My D300s is no more!!!!

[ian in lancs]

Went over on the ice during a walk in the lakes today; cue D300s and an 18-105mm head butting a rock. Lens went one way the camera another.

LHS strap lug – damaged and pushed in and there's now panel gap evident in chassis at LHS and wider than RHS – I'm guessing the camera chassis is distorted?





Pop up flash cover – damaged
Nikon logo panel – damaged



As for the lens all three mounting lugs broken off.
Damn fine lens and the camera has only taken 19291 shots.

Could still take pictures though if I held the lens to the mount

[XG332]

Bummer. Insured?

[ian in lancs]

XG332 said:

Bummer. Insured?

Contents, £100 excess. Expecting a hard time though!

[Simpo Two]

So apart from the lens (plastic mount?) it might be OK?

Last time I fell over with a camera was about three years ago, trying to negotiate a muddy slope. Suddenly - whammo - on my back and mud all over one side of me and the D200/lens. Got up, took a few more steps and did it again! Now thoroughly covered in mud and with mud IN the lens, I slunk home trying not be be seen. I was shortly to photography a neighbour's wedding and had to get past their house to safety without being seen... Came round the corner and there they were outside the house, plus teenage daughter... 'See that scruffy bloke covered in mud, he's photographing our wedding, he is'

[ian in lancs]

Simpo Two said:

So apart from the lens (plastic mount?) it might be OK?

Last time I fell over with a camera was about three years ago, trying to negotiate a muddy slope. Suddenly - whammo - on my back and mud all over one side of me and the D200/lens. Got up, took a few more steps and did it again! Now thoroughly covered in mud and with mud IN the lens, I slunk home trying not be be seen. I was shortly to photography a neighbour's wedding and had to get past their house to safety without being seen... Came round the corner and there they were outside the house, plus teenage daughter... 'See that scruffy bloke covered in mud, he's photographing our wedding, he is'

Plastic lens mount will need replacing and function/calibration but I doubt it's economically viable. As for the camera it does take pictures and other lenses are ok but the chassis is distorted. Cant tell whether focus calibration is now out but I doubt replacing/replacing the chassis and plastic covers is viable. So it's a toss-up write-off.

Don't think I'd want either back with that level of repair.

Edited by ian in lancs on Saturday 22 January 21:54

[Beardy10]

Ouch that's painful. Hope the insurance company coughs up!

You should have had a better lens on a D300S though ?!?! That's an £1100 pro camera with a £200 kit lens on it!

[ian in lancs]

Beardy10 said:

Ouch that's painful. Hope the insurance company coughs up!

You should have had a better lens on a D300S though ?!?! That's an £1100 pro camera with a £200 kit lens on it!

It's my walkabout lens not the glass I normally use; way too heavy! And thank God it wasn't my D700 either.

[XG332]

Simpo Two said:

So apart from the lens (plastic mount?) it might be OK?

Last time I fell over with a camera was about three years ago, trying to negotiate a muddy slope. Suddenly - whammo - on my back and mud all over one side of me and the D200/lens. Got up, took a few more steps and did it again! Now thoroughly covered in mud and with mud IN the lens, I slunk home trying not be be seen. I was shortly to photography a neighbour's wedding and had to get past their house to safety without being seen... Came round the corner and there they were outside the house, plus teenage daughter... 'See that scruffy bloke covered in mud, he's photographing our wedding, he is'

Pah, i dropped my 400D, 50mm, 10-22 ect in a canvas bag off a 350 ft cliff in north wales last year. Broke a UV filter.

[ian in lancs]

The filter is perfect - not a mark on it!

[Beardy10]

ian in lancs said:

Beardy10 said:

Ouch that's painful. Hope the insurance company coughs up!

You should have had a better lens on a D300S though ?!?! That's an £1100 pro camera with a £200 kit lens on it!

It's my walkabout lens not the glass I normally use; way too heavy! And thank God it wasn't my D700 either.

I thought as much...was pulling your leg. D700....proper!

