I finally purchased a 990 to add to my F5 (couldn't quite justify the D1 at this time --- maybe a D2 or 3 sometime later, however). Overall I am absolutely delighted with the camera. It has also functioned perfectly with one rather startling exception. One time while zooming (and only one time so far though I've only had the camera for two days) it made a loud chattering sound (about 10 times as loud as the focusing sound) which shifted to a buzzing sound as soon as I took my finger off the zoom button. The buzz persisted until I cycled the camera off and on. Hasn't done it since even though I cycled the zoom in and out about 50 times after this event.

Any thoughts about this?

Thanks

-- R. Simi Lyss (similyss@hotmail.com), July 31, 2000

Answers

Oh boy, this is going to sound like the rumor mill special... :-)

This comes under the heading of second hand information and should be treated as such.

This is one of those times I wish my memory was truly photographic and not just pretty good. In the last 2 or 3 months I stumbled across a web site concerning Nikon digicams that had something up about that phenomenon. It seems there is apparently a certain sequence of operations which can cause the camera to do that! The author said he had figured out the exact sequence and was able to repeat it and had posted about it on his site, but Nikon had asked him to remove the info since they were afraid users would try it and possibly damage their cameras. THIS APPARENTLY MAY BE POTENTIALLY LETHAL TO THE CAMERA! At least to the point that you'd have to send it in for repair. It is apparently a known firmware bug! Now, what they're doing about it, if anything is a good question... For the time being, I believe the recommendation is to SHUT THE CAMERA OFF ASAP!!!! If it takes removing the batteries, DO IT! It must take a reasonably unusual sequence of events to produce the effect or I believe Nikon would have been forced to deal with it immediately.

I really wish I could recall more about whose site had this info on it. It was a reasonably obscure non-commercial site, not a review site, where the author had info about either Nikon compatible external flashes or possibly add on lenses. I really can't recall which, but I'd lean toward flashes.

Maybe a Nikon owner has seen the site and can say more? Or, perhaps, Nikon has admitted something about this and others are familiar with it? The problem does exist and they are aware of it on some level! It does take a certain sequence of events to produce the effect and should not be intentionally repeated due to possible damage to the camera's mechanics.

I really do wish I could find the link for it, but doubt I saved it, since I don't have Nikon equipment. I guess I remembered it mostly because it was a firmware bug and that they had asked him to remove the details from his site.

Good Luck!

-- Gerald M. Payne (gmp@surferz.net), July 31, 2000.

I found the link I mentioned in my earlier post:

http://www.globaldialog.com/~biggers/html/990_firmware_1.0.html

Re-reading it, it doesn't sound as camera threatening as I recalled.

Good Luck!

-- Gerald M. Payne (gmp@surferz.net), August 01, 2000.

Congratulations on your purchase of a 990! I added the same to my F-100 and find I am neglecting the F-100! I have taken several thousand pictures with the 990 and once, when I intended to turn the camera on to the Manual mode, I went too far (to the Play mode). I was not paying enough attention and as it was spooling up to provide me with an image, I turned the switch from Play to Manual. That caused a freeze up and for the zoom to make a weird noise. In other words, I had stressed out the electronics. I immediately opened the battery door and emergency powered down. Now that I'm more careful about it, I've not had the problem. Enjoy the 990, it's a great imager!

-- Ted (ted.krohn@fra.dot.gov), August 01, 2000.

Many thanks for all your help on this. I feel better now. It's nice to know one is not the Lone Ranger.

-- R. Simi Lyss (similyss@hotmail.com), August 01, 2000.