Nikon D70 mirror problem?

[knave]

Hey guys,

I'm wondering if anyone has seen anything like this, or has any tips to offer.

I have a problem with my D70 (which is out of warranty) where, occasionally the mirror doesn't get completely out of the way of the shot. It swings up probably 80% of the way, leaving 20% of the sensor shrouded in darkness. When it does this, it makes a slightly louder "scraping" sound instead of the normal shutter/mirror slap sound.

It seems to happen more often on longer exposures (maybe 1 out of 3 shots!). It only happens when a lens is attached to the camera.

Here is an example of the resulting output:

Here you can see that the lower 1/4 of the image is very underexposed. (The fireworks trails should start at the bottom of the shot, not part of the way up.)

Any input would be appreciated!

 

[Sw1tchFX]

I don't know what to tell you. Get it serviced.

 

[knave]

Another example, slightly less pronounced effect:

 

[knave]

Yeah, I did take it to one place, and they couldn't reproduce it. (I think they gave up too easily.) It's actually hard to find real repair shops in my area.

 

[The_Traveler]

Why not Nikon service?
A little more expensive but you will get back what amounts to a new camera.

 

[Alex_B]

not sure how NIKON shutters work, but to me that looks not like the mirror but maybe a problem with the shutter curtain.

Last time I got a shutter replaced for a Canon, that was around 100 EUR .. so maybe 130 USD or so.

 

[fmw]

+1. It looks like a hanging shutter curtain - the lower curtain appears to be failing to open completely. Sometimes caused by dirt getting in the shutter mechanism. It might just need cleaning. Or, it might need replacement. As Traveler says, send it to Nikon for service.

 

[mascafe]

Can tell us your D70 total number of shots? It could be a very interesting information.

Regards

 

[knave]

Can tell us your D70 total number of shots? It could be a very interesting information.

Regards

About 3500 total shots.

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I'll contact Nikon for an estimate, I guess. This is the kind of problem that isn't worth spending a lot on, if you know what I mean. Besides, if I'm going to spend a few hundred fixing this one, I'd rather just upgrade to a D80 (or hold out for a D80-successor).

 

[Zatodragon]

You might want to check out, or if you even can, the shutter leafs. When i worked at kits, a lady was having a similar problem with her film camera. Turns out one of the shutter leafs was boaing outward and somehow prevented the mirror from folding up all the way.

But that was on a film SLR and not sure how you could even check on a digital.

Best of luck!

 

[knave]

Local repair shop wouldn't touch it, and estimates $300 to send to Nikon to fix. The camera isn't worth much more than that...

I confirmed it is a mirror problem:

Lens attached, mirror lock-up:

No lens attached, mirror lock-up:

You can see when the lens was attached, it somehow interferes with the ability of the mirror to lock up. I still haven't figured out why.

 

[Mike_E]

Sounds as though there might be a loose screw or two somewhere in there causing the weight of the lens to warp the mirror housing. Does it hang if you are pressing up slightly more than is necessary to just hold the lens ?

 

[knave]

Yes, it happens even with some significant upward pressure on the lens. It also seems to happen without respect to orientation (camera pointed forward, up or down).

 

[Mike_E]

Unless you want to just use it like it is, you can either spend $300 to get it fixed and as stated have a practically new $500 camera, or sell it for $200 and not have any. I think I would have it repaired as soon as and still look to get a new one so that I would have two.

Of course you can spend the $300 now to have a $500 camera and use it until you are $500 away from having enough to buy your next body.

I guess the question is whether or not shooting with it until it's completely broken will make it more costly to repair.

 

[JIP]

You know you can send it to Nikon yourself for an estimate. I do not remember if they do free estimates but I am sure they can be trusted to give you an alot more honest estimate than your local camera shop. I am usually all for supporting th local guy but this guy sounds alot more like he doesn't want to be bothered with your repair. Personally, (and I did this with my D70s with great results) I would call Nikon to find out how much an estimate will cost and see if they can fix it. Just do not expect this to be the quick and esy route.