Nikon D3 DSLR: Partial teardown and attempt of repair - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: TiN
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 05, 2014, 01:05:24 pm
content: Since my hobbies are not limited only to stockpiling 20-year old Keithley gear, but also photography for fun, I finally got pissed of carrying my primary and only one camera every once I wanted to take picture of something at work lab, and vise versa when I needed my cam at home where all my precision gear lives.So I decided to catch a bullet this time and bought dead D3 body. It was described as shutter and sensor are ok, but camera does not power on. It was dropped, and comes without anything, not even battery. It arrived just today.Battery cover is pretty much destroyed and looks like previous owner tried to glue it to body.No battery, so I will be using 5A AC-DC brick which I modified for DC 13V to power camera.Overall body condition would be 3- out of 5, but no really serious damages. All buttons, glass, LCDs seem to be OK, and given that it's top-tier single-digit pro grade DSLR, it's designed to surviveAs expected, when power was applied nothing happed, no magic smoke, nothing on any screens, no reaction to controls.So, anybody interested to take a look how this will go?

author: quarks
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 05, 2014, 01:26:21 pm
content: Quote from: TiN on May 05, 2014, 01:05:24 pmHello TiN,same here, I am also a big fan of Nikon "1digit" gearGood luck with the repair.byequarks

author: Excavatoree
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 05, 2014, 02:13:28 pm
content: Good luck from me as well. I'd love to be able to afford a D3, but I get by with the much higher model number.I've been amazed at what inoperative cameras go for on E-bay. I bought a lot of old film cameras, and found one to be working but dented, and one to work except for the light meter, so at least the lot is "paid for." The rest seem to be basket cases.The best items are from consumers or users that don't have the inclination to repair - some of those are just simple fixes. The worst items are from repair shops or people with repair facilities, especially good repair people, as when they give up on one, it's hopeless.

author: TiN
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 05, 2014, 02:23:34 pm
content: Same here, would not buy working second camera that expensive, specially considering my D800 already expensive enoughBut could not resist with this D3...pesky ebay is too dangerous, addictive.. and it's full-frame.Any way, seems luck is on my side this time as well. I found a blown PNP BJT on DC-DC module. I already opened it up lunch time today, so bought a replacement (2SA2023 PNP 60V 5A) already.Now replaced it, and bingo, camera now powers on, takes pictures, main LCD works.Top, viewfinder, and iso lcd aint working, and also it gives "ERR" message from time to time.But shutter works, sensor works, so far looks promisingShutter count in EXIF is 89K, which is good.I'll update thread with detailed pics later.

