM forum many of the d800 users are landscape photographers using MF glass, Ive even see posts saying they have not bothered to check as they have no use for the AF.

Theres no assumption there.. I never said they couldn't use them but do you honestly believe that with the millions of units sold they all went to trained/skilled photographers.
Cameras are like everything else now a days fashion accessories, people want whats deemed as the best, hence the MP race..that was started to dupe normal consumers in not for photographers wanting a 40MP compact.

We all know you love your d800, but be honest its a tool. yes one that works very well in some instances. But you don't have to become a fan boy and always have to defend it whenever something is said against it or shout from the roof tops about how great it is..which you always seem to do.
I dont mean that as a personal attack before you have a go, but you do and there are plenty of others on here that do as well for the d700/d7000.

I dont know whats happened to nikon users recently but you don't see the c*ck wagging from the canon users as much,maby they just dont feel so insecure or go and use there cameras to actualy shoot stuff not big up there kit on a forum.
 
Back
Top