Design Flaw in the D3100

[480sparky41 40]

Ah, the price we're willing to pay (nothing but bottom dollar and not a penny more!!!!!!!) for mass-produced goods. THAT's the 'design flaw'.

 

[pixmedic]

Go for the Alfa Romeo of digital cameras...The Fuji X-Pro 1

funny, i almost picked up a fuji s2 Pro recently. someone had one on craigslist real cheap. it came out 3 weeks before Nikons D100 did, and uses nikons F-mount so all our nikon lenses would work on it. I thought about it for a bit just to play with, but we already have a D100 sitting in the closet, and the fuji s2 pro doesn't shoot RAW.

 

[Scuba]

Honestly, your buddy just happened to get a bad one. You are taking the word of one guy on the internet that this is a design flaw. It is not a design flaw. Sometimes crap like this happens and that's why products come with a warranty. There are a bunch of users on here with those cameras and it hasn't been heard of. I would chalk it up to a fluke and have your buddy swap it out for the same model. Every electronic has this kind of a fluke problem. The reason you got some sarcastic remarks is because the camera that had the issue is the entry level Nikon SLR. Seriously don't worry about it and enjoy your 5100.

 

[pixmedic]

I think that this thread got a little blown out of proportion. I can't tell if Derrel is being sarcastic again or if he's being sincere about the Canon Rebel. I was simply asking for advice. I wasn't coming at this from a "The sky is falling apocalyptic point of view. Just started this thread because I am brand new when it comes to photography and I'm not made of money. So when I spend my hard earned cash on a camera one step up from the one my friend bought, and his dies 10 days after purchase, of course if causes me alarm when I find that my model has had some of the same issues. Regardless of how many people actually had the issue. 1 out of a thousand or 1 out of 100,000. It's human nature to be concerned. That's why I started this thread and asked for advice. I didn't expect to have my words twisted and replied to with smart ass comments.

And to answer SCraig, a plethora means a lot. A lot to me are multiple pages on a search term on Google.

I will be more careful in the future when posting as to not insight shrewd sarcasm. Please forgive me for asking "What should I do."

for future reference...there's pretty much nothing you can post here that wont incite shrewd sarcasm from at least SOMEONE. all you can do is post what you want to post, and sift through the responses to separate useful info from garbage as best you can. for the record though, don't discount Derrel's responses TOO quickly (unless he says he's BS'ing) he has a lot of experience behind him.

 

[Derrel]

Go for the Alfa Romeo of digital cameras...The Fuji X-Pro 1

funny, i almost picked up a fuji s2 Pro recently. someone had one on craigslist real cheap. it came out 3 weeks before Nikons D100 did, and uses nikons F-mount so all our nikon lenses would work on it. I thought about it for a bit just to play with, but we already have a D100 sitting in the closet, and the fuji s2 pro doesn't shoot RAW.

The Fuji S2 Pro shoots RAW images, in .RAF format. It has BEAUTIFUL color, and can make lovely JPEG files straight out of camera. The color response of the S2 Pro was always first-rate...it is a bit clunky as a "camera", with its two sets of batteries, but as far as the SOOC output, it puts the Nikon D100 and Canon 20D to utter shame. I shot tens of thousands of images with the Fuji S2 Pro--many of them in RAW mode. It was, for its era, perhaps the best straight outta' camera JPEG machine invented. The color it delivered was beautiful, and it has a lot of adjustability and a SUPER-SIMPLE adjustment menu setup that has never been rivaled for simplicity.

 

[pixmedic]

Go for the Alfa Romeo of digital cameras...The Fuji X-Pro 1

funny, i almost picked up a fuji s2 Pro recently. someone had one on craigslist real cheap. it came out 3 weeks before Nikons D100 did, and uses nikons F-mount so all our nikon lenses would work on it. I thought about it for a bit just to play with, but we already have a D100 sitting in the closet, and the fuji s2 pro doesn't shoot RAW.

The Fuji S2 Pro shoots RAW images, in .RAF format. It has BEAUTIFUL color, and can make lovely JPEG files straight out of camera. The color response of the S2 Pro was always first-rate...it is a bit clunky as a "camera", with its two sets of batteries, but as far as the SOOC output, it puts the Nikon D100 and Canon 20D to utter shame. I shot tens of thousands of images with the Fuji S2 Pro--many of them in RAW mode. It was, for its era, perhaps the best straight outta' camera JPEG machine invented. The color it delivered was beautiful, and it has a lot of adjustability and a SUPER-SIMPLE adjustment menu setup that has never been rivaled for simplicity.

well damn..I guess I should have looked at some more reviews on that camera! really don't need it tho, i was just surfing Craigslist and ran across it. thought it was interesting for $100.

 

[Derrel]

The S2 Pro is a very,very interesting camera. Yes.

 

[AaronLLockhart]

I used to run into this problem all the time.


Believe it or not, this has nothing to do with the camera and everything to do with the way he's formatting the SD Card. He's probably pulling it out of his computer without going through the "eject disc safely" procedure.

Tell him to format the card from inside the camera, and it will work just fine.

