Wierd problem with my D100

Just back from a week in Cozumel. On the 5th day the camera got real tired. I would turn it on and then it would go half dead in about 3 seconds. It would not autofocus, nor would the LED lights in the viewfinder light up.

If I started autofocusing immediately, it would stay on. If I continued to autofocus while the image was being displayed, it would work. As soon as the camera idled it would go dead. The LCD on the top was on, but the f/stop and shutter speed info would disappear.

I thought it was the battery, but I replaced it with a fresh one. No change.

On a unrelated, or I think unrelated problem, the pins in the bulkhead connector got pushed in somehow, so I duck taped it solidly to the hot shoe in order to get a strobe connection.

The last day I had the camera out of the housing and it worked fine.

Any ideas?

No decent suggestions.

First you could try resetting the camera.

Sometimes problems in housings can come from a housing button applying pressure to one of the camera controls. This can cause cameras to do funny things inside the housing. I have heard that pressure on the on/off switch on D100s can cause problems.

The hotshoe problem could be related?

Sorry - not to be more help. Hope you can solve it.

Alex

I think the hotshoe problem is related. I had a very similar problem with an N90s and an Ikelite housing, the camera would freeze when inside the housing. I solved the problem by replacing the hotshoe.

Need a few more facts to help isolate the problem:

Did the camera have any problems when used on land?

What housing and what strobe was used?

I am in agreement with Alex, I have seen the situation once in quality control when one of the housing buttons in the back was pressing on the flash exposure compensation or the BKT button, (cant recall wich) anyway, the camera had strange behavior every time I closed the housing, in the end it was just inverted button placement (different lenght) that was the cause, camera behavior was OK once this was addressed. I agree also with Dave, It's harder to pin point the trouble not having the complete harware line up and scenario, was the flash attached and on or off, was the back of the housing open or closed, underwater or top side. In any case a reset won't hurt.

Hope you find the problem, it's hell to live with an intermittent problem, you can never trust the camera after that. So buddy, talk to us

The line up: Aquatica A100, dual Ike DS125, Ike non-TTL dual sync chord. With the camera still in the housing, the problem remained. When I took it out of the housing it worked fine.

Two of the metal pins in the hot shoe connector were slightly pushed back into the connector. This is a problem I've seen on a fresh out-of-the-box A5000 housing I sold someone. Forcefully taping the connector to the camera caused the flash to function properly, but perhaps not all pins were in contact.

I'll get a new connector and see what happens.

On the A100 the left synch bulkhead is wired for TTL (5 pin) and the right synch bulkhead is wired for manual strobes (3 pin). A loose or sticking contact pin in the hot shoe can certainly cause erratic behavior in the camera. I normally remove 2 of the pins from the hot shoe on these housings.

Most likely you don't need to replace the entire bulkhead / hot shoe connector. You probably just need a couple of the pins replaced in the connector.

Can you just use some kind of silicone spray to loosen up whatever is causing the pin to stick? Assuming it is spring loaded of course. I had similar issues with my N90 in a Subal housing and used some silicone spray to free up the sticky spring loaded pic. It worked and then I got rid of the cameras and housing.

Joe

I would not recommend spraying anything in or near the camera. This includes anything that's connected to the camera such as the hot shoe connector. For an in-field repair a small amount of liquid silicone touched to the pin from a Q-tip is a valid technique to get you through a trip. Once you're back home the connector pins should be replaced to ensure the problem does not return.

Interesting stuff guys. My dive buddy and I have both had these weird intermitant problems with Subal housings (CP5) and CP5000 cameras. Three cameras and two housings all had the same problem: dying, refusing to focus and then refusing to fire. Despite several trips back to Mr Nikon's Repairland we have both been unable to work out what the problem was. Highly annoying as you rightly point out. We began to wonder whether it was an issue of pressure on the on/off switch.

Hi Dave,

Yes, do not spray silicone. Your description is right on and exactly as I used it..a little on a q-tip, touch up the pin to get you through the trip. Otherwise send it in. I used a quick dry silicone that just leaves a very thin layer of dry lube.

Joe

Hi TimG,

The problem is most likely in the camera on the CP5000. The internal circuit board connectors in this camera are easily dislodged from vibration or minor impact. This causes all kinds of erratic problems that may become evident when housed or at depth. The CP5000 is capable of TTL so full communication between the camera and the strobe is necessary. A loose PCB (Printed Circuit Board) connector in the camera can cause problems when the hot shoe connector is attached and communication with the strobe is attempted and then fails. The end user tries troubleshooting the connections in the housing, synch cords and the strobe connector, when most likely the problem is in the camera.

Thanks Dave. What do I say then to Nikon? Check for a loose PCB?

I would detail the problems you've been having, a good Nikon tech will know exactly where to look.

Thanks Dave

Hmmm, yeah you would hope so eh? I can't be too good at describing it I guess. I've had one back to Nikon in NJ and one back to Nikon UK. One "fixed" it but it was just the same as soon as I got it below the surface. The UK said they couldn't find a fault.

But your help and advice is much appreciated. I've got more to work on now.....