My New D7100 is Jumping!

[Suzan J]

Hello All: I have been absent for awhile and thought I would check in today. It seems that I was greeted with a message saying that I have not posted for several weeks and that I should engage in a conversation. So, here goes...

One of the reasons I have been away is that I was getting to know my new D7100 which was an upgrade from my D3100. All was good for the first few days. Then I began to notice a slight tremor in the camera as I was focusing. At first I just assumed that it was due to the focus tracking mechanism as I was shooting primarily in continuous focus. I must say that my action shots seemed to be improving (see Dog and frisbee below, but forgive the harsh lighting) as the increase in focus points was helping to lock in the shot. I was finding that some shots appeared soft but I attributed that to slower shutter speeds and my getting accustomed to the slightly larger size of the camera. Some still life shots seemed to be fairly sharp and others not so much, but I did feel that the camera was obviously capable of producing a sharp shot and I would simply have to focus on better technique. (The last shot of the flower is an example of a soft shot.) Also, my D3100 did not have an in-camera motor and I thought that this may have had something to do with the tremors I was feeling. Overall, I was very pleased with the upgrade.

I then started to try my hand at indoor shots with an inexpensive light system. (new skill for me, see Flower below) The camera was on a tripod, with VR off, and it would "jump" quite noticeably when the shutter was half-pressed. By "jumping", I mean that if you look through the viewfinder, the scene you are looking at actually jumps up and then settles down. There is a noticeable jump of the camera in my hands. If I half-pressed, and then removed my finger to focus on something else, the camera would jump as soon as I removed my finger. The camera did this intermittently which was doubly frustrating. It seemed to happen if the distance to subject was relatively short, but it also happened when I simply turned the camera on. If I took a series of shots at the same distance, the jumping stopped after it settled, but if I then re-focused to another scene at a different distance, it would jump again, or maybe not... ARGGG!!!

By this time, I knew something was really off as this should not be happening. I tried shooting with VR on and off, in autofocus and manual, and with all my lenses. There was no consistent pattern, but it definitely did this with all my lenses. I took the camera back to my local dealer, and luckily for me, it chose to behave badly for him as well. That was somewhat of a relief as he confirmed that it was definitely not normal. He contacted Nikon (in Toronto) who said they would replace it rather than repair it. I only had it for 36 days. The dealer said that with any luck, the replacement would arrive by Tuesday (Christmas Eve), but I'm not counting on that as there has been a massive ice storm in Toronto and everything is at a standstill. The dealer suspects that there is something amiss with the mechanism that opens and closes the mirror. I told the dealer that I do not have a back up camera and that with my luck, a unicorn would likely come to graze in my yard. He actually offered to give me a loaner until the new one arrives, but I told I would try to make do with the dreaded IPhone.

Below are some of my new shots with the new camera. I think they are OK in terms of sharpness so whatever the problem was, it does not seem to have affected the focus. Of course, if you folks see any issues, please comment. I'm looking forward to catching up.


DSC_0708 by Soo J, on Flickr


DSC_0604 by Soo J, on Flickr


_DSC1508 by Soo J, on Flickr


DSC_1221 by Soo J, on Flickr




_DSC1274 by Soo J, on Flickr

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Soo,

Glad you're getting it sorted - my D7100 has never done that, thankfully - I hope your replacement does arrive tomorrow.

Nice series, particularly those of your dog, 1221 is probably my fav, although the timing in the first (action) shot is great.

[NorthernFocus]

I sounds like a short of some type in the VR system. I have the same issue with a D800 but it only happens when I have the battery grip on it. Sounds like the same symptoms that you described. My solution was simple. Just don't use the grip and life is good. Sounds like yours is also solved by getting a new camera body. Enjoy.

[jcuknz]

The catching dog and the flowers are great ...
When I use a tripod and the subject is static I almost always use the 10 second delay release ... There is a cable release for your camera MC-DC2 which may help ... I have the appropriate one for my cameras but prefer the delay release as it is less bother, just the flick of a switch

[NorthernFocus]

For remote release I use the infrared wireless remote. You can buy them on Amazon for under $10USD. It works from either in front or behind the camera from up to 10 meters or so. You can also set it for a 2 second delay for taking selfies.

[Suzan J]

Thanks for the tips. When shooting on the tripod, I do use a timed delay, but a remote release has been on my wish list. I would definitely want the wireless model as cables are just something for me to trip over... I will have to check Amazon as I just assumed they would be more expensive. Today is Tuesday and my new camera is supposed to arrive after lunch, but I just don't have that optimistic feeling. So far, no unicorns.

[NorthernFocus]

Hope the camera shows up on time. Nice photos by the way. Looks like you will make good use of it. Here's a link to Amazon. The biggest problem with the IR remote is that it is so tiny it's hard to keep track of. If you search the forums here there was a post showing how to modify it to attach a strap to it.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...pf_rd_i=507846

[Mike Buckley]

how to modify it to attach a strap to it

This thread: Hole drilled in a Nikon ML-L3 remote control

By the way, I use the remote control in my makeshift studio. When I'm shooting clear glass, I stand behind a black curtain made of two layers of material. Even though they are thin, I was surprised when I initially learned that the infrared beam penetrates both layers.