author: TiN
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 05, 2014, 06:10:41 pm
content: Ok, here's worklog/progress for day one.Service manual for D3, 20MB PDFUnscrew four screws holding back cover with LCD and controls.Everything clean and nice inside, no blown parts on main board. Looks like there were no attempts to repair it by previous owner, which is always nice.Since nothing works at all, and camera unable to power on, first suspect - power supply/converter.According to service manual - it's on two board assembly right next to CF slots assembly.Lucky enough, we don't need to take apart camera to gazillion pieces to get access to DC-DC board.Aha.. That's where magic smoke escaped...It's A2023 marked TO225 packaged transistor. Based on marking on PCB - it have emitter, collector and base, so we know it's a BJT.Remembering similar style marking inside of my HP 4263B LCR, it's 2SA2023 PNP, rated 5A 80V.Went local electronics flea market and was lucky enough to get exact same P/N PNP's.Now there are two things could happen on such step. First - PNP just died from some power surge or battery short for example.It could be just a dead PNP, so replacing it will get life back to camera.Or things could be much worse, and actually some other part got shorted and caused power supply to die. In such gear like consumer cameras, which arealmost completely build around custom ASICs, custom controllers and absolutely no schematics or service information available such scenario means that'sbest use from it would be a really expensive pencil holder.I cut old one first to make job easier.Let's cross our fingers and try to replace PNP.Original part on left side, new transistor on right side.5 seconds with my trusty ERSA iCON, and DC-DC assembly is like new again...Connect back cover with controls & LCD , check to make sure no shorts or any dangerous parts around, connect DC +13V to DCin jack, and...Ta-daaa.... Great, no smoke, no noise, it's a lucky dayAuxilary LCDs aren't working at this moment, probably some FPC cable got bad connection or no contact (remembering that camera was dropped).Liveview works, tells us that CMOS sensor, aquisition, digital processing works properly.Now tried to make couple shots, and got files without problems.There is ERR message happening after every shot, which can be "reset" by turning off, turn on, and releasing shutter once. Seem like some mechanical issue with mirror assembly, as it'snot returning back to normal state after most of shots. Will take a look on that later, let's check LCDs first..Remove top cover, as microcontroller board which handles LCDs is on top side...There it is, small board on right top which have lots of FPC's going to it.I mean, really lots...Nikon guys are not joking around with flat ribbon cables, have parts and connectors all over them.Now let's check microcontroller board:Back:Top:No visible damages. I hope it's connectors...Reconnected everything back again...Great, now all LCDs working proplerly.So far so good...Now hard part - need to disassemble most of camera to get ahold of that mirror locking up issue, as it's barely usable in such condition...Board with sensor is located under aquisition/processing board.DG board face:DG board back:D3 using six ADIAD9974signal processors, each of them able to capture 2 channels of 14-bit CCD data at 65 MSPS.Probably they are capturing data from 12MP CMOS sensor via 12 channels to allow that crazy 9 frames per second camera speed.And back of sensor board:That's it for today, time for sleep, it's 2.08am already.Not a bad start.Youtube:

author: quarks
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 05, 2014, 06:20:13 pm
content: once again, very impressive workjust in case you do not already have it, latest D3 Firmware is 2.03https://nikoneurope-en.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/55915/~/d3-firmware-update-a-2.03,-b-2.03

author: Vgkid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 05, 2014, 10:18:20 pm
content: Impressive job on the beginnings of a camera fix.

author: TiN
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 06, 2014, 12:40:22 pm
content: Heh, seems all luck was left yesterday.Day two. Disassembled body more, found two frame damages.Ear which mounts eye piece thru main magnesium body to front block with lens mount together have one of it's "ears" broken. It was holding there just on nothing and fell apart right away.Second is a crack on lens mount block.Magnesium is a light and nice metal for gadgets, but one of it's drawbacks is fact that it's fragile. Seems like this camera had pretty decent impact which caused these damages and likely some mechanical parts to get misaligned.That could explain why it works fine sometimes, and locks up next time. Lot of tolerances in such precision gear like DSLR are in microns, not even millimeters...Any ideas, except super gluing whole thing?I think acquiring another dead D3 to get frame, or even worse getting new frame would cost way more than I would like to spend.That's it for today...Looks like it's not as easy as replacing one 1$ PNP transistor here

author: Towger
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 06, 2014, 12:48:07 pm
content: Very nice work.I had a look on ebay at the price a D3 sells at 'broken'. Over £260 for one which looks like it went swimming in the sea!!!! Madnesshttp://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FAULTY-Nikon-D3-12-1-MP-Digital-SLR-Camera-Black-Body-only-FAULTY-/301149664437

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 06, 2014, 01:06:45 pm
content: Some advice I found about repairing magnesium says tojust glue it.Epoxy would probably work too. It all depends on how much load those pieces have to withstand.

author: Excavatoree
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 06, 2014, 01:17:41 pm
content: Quote from: Towger on May 06, 2014, 12:48:07 pmIt has salt water corrosion and physical damage. The LCD is no good. Why did 4 people bid so fiercely on this? Even if three are shills, why did the high bidder pay so much? Either one or more people are very stupid, or they know something I don't about corroded, damaged cameras. What on earth on that thing is worth over 400 US dollars, plus shipping?Also, why do sellers of items damaged to this extent paste in the advertising for the item as if it were working? The item as sold meets almost none of those specs, and anyone thinking of buying it is buying it for parts or repair and doesn't need the marketing wank. It takes up a whole page and is useless for an item like this. It's like selling a crushed car for scrap steel and adding two pages from the dealer sales literature showing the available colors, engine specs, 0-60 time, etc.

