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Dropped camera help


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6 replies to this topic

#1
pebbleheed

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I had my D7100 attached to the inside of the glass in my car boot with a bracket to experiment with some in car shots. The camera, after a good while, got loose and fell in to the boot. It was cushioned so I calmly pulled over and went to get it. When I opened the boot however the camera bounced out and landed on the tarmac with a sickening thud.

I've checked the camera over. It had a very slight chip on the body. Not at all big and I'm not fussed about that. However I've noticed now there appears to be a black mark in the view finder. It's not on the lens as I've changed that and it's still there. I've looked at the mirror, that looks fine and I've noticed this mark does not show on any photos.

I suspect this is somehow affecting the view finder only and when I point the camera at the light the black mark lights up like a small chip. It's tiny and so I can ignore if it I really want to, but does anyone know what this is likely to be that's damaged and how much a replacement would be?

Thanks

#2
Afterimage

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If it's not the mirror or lens it could be that the viewfinder glass has a small fracture or possibly the pentaprism. Did you try a mirror lock-up and a live view to see if you could spot the problem in either of those modes?

 

slr-diagram-01a.gif

 

If it's not altering the function of the camera shrug it off as "battle damage". You could always send it in for a professional check-up and repair if it does end up affecting the images or ends up bugging you.



#3
pebbleheed

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I've not tried a mirror lock up or a live view. Makes sense though I'll check it. Thanks.
It doesn't show on live view at all.

Locking the mirror up my view finder goes dark so I can't test that.

As it's not affecting live view or photos taken then I suspect it's to do with the viewfinder or pentaprism then.

#4
Merco_61

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It definitely sounds like a fracture in the coating of the prism. As long as you can live with the distraction and the metering isn't affected, you can use the camera, but if it gets worse, send it in for service. You can call the Nikon repair centre for your region and ask about the cost.



#5
pebbleheed

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I didn't think about metering. Is it likely to affect that?

#6
Merco_61

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It's not likely, but it can happen if you are unlucky.

#7
pebbleheed

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I'll see what happens over the next few weeks.