Cost of repairing a D750

yee379

just dropped my d750. case is cracked in two places and the aperture and focus controls no longer work with the few lenses i have. the hot shoe is crushed and the built in flash doesn't pop up anymore. the ovf also flickers now. i guess it fell upside down. but i can take pictures fine. (the lens i dropped it with still seems to work on my d5100 tho'). before i send it off back to nikon for repair (and pay 100USD+ just in postage), does anyone have a feeling for how much i should expect repair to cost?

calengor

Just out of curiosity, from how high did you drop it and onto what kind of surface?

Photobug

You can fill out the online forum and they will give you an estimate, sight on seen. I was referring to the Nikon USA web site.

yee379

calengor: it was slinged over my shoulder when it fell (probably knocked over by another bag i had over my shoulder). fell on concrete stupid "industrial-feel" restaurants!... probably just over a meter.

photobug: yeah, i did that and it came up with zero cost (i guess because i clicked on 'is under warranty'). i doubt warranty will cover accidental damage.. but here's hoping!

needless to say, i'll probably invest in one of those gun-sling like straps in the future. luckily it's within my 90 days for amex 'protection damage', but they only cover upto 1,000USD.

PB_PM

Nikon's warranties expressly say in the paper work that accidental damage is not covered. So prepare your pocketbook for the hit!

Based on repairs I seen others note for similar damage you're looking at an expensive repair. At least $500-$800. Most of the costs incurred will be labour related, but the parts are not cheap either. It could break the $1000 mark if there is unseen internal damage. I have also seen cases where Nikon simply refuses to repair the camera because the cost is too close to buying a new unit.

yee379

thanks PB_PM; yeah, 5 to 8 was kinda what i would be expecting too. i see that the d750 has the mg shell around the top of the camera, so as long as that's not cracked i wouldn't expect a write off.

so i guess i'm stuck with sending it to nikon and waiting for them to tell me how much it will cost to repair, huh? does anyone know i would be better off using nikon's repair service directly or doing through an official nikon agent?

Photobug

calengor: it was slinged over my shoulder when it fell (probably knocked over by another bag i had over my shoulder). fell on concrete stupid "industrial-feel" restaurants!... probably just over a meter.

photobug: yeah, i did that and it came up with zero cost (i guess because i clicked on 'is under warranty'). i doubt warranty will cover accidental damage.. but here's hoping!

needless to say, i'll probably invest in one of those gun-sling like straps in the future. luckily it's within my 90 days for amex 'protection damage', but they only cover upto 1,000USD.

Recommend you check the BosStrap G3 Generation 3 strap, just under $48. The alternative is to go the Black Rapid route but when you add the BR Sports RS-2, $74 + BR FastenR Stealth, $15 + BR Lockstar Carabinder Protector (2) $10 + RRS B2-BABN screw knob clamp $70. The BR option when you add it all up becomes really expensive. The minimum configuration would be the BR Sports + Stealth adapter, $90. But at that cost you could buy almost two BosStrap G3 sliding strap.

Second the comment, be prepared for a $900-$1000 bill to get it fixed. Sorry to hear it slipped off your shoulder. It's sicking when that happens. Question, did you have insurance through your home owner insurance policy? If not, consider adding a camera floater policy. Run a search and you will find a lot of discussions on this topic in one or more of the NRF's.

WestEndFoto

I really like my UPStrap. The rubber on the shoulder does not slip off. It is also long enough that I can sling it.

KnockKnock

Check to see if the credit card with which you purchased it offers damage coverage. I think many do for 90 days.

Ironheart

I would do it through the dealer you purchased it from, they may be able to provide a loaner while yours is being repaired.

Pistnbroke

I sling my cameras on the shoulder one on each but I have a strap across the back so it cannot slip off...just two $5 neoprene straps . of course if its under your jacket it cannot slip very far. I sling each camera from one of the strap fixings only via a 20c fishing swivel..

kanuck

A terrible way to start off the new year sorry to hear about this yee379. It sounds like the repair fee will be about 60% of the original price of the unit. I would consider cutting your losses and look at a new or used unit instead of paying the repair costs, which would include the high postage fee as well that you mentioned....

