I have to apologise for not posting more before this massive post. I am a semi-regular over at RFF and formerly at p.net but have found myself working more and being online less lately. I do want to share my experiences with the D600 and how Nikon Hong Kong responded to what I can only call an ordeal:
This is an edit from my original D600 oil sensor problem post over at Rangefinderforum (
My experience with the Nikon D600 oil sensor problem - Rangefinderforum.com
I purchased a Nikon D600 in November 2012, just after it was announced. I was a very happy owner as it promised to be an affordable, high quality, and compact full frame camera. It would, conveniently, replace a sold D700 and a dead D3 that I had owned previously.
Within a few months, I started reading horror stories of dust and then oil spots appearing in the top left and bottom corners of images. My D600 was fine, until about 9 months later - this would be July/August 2013 - when I started noticing spots after doing a particularly gruelling 6 hour product shoot (hey, gotta pay the bills, right?) against white background. All 250 images had to be photoshopped in post because I stupidly didn't zoom in on the corners during review. Thankfully most were in the same position and relative size so they could be batch-fixed. When I look back at other non-professional (ie candid, travel) I notice about 80% of the images I shot in the preceding 9 months contain spots in the top left, bottom left and right corners. I had just never shot on a plain white background before.
Take the D600 to Nikon where it gets cleaned and when I bring up the dust / oil sensor issue that is making the rounds on the internet, the Nikon staff simply shrug and say they haven't heard a thing about it.
Jump forward about 2 months and I'm coming to the end of my 12-month warranty. I notice a few light specks in images and, fearing having to pay for future cleanings, I take it to Nikon and have the same conversation (with shrugs) with Nikon staff while they clean the camera. This time they promise the spots won't return as the problem was 'solved'.
Roughly 6 weeks later in January 2014, the spots are back and darker and larger than before. I take it back to Nikon and after I leave the camera at the service centre for a few days, they call to inform me the shutter assembly will be replaced. A quick fistpump and a silent thank you to Nikon, and I'm happy again. It went some way to assuaging the frustration at constantly having to return to Nikon to 'fix' what was a US$2199 camera at launch. When I return to pick up the camera, the staff proudly tell me the problem has been repaired for good. I'm happy.
About a month later, I'm halfway through a restaurant shoot for a new client when I start seeing a dark trail across a few images like the shutter is dragging. Boom. Camera throws up an ERR sign on the top LCD. Shut it down, remove battery. Let the camera cool, finally do a soft reset. Nothing. Nada. Don't have a second body with me as I can't afford one and my D3 had died of corrosion about a year ago. Stupidity on me. Beyond bemusement at Nikon.
Return to Nikon (lost count now) and they hum and haw over it for a good half hour. The manager comes out and apologises profusely after I kick up a fuss at how much of a joke Nikon has become at its handling of an obviously poorly designed D600.
With the reshoot scheduled for two days later, Nikon promises it'll be ready on the morning of my shoot. It is, thankfully. But I no longer have any faith in Nikon at all. I am a hair away from packing it all in and selling all my Nikon gear except that it would take weeks to offload it and my options in Canon world aren't exactly stellar: 6D or MKIII with banding issues, subpar dynamic range and poor high ios performance? No thanks. Crop frame for full time work? Not there yet, Fuji / MFT / Sony.
And this is when I sell a kidney (aka a Zeiss) and pick up a D800E. My alternatives aren't great. I could have bit the bullet and shot that reshoot with the twice-repaired and thrice-cleaned D600 but I don't trust it to last more than 1000 shots before the issue comes back. It's not a fluke anymore, this is a concrete issue despite replacing the shutter assembly with a new one (contrary to rumour mongering, Nikon doesn't replace them with D610 shutters). It WILL come back. Switching to Canon puts me out of action for weeks. No good options.
I've lost track of how many follow up calls I've had with Nikon Hong Kong management - this happened a lot more after I told them I was also a journalist as well as a commercial photographer and was more than happy to highlight the issues in local magazines and newspapers. I tried not to get angry and threatening but it was hard at that point.
I ended my rant in front of them with:
'I don't have anything against any of you here but it is painfully obvious that something has been wrong with this camera design from day 1. If I have to come back a 6th time to repair or clean this camera - you can keep it. I will gift it to you (the manager) so you can use it as a paperweight to remind you of just how much Nikon has let it's customers down. I won't want it. I won't need it. Because it simply does NOT work.'
There is no D610 replacement program here in Hong Kong / China / Asia as far as I am aware. I have only seen forum posts on the topic from users in the USA so far.
I would have switched if I didn't have 3 big projects lined up for the next two weeks, not to mention a travel story happening this weekend - all of which require a camera I'm familiar with and the required lenses. It isn't really an issue with Canon's 5D MKIII sensor or the ergonomics I dislike - pretty much all high end cameras can perform at a good enough level for what I do, and half the enjoyment can come from learning a new system. Since subscribing to Diglloyd and reading Ming Thein, perhaps my standards have risen and I demand more?
I am confident in the D800E I just purchased. It's a proven camera now that the early left focus issues were resolved. All cutting edge cameras have their issues, the D600 ones have just been ignored up until mid-February when Nikon issued their latest 'unlimited cleanings' repair advisory. That's not good enough though. Any company who values professionalism and customer service in the face of a faulty product should issue a recall. Sadly, Nikon isn't doing that.
I won't post his name here but when asked, the manager of the Nikon service centre in Hong Kong - after much exasperated prodding - finally admitted to me that he would be 'very upset at Nikon' if he was in my situation.
When asked if he would have wanted Nikon to recall the product? No comment.
I don't dare use the D600 for anything approaching professional work. I am going to baby it like its been injured. Except it hasn't been injured, it was born this way.
/end rant