author: rs20
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 06, 2014, 01:34:39 pm
content: Fantastic teardown, great pics,, more please! I had no idea Analog Devices ADC were used inside these things, let alone a whole array of them.Quote from: Excavatoree on May 06, 2014, 01:17:41 pmThose ADCs cost $32.63 (at 1k quantity) each, so if you re-ball those 6 chips you've got $120 right there. Now of course, actually getting that much for it on eBay/black market is a pretty tall order, but it makes me think it might be worth quite a bit. Also, the frame might be in good condition, which perhaps would be worth <value of working camera> to the OP. To be fair, I am surprised to see the price go so high as well, but it doesn't seem impossibly ridiculous to me.QuoteHaha, I do concur.

author: TiN
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 06, 2014, 01:36:02 pm
content: Well, I don't feel comfortable at moment just to glue it. Shutter and motors in camera are quite strong and create lot of vibration.All those frames are thick for a reason. Need to find a way to reinforce it somehow.As for ebay:Common rule to stay away from water damaged gear, as water easy get into all unreachable areas and oxidize all exposed metals.Specially in cameras, which have onboard power batteries, and thus unable to avoid rapid oxidation of all energized paths.So in 99% cases water damaged electronics is BER, and good only for mechnical parts.Specs and details probably automatically inserted by ebay, as all camera lots have those specs.Seller have clear description: Item condition:For parts or not working “Had Salt Water Contamination (SPARE PARTS ONLY)”, so that's what matters

author: Excavatoree
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 06, 2014, 02:09:58 pm
content: Quote from: rs20 on May 06, 2014, 01:34:39 pmWouldn't the salt water bath (without being rinsed off) ruin any electronic components beyond use? How would one clean the corrosion? (or are they gold? Again, I offer the caveat that I'm silly and ignorant) Who would pay 120 dollars for salty chips? (add fish and some vinegar?) Even if they were sell-able, that still leaves around 300 dollars to recover. If I were working on my or a client's camera, I darn sure wouldn't use parts salvaged from the ocean.Thanks for the insight. I do see other "hopeless" cameras go for as much, so perhaps the market for these parts does indeed exist. Maybe the person who bought this one doesn't realize the problems with salt water corrosion, and simply thinks it's as good of an economic decision as a non-corroded, basket case camera.Oh, and apologies to the OP for going off on a tangent.One question to the OP: Since you are aware of how much work is involved, and how much a working D3 is worth, would you pay 400 dollars for a salty camera if the frame was good? (not that one, it is described as physically damaged and I wouldn't think one would want to risk it) Is the total labor to strip it plus the cost worth it?A working used D3 is around 3-4 thousand US dollars (if it's not the S model) so I'd say it may be, but I've never taken one apart.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 06, 2014, 06:22:23 pm
content: The broken mount is fixable with some slow cure epoxy ( something that takes 24 hours to cure and around an hour to gel) like ABE Epidermix. Smells bad, and worse when mixed, but if you clean the parts with acetone and let dry then apply a thin film and align and clamp for 48 hours it is as strong as you can get.For the cracked frame I would suggest stripping it and then clamping it together and apply a thin superglue and leave for 24 hours to cure. this will wick into the crack and bond it quite well.I have used the ABE product to fix many things, and generally the bond is stronger than the parent metal.