[Diabolik]

Blimey. So scared of dropping/damaging my camera. Scariest time for me was going out into the sea with it. Luckily it was the Indian Ocean, on the Maldives and there was no way I was going to miss the opportunity.

[mybrainhurts]

:shudder:

[RobDickinson]

Ah screw it if you dont take them out you never get any pictures. There built to take most abuse.

[fwaggie]

Quick test with a printed out focus sheet will tell you what the focus is like.

Another photo with a lens cap on will show you if you're getting light bleed through the body.

I bet that body will happily work for another 10 years. I've heard of people using these bodies to hammer nails in and they've been fine after (no I don't know it that's true, but with a very strong titanium frame it wouldn't suprise me if you used the right bit of the camera body to hit the nail with!!)

I know you'll claim on insurance and get a new one, same as I would, but it's just a bit sad that a working good camera will be trashed by the ins co

[ian in lancs]

fwaggie said:

Quick test with a printed out focus sheet will tell you what the focus is like.

Another photo with a lens cap on will show you if you're getting light bleed through the body.

I bet that body will happily work for another 10 years. I've heard of people using these bodies to hammer nails in and they've been fine after (no I don't know it that's true, but with a very strong titanium frame it wouldn't suprise me if you used the right bit of the camera body to hit the nail with!!)

I know you'll claim on insurance and get a new one, same as I would, but it's just a bit sad that a working good camera will be trashed by the ins co

I use a newspaper to test focus - bigger area. As the lens snapped off I'm assuming the lens mount and relationship to sensor is still fine. Thank goodness for plastic mounts! Acted like a fuse!

The pics I took afterwards, holding the lens in place are fine so I don't think light is getting in and using other lenses were fine too. The magnesium alloy [top piece] chassis does look distorted though and will break if straightened.





Because the panel gap has widened the seals are compromised. The camera still takes pictures and I'd carry on using it if it wasn't for insurance! If they wont pay up or write it off and I can keep it somehow I will.

Edited by ian in lancs on Sunday 23 January 20:05

[Simpo Two]

It would seem (assuming that isn't your camera above!) that it works perfectly, so apart from the weather-sealing issue I wouldn't worry too much.

Back in the days when I used to cycle (!) my week-old SLR flew out on a bump and landed upside-down in the road with a sickening crack... a few scrapes on the top but it worked for another 16 years.



NB It's magnesium alloy not titanium I think.

[ian in lancs]

Simpo Two said:

It would seem (assuming that isn't your camera above!) that it works perfectly, so apart from the weather-sealing issue I wouldn't worry too much.

Back in the days when I used to cycle (!) my week-old SLR flew out on a bump and landed upside-down in the road with a sickening crack... a few scrapes on the top but it worked for another 16 years.



NB It's magnesium alloy not titanium I think.

The camera still takes pictures and I'd carry on using it if it wasn't for insurance! If they wont pay up or write it off and I can keep it somehow I will.

[XG332]

I love camera chassis pics.

[LongQ]

At Focus on Imaging 2 or 3 years ago I was talking to a Nikon using chap and we headed off to the cafe for a coffee He had, for some reason, 2 bodies and a couple of medium lenses over his shoulder. As we sat down in the cafeteria on of the straps slippled off his shoulder and a rather expensive combination hit the floor whereupon the lens broke away from the body leaving the mount behind. His response was that it would be OK - they were designed to do that. Expensive coffee though.

A couple of weeks ago I was at a well known service centre dropping off a lens for some attention when a lady called in to pick up a Nikon body that, from the flow of conversation, had been dropped, severely damaged (over £400 repair bill) but was covered by insurance. It looked as good as new. Maybe better.

Good luck with it whichever way things turn out.

[Simpo Two]

LongQ said:

had been dropped, severely damaged (over £400 repair bill) but was covered by insurance. It looked as good as new.

It is a bugger when the repair estimate is £400, but a new lens is £1,000+

In my case it did a back-flip off a filing cabinet and landed on its butt, smashing pretty much everything

The nice insurance company then tried to double my premium; I told them to shove it.