My d5000 used to do this all the time, and for about 2 weeks, I thought I broke it. Then I figured out what it was.

 

[NewGuy12]

Ah, the price we're willing to pay (nothing but bottom dollar and not a penny more!!!!!!!) for mass-produced goods. THAT's the 'design flaw'.

Ah, the price lower middle class people "Have" to pay to get started. So sorry I don't have $1200 to drop on a better DSLR right off the bat. I know everyone should just be able to go out and purchase the BEST most expensive camera and not even dent their bank account.

 

[Derrel]

I used to run into this problem all the time.


Believe it or not, this has nothing to do with the camera and everything to do with the way he's formatting the SD Card. He's probably pulling it out of his computer without going through the "eject disc safely" procedure.

Tell him to format the card from inside the camera, and it will work just fine.

My d5000 used to do this all the time, and for about 2 weeks, I thought I broke it. Then I figured out what it was.

zOMG...Aaron might actually have the cure for the problem that millions of baby Nikon owners are suffering from! Card and card formatting errors can really be a PITA!!! In the past, I have had some card error issues that made it seem as if my cameras (plural!) were not working properly. The DCIM folder can sometimes be at fault. Also, another issue can be when a card has been used in "one brand" of camera, let's just say, a Canon, and then "erased" or "deleted", and then popped into another brand of camera, like say, oh, a Nikon...this can cause problems, or at least it has for me...another issue can be cards that are too large (too high-capacity) for "some" cameras...in short, memory card issues can mess things up...if the card is not formatted PROPERLY,for the actual camera it is currently in, it may cause problems. Not that you buddy has any of the above issues..but he "might" be experiencing an issue with the card not being formatted exactly properly for the camera.

One thing I can tell you is that diagnosing "friend of a friend" problems, over the interwebz, can be verrrrrry tricky. As can be Google searching, where "friend of a friend of a neighbor's friend's uncle's son" types of problems can muddy the waters terribly...

 

[AaronLLockhart]

Ah, the price lower middle class people "Have" to pay to get started. So sorry I don't have $1200 to drop on a better DSLR right off the bat. I know everyone should just be able to go out and purchase the BEST most expensive camera and not even dent their bank account.

Hey man, $1,200 is about middle class average. I'm easily middle income classification and my camera budget remains about $2k.

Your budget simply depends on what you want to do with your equipment, and how much disposable income you are willing to pull away from other areas to support your photography hobby.

I don't do photography as my main source of income. So, instead of buying a $2,000 camera, I bought a used $300.00 camera and a TON of gear. Now I've got 8 cameras, and still counting...

 

[KmH]

1. If it's written anywhere on the World Wide Web it has to be true. If it's written in more than one place it has to be an irrefutable law of nature.

2. There are no Urban Legends.

3. Anyone claiming on the internet to be a Nikon representative, can be nothing else but - a Nikon representative.

4. There is absolutely no way a camera can suffer damage, physical or electronic, between the time it leaves the factory, and when it winds up in the hands of a consumer.

5. If one Nikon DXXXX has an issue, all Nikon DXXXX's will have the same issue.

6. Many people today have a defective, intermittent, or totally non-working bull**** detection sensor. BS detection sensor performance improves with age.

7. It is axiomatic that some % of mass produced consumer electronics, will fail before the warranty period expires, regardless of the items cost or the brand name.
In fact, that's why all mass produced consumer electronics have a warranty.

 

[480sparky41 40]

Ah, the price we're willing to pay (nothing but bottom dollar and not a penny more!!!!!!!) for mass-produced goods. THAT's the 'design flaw'.

Ah, the price lower middle class people "Have" to pay to get started. So sorry I don't have $1200 to drop on a better DSLR right off the bat. I know everyone should just be able to go out and purchase the BEST most expensive camera and not even dent their bank account.

You obviously missed my point.

And the point is...... the vast majority of buyers look at price and little else. The lower the price, the more attracted they are to the item.

So, to meet this demand, manufacturers start producing cheaper goods. because that's where the money is. And you can only make things so cheap before you have to start lowering the quality or leaving off some features. One of the things camera manufacturers do to start cutting costs is to use lower-quality parts..... and that includes shutters. They'll put a 50,000-actuations-rated shutter in their entry-level cameras, and the 400,000-actuation-rated shutters in their top-end models.

Manufacturers don't sit in a meeting and say, "Hey, let's make a super-cheap, low-end camera and see if we can sell any!" No, they look at their market, and produce a camera that meets the demands of the customer. And, if those customers say they want a low low price, then that's what they'll get. Lower quality and fewer features are just a result of the process.

Therefore, the 'design flaw' is you voted with your wallet.

 

[Designer]

NewGuy12; If you have bought your camera new, then the factory warranty is for a year, not 30 days. You can also purchase and extended warranty through Best Buy if you are concerned.

Besides, by reading AaronLLockhart's post above, it sounds as if there is no problem. If you keep reading about this problem, I suggest that you e-mail Nikon directly as ask them about it.

 

[swiftparkour94]

sounds like you know more than me... youre probably right the "weather sealing" on my nikon d700 is no where close to what canon offers as standard

Yes they are very durable