author: robrenz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 06, 2014, 06:45:49 pm
content: Quote from: TiN on May 06, 2014, 01:36:02 pmIMO Very carefully clean deburr the break face. This means lightly removing any deformed of smeared areas of the break face that are preventing a perfect re-mating of the granular break. The purpose here is to have it as close to its original location as possible. Degrease the surfaces thoroughly then epoxy with a high strength epoxy that has at least 3000 to 4500 PSI strength. (like scotchweld DP-460) If the epoxy does not state its strength don't use it! Make sure the joint is completely reseated properly and let fully cure. Ideally get some carbon fiber rods from the local hobby shop that are in the .040" to .060" diameter range. Drill several holes thru the joint as close to perpendicular to the break as possible that the carbon fiber rods can slip fit into. Now epoxy these rods into the holes and let them cure fully. Pieces of drill shank could be substituted for the carbon fiber rods also.Edit:On the second crack I would lay a piece of light glass or carbon fiber cloth over the crack using the same high strength adhesive to wet the cloth and bond it to the frame. It looks like there may be a second crack above the long one in the fillet in the upper right hand area.

author: rs20
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 06, 2014, 11:34:29 pm
content: Quote from: Excavatoree on May 06, 2014, 02:09:58 pmOh, I don't think you'd last long in the budget camera repair game. Adhering to suchridiculousrules is part of what makes genuine OEM service so expensive.On a less cynical note, though, I'm trying to visualize a BGA chip -- is there any material visible apart from solder ball or plastic? I claim you'd remove the solder balls entirely (and associated corrosion) as a matter of course, and they'd have protected the lands on the chip (either physically or galvanically). Maybe. This is the type of person who reflows the CPU on their Xbox, using an electric frypan,successfully. It's good that we can afford to have the luxury of just rejecting chips in such a condition, but it's worth keeping in mind that us engineers might be more conservative than strictly necessary in that regard.Chips aside, the viewfinder optics, mirrors, lens mount mechanics, and pentaprism are all probably in good shape after a good clean too. Is there's a demand for these things in the repair world, it all adds up.

author: TiN
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 07, 2014, 01:00:39 pm
content: Day 3Thanks,robrenz.And yes, you have good eye, there is second crack on that fillet edge.Tested shutter today, it works good. It's the front body issue with mirrors and stuff. I'll have to record a video of full front body part disassembly, as I will never findout after where which screw or pedal goesBought copycat battery (actually two by mistake), noname charger on ebay. Hope I will have camera fixed by time that arrive.As of buying sunken D3 for 400$, no, that's too much in this repair project. It makes whole thing unreasonable, as used D3 can be acquired for around 2K, without so much hassle and trouble.And that is not giving even any warranty that frame in that body is okay, maybe it was dropped from helicopter beforeAlso I belive optics is pretty much destroyed in sunk cameras, as usually there are very thin coatings, which are easy to damage by cleaning/chemicals.EDITLooks scary...Also I found dodgy diode. It seem to be working, 0.74V Vf, but it was definitely heating up before. Not sure if it's "normal".Problem is in that chunk of mechanics, aperture/mirror control unit.One of levers for exposure metering unit was bent, fixed it. Should be some other problem somewhere too, which prevents mechanics to interact correctly.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 07, 2014, 01:14:31 pm
content: If the body is a magnesium casting sea water pretty much dissolves it. I saw the photo's taken of an Aeromacchi Impala that crashed into the sea, and which was recovered 2 weeks later. The engine castings ( massive magnesium alloy castings) were basically missing, leaving rings of other metals and rows of bolts held together by locking wire. Once the oxide coat is dissolved the metal vanishes quite fast.

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 07, 2014, 01:24:07 pm
content: Quote from: TiN on May 07, 2014, 01:00:39 pmFWIW, when disassembling things with many small screws and parts, my 'memory aid' is to do a very minimal sketch of the mechanics at each stage (just enough to get orientation), then as I remove each screw I stick a bump of bluetak on the drawing in the appropriate spot, and stick the screw in the bluetak. Also write a sequence number on the paper there, so I can reverse the order and not forget anything.This also prevents losing screws. And the worst thing - when you don't notice that some screws are very slightly different from others, and it matters. With the bluetak trick, they never get mixed up.Sorry to mention it a bit late for you with this project. But maybe *next* time give it a try.Another way I've used, is to buy a bunch of little 1"x2" square ziplock bags, and put screws (or sets of them) as I remove them, in a bag with a postit note giving the sequence number and any necessary drawing or description.One drawback with this method, is that when buying lots of the little bags I think people suspect I'm a drug dealer or something.

author: _Sin
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 07, 2014, 01:39:06 pm
content: That's a cracking camera. Pun intended.Great to see it being fixed though - hate to think of stuff like this ending in up landfill somewhere.