The_Other_Steve

Sorry to hear about your accident!

If Nikon is unlikely to cover the damage via their warranty, you could also try one of the independent shops, like http://www.nikoncamerarepair.com/ , at least to get an estimate.

Good luck.

Msmoto

First, this is very sad to hear about, but, we have all done stuff like this. For me, I always try to have a strap over my head at all times when carrying a camera, as I have had one drop to the ground, albeit, soft landing saved my .....camera.

If the repair cost is so high as to make it not worth the investment, there may be a repair shop who would like to purchase it for parts. If Nikon still has their limitations on who they sell parts to, you may have a lot of value left in parting this out, then purchasing a new body.

Hammie

Sorry to hear this.

Even with a cross body strap, I have had my camera hit the ground if I would bend over to tie a shoe or pick something up that I dropped. Granted, the distance during those situations is not like dropping from a standing shoulder or a tabletop, but it still makes me cringe when it happens.

It happened more when my kids were younger and I had to bend over to help them.

Hope you can get this resolved quickly and with the least impact to your wallet.

kanuck

Yes straps won't always save the day either. A colleague of mine smashed his D4 hot-shoe plate in last weekend on a post while it was swinging away on his Black Rapid with a 70-200mm...

Vipmediastar_JZ

Ouch sorry to hear about your accident. I'm always worried about dropping the camera. I did drop my self- standing monopod the other day and the knob on the ball head got dinged. I actually knocked it down when i got up so it was my fault. It is a good thing that my camera was not on it. Prior to that the I had the d810 with battery grip and 70-200 2.8 on it and i can leave it alone and it will not fall but there is always accidents.

this is my camera strap if you need one that helps with comfort and slipping. OpTech

I got extra uni loops that I have on the L plate and attached to when I have the BlackRapid Strap sling.
I hope this helps for the future. Let us know what Nikon tells you.

Photobug

this is my camera strap if you need one that helps with comfort and slipping. OpTech

I got extra uni loops that I have on the L plate and attached to when I have the BlackRapid Strap sling.
I hope this helps for the future. Let us know what Nikon tells you.

I also used the OPTech strap, the width of the strap around the neck certainly helps spread that weight out over the neck. +1 on using extra straps/loops. I still use it on the D7100 but switched to the BosStrap for the D750 and love it so far. A less expensive option to using the BR sling strap.

pigeyejacksn

Sorry to hear this. Credit card is a good place to start. +1 for KnockKnock on that. They can be a pain to work through, but I've had it work out on a laptop a few years back. It was American Express.

I thought I was going to be in the same boat with my D750. I was racing/running with my daughter a few months ago when we slammed into each other. I went straight to the ground on the camera/cement. Fortunately I had my 50mm on the body at the time (cheapest lens I could have had on it). It was trashed, but the body survived without an issue...and no injury to myself or my daughter. I do carry a personal insurance plan with the Travelers though that includes accidental damage and no deductibles. I carry it in case I'm ever robbed going out in the desert or some other remote place shooting. I pay a couple hundred a year, but that includes all my camera gear, telescope and laptops/ipads of the house. I figure cheapest way to keep covered (especially with a 9 year old that has an iPad).

Good luck. I'd be curious to hear the cost when you find out. Sorry again

yee379

Woohoo! i got my camera back.. only took about 2 months fortunately the cost was very minor (imo) ~320USD (inclusive), and yes, luckily it was still under my Amex 'purchase protection plan' so all i actually ended up paying for was the initial shipping of the camera to Nikon. Will probably look into a personal insurance plan for the future tho.

the worse part of the whole affair was the fact that Nikon parts delivery seems to take *forever* (and often get delayed) and there's very little feedback from them. i do recommend opening a case/enquiry with them as the representative was very responsive with answers etc. she even push the job on rush for me as i wanted the camera back before i set off to japan next week

oh, as for the strap; after *much* research, i settled on the Peak Design Slide strap; mainly because i liked the ability for it to adjust easily between a neck/sling/side strap. it was also cheaper than the black rapid and not as 'dorky' looking it's kinda like the BosStrap but with the extra benefit that it's easy to remove the strap from the camera.