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Yulinghuo
Tinkerer
Username: Yulinghuo
Post Number: 1
Registered: 10-2012
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, October 11, 2012 - 02:34 pm: | 
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Took my Nikkor 1 J2 camera to the beach and had it around my neck the whole time, but I guess some sand grains still managed to find their way into the barrel. When I manually focus, I can hear gritting sounds, but nothing else is affected. I bought this camera in a store in Hong Kong so I'm pretty sure I can't have the U.S. Nikon company repair it. Any advice on the severity of this issue, and where I might find a cheaper repair? |
Hollenbj
Tinkerer
Username: Hollenbj
Post Number: 91
Registered: 03-2012
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, October 11, 2012 - 08:43 pm: |
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This is a much too modern camera for most of us to advise on. It sounds like it might be an expensive problem. |
Edgy01
Tinkerer
Username: Edgy01
Post Number: 1
Registered: 05-2013
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, May 25, 2013 - 12:23 am: |
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Actually, since the camera was purchased outside the USA the Nikon USA corporation is obligated to repair it as a part of their world wide warranty. It's only when you buy a grey market Nikon within the USA that Nikon USA can deny support.
Good luck.
Dan |
Br1078lum
Tinkerer
Username: Br1078lum
Post Number: 558
Registered: 11-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, May 25, 2013 - 09:40 am: |
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Cameras+Beach=Trouble
Sand gets into everything, no matter how much you try to protect your camera from it. It's amazing how much of it is wind-blown, tiny particles that are hard to see, yet you can feel them pelting your skin as you walk along.
After the lens is repaired, maybe you should consider getting one of the ruggedized cameras on the market today for your beach forays, and whatever other dusty/muddy/hazardous environment you might want to explore. Always have the right tool for the job.
PF |
Hollenbj
Tinkerer
Username: Hollenbj
Post Number: 126
Registered: 03-2012
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, May 25, 2013 - 01:44 pm: |
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Camera too recent. "Classic Camera Repair Forum"
Sand is evil. I'm deep into my M3 rejuvenation project -- camera dropped into ocean at the beach. The water damage is mostly corrosion and that was mostly limited to steel springs (all of which I am in process of replacing). Brass survived well with superficial corrosion. The sand however, caused the true damage. Sand got into the film advance train and mutilated one or more gears when someone tried to wind the camera. I restored one of them and will need to locate a replacement for the other. If not for the sand, I would have a nice M3 right now. At least it would be reassembled and working.
I also have a beautiful Nikkor 50/1.4 with only one issue -- Someone attempted to clean the objective while visiting the beach. The resulting sand scratches render the lens completely useless. Deep circular scratches. Many scratches. Just awful. Who would do such a thing? I was able to clear the sand from the focus helical and lens interior, but the objective is beyond repair. I haven't been able to locate a replacement.
Sand is probably the worse thing for cameras. Fungus is bad, but can be prevented and fairly often an infected camera/lens is recoverable. Water is bad, but classic cameras without meters (even with) can dry out and are often recoverable. Burning is potentially worse than sand, but I've had classic cameras found after a house fire that actually functioned properly (still damaged beyond reasonable recovery).
Sand in a new modern digital wondercam like a Nikon 1 just couldn't be a good thing. Replacement? |
Jagstang
Tinkerer
Username: Jagstang
Post Number: 21
Registered: 01-2013
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, May 28, 2013 - 07:46 pm: |
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Those lens have autofocus driven by an in-lens motor right? Nikon has two types; the cheaper kind used on the 18-55 and 55-200 where you must move a switch to over ride the AF (it's basically a little motor driving the AF in place of where the screw would mate with the in-body motor, using a shaft to turn the focus ring). My understanding is that "real" AF-S lens that apparently place the motor around the focus mechanism, and drive the focusing directly.
I suspect, given the small size of these lens and that they are aimed at the consumer market, it's probably something like the former type (especially if it's the standard 10-30), making for a more fragile mechanism. Either way, I'm sure those lens use some type of nylon or plastic gears and sand is probably fatal. Take it to a repair facility, but it's probably terminal.
My advice for future beach trips is to either get an old beater point and shoot if you require digital, or an underwater/sealed (not just splash resistant) 35mm like a Minolta Weathermatic or Sealife Reefmaster (these can be had for $5-20 depending on model and accessories). If you are going to the beach often, look at a used Pentax Optio WG-2 or something like that which is also sand-proof.
For more specific advice, I'd check out some other forums (photo.net, dpreview, or thephotoforum all cover modern stuff) and see if they can help; this forum mainly only deals with older manual-focus stuff, but you'll probably hear the same thing. Good luck though. |
Rick_oleson
Tinkerer
Username: Rick_oleson
Post Number: 1310
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, May 29, 2013 - 10:42 pm: |
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I'm sure everyone will have his own take on this, but mine is NEVER take a good camera/lens to the beach. I've done it on a number of occasions, and had to disassemble lenses afterwards each time ... and been totally amazed at the amount of sand that had gotten inside. And that's nothing compared to the salt that got in and didn't get cleaned out. If you MUST have a good camera at the beach, make it a Nikonos or get an underwater bag to protect it. Or just accept the cost of repair/replacement. |
Neuberger
Tinkerer
Username: Neuberger
Post Number: 85
Registered: 01-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, May 30, 2013 - 04:23 am: |
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A friend of mine came up the other day and said his daughter's beloved early Fuji digicam was no longer working and that camera shops had advised her to buy a new one because it was considered to be beyond repair, and that a repair was too costly, there were no spare parts available etc.
She gave the camera to me and what I found was a "classical" nice little Fuji F10 with the built-in two-part lens covering shades not moving any longer. On the early digicams you simply have to remove the glued-on chrome front ring around the lens barrel to get access the the outward mechanism (little spring-driven plastic levers moving the two serrated semi circled lens protection shields).
In the end I discovered a few (!) grains of sand along the toothed edges of those above mentioned two blades. After blowing them out and some final wiping them clean the camera was fully functional again.
Lesson 1: as Rick says, NEVER take your favourite camera to the beach, as a camera usually collects a lot of particles, but SAND will literally kill them.
Lesson two: if there is nothing to lose, try a "repair", professional repairers, notably the "successful" ones, will tell you to discard the camera anyway! |
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