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 07, 2014, 01:40:57 pm
content: Quote from: SeanB on May 07, 2014, 01:14:31 pmNot surprising, given that magnesium is used as a sacrificial anode material.

author: quarks
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 07, 2014, 02:15:12 pm
content: if you want to see the naked beauty have a look at att. pic

author: rs20
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 07, 2014, 11:34:45 pm
content: Quote from: SeanB on May 07, 2014, 01:14:31 pmDevil's advocate: in your example, the engine castings were in contact with steel and a continuous circuit of sea water for two weeks, causing the blocks to act as sacrificial anodes. A wet camera, on the other hand, has the bulk of the water removed in seconds and there's hardly any steel or non-magnesium metal to speak of -- just magnesium, plastic, rubber and maybe some dried-up salt. No complete sacrificial anode circuit, no sacrificial anode action, massively different reaction rate. It's true that sea water is bad news for magnesium alloys for any extended period of time, but I don't see any evidence that a brief splash is going to cause meaningful problems.Of course, I'm not volunteering to buy sea-damaged gear here. Just debating whether we can be so sure that a bit of sea water is such catastrophic news.

author: maxslug
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 08, 2014, 04:15:41 am
content: Awesome job TiN!We're watching from over at nikon hacker. let us know if we can be of any assistance.-m

author: TiN
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 09, 2014, 02:33:21 pm
content: Day 5I hope someone could help on my D800 external power supply hack, but that's not what I'm worry about right now, haha.Looks like I figured out mirror issue, it was #262 spring which recovers mirror into view position, and small lever for light shielding for metering block.Now hard part - assemble all that thingy's together without breaking anything elseI bet I'll have some extra "unnecessary parts" left over

author: krivx
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 09, 2014, 02:38:58 pm
content: An odd tip that might be helpful - if you put everything inside a clean cardboard box with the open end facing you the walls of the box will catch *most* of the oh-shit-SPROING moments where you would normally end up on the floor looking for tiny springs.

author: TiN
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 09, 2014, 06:56:38 pm
content: Test front block with fixed mirror assembly:Test check with body assemblyNow it takes photos well, no errors or other critical issues.Test assembly for checks. D3 body + Nikkor 50/1.4D lensFirmware is 2.01.All LCDs working fine, backlight working fine, no issues with that.Updating firmware to 2.03Firmware update went well, now it's 2.03+2.03.Actual image from D3. Black dots are dirt on sensor.Actual image from D3. "Extra" partsLeft to do:* Receive battery and test with battery power* Autofocus need adjustment, with 50/1.4D it gets too close. Likely AF unit aligment or adjustment.* Standard AF-ON button does not work (no reaction). AF-ON on portrait side works fine.* Refurbish rubber pads* Clean image sensor.

author: robrenz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 09, 2014, 07:05:54 pm
content: Very nice work there TiN

author: Vgkid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2014, 06:55:25 am
content: Good job on the fix.

