D200 problem

[John Duncan]

I bought a used D200 from Amazon (from Cametta Camera) and I have a problem with it. When I shoot, it blinks the flash (like it's doing Red-eye reduction) and then the viewfinder gets dark. After I messed with it a bit I discovered that the depth of field preview feature was coming on after each shot and until I press the DOF preview button again, the aperture stays partially closed.

I have never used the DOF preview button in the past, and hadn't used it on this "new" camera either.

Is this some feature I can't find in the menus? I searched through them and do not see anything related to this.

Otherwise, the camera takes great shots! But I have to press the DOF preview button to turn make the aperture open back up after each shot.

I tried two lenses with the camera and it does this on both. If I leave the lens off and push the shutter release, I can see that the aperture arm seems to operate normally. I doesn't stick when I move it with my finger.

Both these lenses operate fine on my D100

HELP!

John

 

[jstuedle]

Did you check the Battery? I have noticed on my cameras, the mirror will not return when one of my batteries gets low. Happens on all my rigs with this one battery. Just a note, I have wore out 6-8 batteries, but this one battery is the only one that does this. Strange, but true.

 

[John Duncan]

Funny you should mention that, but I just charged the battery and it still does it.

John

 

[dbrandon]

How does the aperture lever on the lens feel ? I know it seems a pointless question as the lenses work on your D100, but i once had a lens which had slight problems with the aperture closing, causing all shots to be over-exposed. The problem i had occured on my newest Nikon (D80), but not on my older one.

If you don't take a picture but use the DOF button, does the aperture return to open ?

And when you say the DOF preview feature is coming on after each shot, is the feature actually activating, or does the lens just stuck stopped down from the shot ?

 

[John Duncan]

When I press the DOF button, it stops down and stays there until I press the button again.

I don't think the "feature" is coming on, it just gets stuck stopped down. After each press of the shutter release, the viewfinder goes dark while the shutter is open, then opens back up fully for a split second before the aperture closes partially down, as if the DOF button was pressed.

I still wonder why the flash pulses. As if the redeye reduction was on.

 

[John Duncan]

When I press the DOF button by itself, it stops down and stays that way, regardless of if I keep the button pressed or let it go. It takes another press of the button to open it back up.

 

[Garbz]

Final thought. Does the camera make any audible noise when you let go of the DOF preview button the first time. And conversely does it make a noise when you depress it the second time.

If so it's a matter of the lens aperture jamming or a mechanical fault of the aperture control lever in the camera.

Send it off to an authorised repair shop.