author: TiN
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2014, 04:34:01 pm
content: QuoteWell, it took good half hour for me to figure out how it all works. It was not in proper position, and was not pulling mirror correctly, so it could not return inup position after lock release.*Standard AF-ON button does not work (no reaction). AF-ON on portrait side works fine.Done, stupid me, it was a9 menu setting, button was select to wrong mode. It works well.*Clean image sensor.Done, now nice and clean, enough to not see anything with f/16.*Autofocus need adjustment, with 50/1.4D it gets too close. Likely AF unit aligment or adjustment.Done via adjusting AF finetune +3 and turning two AF module screws #295 4.5 turns counterclockwise.It's exactly the case when need to read service manual before doing assembly. I skipped that part, and just assembled everything for "seems correct" aproach.But AF module with its optical block have two adjustment screws #295 with very fine thread, so it adjusts distance between AF module and image plane.Now mine 50/1.4, Sigma 150/2.8 macro and Nikkor 28-70/2.8 are spot on for focus.By time when I got all assembled, it was already 5.00am, so I put camera on tripod near my apartment window and let it shoot timelapse, 400 photos, interval 5 minutes between each.4K timelapse test with fixed D3.That's one of reasons why I bought this camera, so I could leave it shooting timelapse for days, while still being able to take usual photos with my primary cam.Maybe timelapse for my homelab during 1 month will be next?Still left minor fixes (soak rubber pads in acetone to get them proper size, glue them to camera body) and get copycat battery and charger from ebay, so I could use it without need of permanent 110V AC jack.But that's it for now, not going to dismantle camera again, unless reason for.P.S. only 6 extra screws which I don't know where to put

author: krivx
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2014, 04:38:57 pm
content: Wow... at 4K you can almost look inside those windows...

author: eKretz
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2014, 04:57:19 pm
content: Congrats and well done.

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2014, 04:05:04 am
content: Quote from: TiN on May 10, 2014, 04:34:01 pmHa ha... not too bad a score. Seriously, next time try the 'paper, pen and bluetak' method. You will have no leftovers or lost screws. It also means the whole project can be put aside for any length of time, with no 'oh god I've forgotten where it all goes!' fear.

author: TiN
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2014, 01:43:06 pm
content: 'And one more 4K vidAnybody interested in Nikkor 17-35 fix?I have autofocus fail again on it, so might take it apart and try fix it

author: Yago
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2014, 11:24:48 pm
content: Nice thread Tin, including the "hello there cheeky" pic of you :pAnother photog here, but I am a Canon shooter, and a poor one at that!

author: TiN
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2014, 10:05:42 am
content: Received today new battery cover (Nikon BL-4)All rubber pads in place already, just left to get battery and charger and it's officially closedTotal time spend around 5 evenings.

author: TiN
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 20, 2014, 12:41:00 pm
content: Well, today received 2 non-original batteries for D3.And of course, QC is as expected for $23USD battery (which is 6 times less than genuine batt).I mean second battery is DOA. Zero volts on power terminals.But since seller wants item back for refund, it's not worth shipping cost, so i just take it apart to see if can fix it.Cells have correct voltage around 4V, no blown visually parts. Two PFETs are okay, butcontroller turn off one of them cutting power from output terminals.Need to study a little how that works.TSSOP20 chip have marking 235 1414C and logo like "M"TSSOP10 chip have marking 8202 318POPFETs are AO4407ASOT23-5 have markingC2KEand SOT23-3 just 2ASecond battery works fine in camera.

author: TiN
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 20, 2014, 05:08:55 pm
content: TSSOP20 is aMitsumi MM1414LiPo protection IC.Schematics is in progres...Anyone knows SOT23-5 SMD part with markingC2KF?It seems to be reset supervisor according to schematics, but could be LDO, too much caps around as for supervisor...Photos:

author: nixxon
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 20, 2014, 07:59:07 pm
content: Quote from: quarks on May 07, 2014, 02:15:12 pmThat naked beauty reminds me of some metal endoskeleton without the living tissue. Somewhat like the T-800 in T2.I am utterly impressed that you managed to fix this camera and make it usable again. Those leftover screws would bug me forever though...

author: TiN
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 21, 2014, 04:30:41 pm
content: It was a dodgy PFETs.Now second battery accepts charge, seems alright after replacements of both P-channel MOSFETs.Also finished another timelapse, 4 days non-stop, 17 min interval

author: Bp_968
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 27, 2014, 10:45:32 pm
content: Just to help put this in perspective for the OP, I'm a professional photographer and own a D3, D4, D700, D600 and various "crop" sensor bodies. We have put *hundreds* of thousands of clicks through the D3 since purchase and it's only been in for repair once (which was for a cleaning and to replace some minor rubber pieces on the body). Ignoring the insane shipping and insurance costs to get it to nikons repair facility I believe our cleaning and repair bill was 300-400$. I sent the D4 in to have a thumb-hat switch replaced (it fell out, somewhere) and it cost 450$ish along with the "free" cleaning and also some other random outside rubber replacements. The D700 had an issue with external flash units going nuts and flashing like crazy when they were not supposed to be flashing like crazy. That was apparently a very common issue with D700s. That was 300-400$.Overall, the Dx series bodies are *amazingly* robust and reliable! but cheap they are not. Remember, the D3 was 5 grand new and the D4 was 6 grand new.I don't know what your primary camera is, but your going to love the D3. Those batteries pretty much last forever btw. We have a backup battery for it but have shot 3-4k shots over 20 hours and 2 days without running out of juice.Weirdly and annoyingly the D4 actually came with a *smaller* battery! No problems with it running out of juice, but it still annoys me they switched battery shapes (on a 150$ battery) and gave us less juice out of the deal.

author: TiN
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 28, 2014, 04:33:44 am
content: QuoteWell, that applies likely to genuine EN-EL4a's, not a copycat's I gotI got about 500-600 shots off copycat battery, which is ok, but they self-discharge quick.Anyway not a big deal, as for timelapses I use modified EH-6 AC brick anyway.QuoteThere are new safety regulations in Japan, so they cannot put so much power capacitry as before.

author: voltsandjolts
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 24, 2025, 08:58:55 am
content: I realise this topic is over ten years old, but there are still many Nikon D3 cameras alive and kicking. I'm just adding some repair info...My D3 rear LCD screen died but was otherwise a fully functional camera. Turns out the screen was OK and it was some kind of main board (MB) fault, so I replaced it with a working one from a scrap D3. The D3 repair manual suggests there's a calibration procedure for the image sensor. I'm not sure if that calibration is stored on the sensor PCB or the MB. Perhaps the correct way is to swap as a pair (MB + sensor) but I didn't want to disturb the sensor, so left it in place. Swapping out just the MB brought the camera to life and the pictures look great. With forensic analysis maybe there is some pixel anomalies due to incorrect calibration, but I can't see any issues in large high quality jpegs. So, fine for me.However, two 'faults' have appeared;(1) Before MB replacement the camera had a 51K shutter count. The donor camera had 300K shutter count, and I expected that to move across with the MB. But instead of a 300K shutter count the camera now shows some few billion and it changes by 1000's for every click.(2) Although the aperture controls, display and exposure work fine, the image EXIF data always shows the aperture as 'f1'. This is true for lenses with a mechanically controlled aperture and those with an electronic aperture. So the MB cpu clearly knows exactly what the aperture is for each image, but refuses to write that correctly to the EXIF data.I think the above two 'faults' are the price to pay for not swapping the image sensor along with the MB. I can live with that, and the camera works great for me.Note that swapping the D3 MB is quite easy but needs a delicate touch on some of the connectors, particularly the sensor connector. It is very delicate. If swapping the sensor along with the MB, you might get away with not unplugging the sensor wiring at all. Also the CF card slot flat flex connector looked delicate, so I left it plugged in and swapped the CF holder along with the MB.Anyway, I plan to enjoy my 2008 D3 for another few years.

author: voltsandjolts
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 24, 2025, 09:06:10 am
content: Quote from: TiN on May 28, 2014, 04:33:44 amI found that replacing cells in the genuine Nikon battery packs works fine. Tap around the perimeter of the battery to break the weld seam and top/bottom halves will seperate. Don't need to power the battery pack electronics when changing cells.Battery status in the camera settings will still show as like "4" worn out, but can be used at full new capacity no problem.