Meleagris- My D800 came with the latest updates installed. Have not had this problem. Hope you get this resolved. Keeping my fingers crossed.

I was wondering if anyone had had issues with a D800 or D800E locking up since the new firmware came along? I have had my D800E lock up 3 times now. Each time an err is displayed and you can not turn the camera off. It is completely loced up and all I can do to recover it is to follow the steps below.

Turn off (even though it doesn't)
Remove battery
Remove cards
Wait period of time (20 sec) and reinstall battery.
Turn on (err is still flashing)
shoot a picture sans cards (Err disappears)
reinsert cards and go

I can find no pattern to the lockups. I have tried many solutions to unlock the error but only the sequence above seems to help. I was thinking this problem was solved with the latest firmware but it appears I have the latest version available.

Is there a solution to this I have missed short of the 6+ week trip to Nikon USA for warranty repairs?

JB

@corigliano: Having not use shutter propriety in a very, very, long time on any of my bodies, never the less, I just pulled out my D4 and test it out. The only thing I noticed when I was trying to get proper exposure, the F-stop would start to flash indicating that I was not at the right shutter speed for the lighting in the room. The exposure indicator on the right side, while looking threw the viewfinder also showed up indicating that I was under exposed. Are these the things you are referring to?

I have had my d4 for about three months now. Twice I have seen a problem with the meter indicator inside the view finder. The problem is as following. When in shutter priority mode the metering indicator pops up in the viewfinder and starts going crazy. I havent reached below my maximum aperture and am not using bracketing or exposure compensation. There should be no reason to even see the metering indicator. Any suggestions??

Indeed I have a D4 and I noted the left focus issue (not existing at all in live view with the same scenery and exposure) when I use the 24-70 at 24mm at f2.8. it is ok at center sensor and better (than left) but not perfect on right sensor. The problem exists also on the left sensors that are not fully left. I am seeing with Nikon suisse or germany if they can address the problem that apparently has been successfully fixed by Nikon repair centers on D800 at least. And my unit was quite new as bought in August and embodying already the latest fw. I am a little bit disappointed as I discovered it unintentionally when just shooting pics.
cheers

bird, to toss something at you .. is the lens secure and if you can set the aperture is is locked at the proper setting ? I have a lens that I sometimes bump and the lock doesnt keep it at f22 and i get the ERR message. just a thought

I shot about 10 seconds worth of video this morning before my memory card reported itself full and my battery died. Changed out memory cards, reformatted, changed battery. Suddenly there is a flashing "Err" sign in the Control Panel. I tried changing batteries, cards, tried reminding the camera that it is in S Mode in order to coax the mirror down. No response yet. Still the "err" message. Is there a way to reboot the camera?

No issues whatsoever with my D4...

I received my D800 in July. I normally wait at least until a second run for a new product but I needed it for my studio work. I use Camera Control Pro2 with the latest update and the latest D800 firmware. I took the camera into Nikon Canada about four weeks ago because the USB 3.0 no longer functioned. The camera no longer could be seen by the computer or the software. I tried two different computers, three different cords and six different USB ports. No hubs were used.
It came back after ten days with the warranty having been used and a claim that physical damage was the cause. This camera was on a tripod all of the time. When I got it back I tested it and it functioned again like before. I was unable to use it for two weeks and tried it again yesterday and now the computers see the card folders but the Camera Control Pro software no longer sees the camera. I tested it with the D300 body and everything functions there. I returned it to Nikon Canada and it's going to be another 7 to 10 days. Each time I took it to Nikon there were other Nikon D800 users returning theirs. Two the first time and one the last time. The issue of problems with this camera seems to be quite common. I hope the second generation of this camera turns out better and I may sell my first one to get it. Anyone else experience these issues?

If the D4 has a problem, then it is a good thing to at least hear about. I am going to test mine with a couple of lenses and see if any unusual problems are present. I have been having some difficulty in getting a manual focus lens to accurately focus, and maybe the camera is the problem. The issue is inconsistent, however, which always suggests at least in my case, the error is in me.

Thanks for bringing this up...

I was clearly lucky with the store then but as you seem to doubt the story.... the 85mm was brought by me. They had two D4s because they lost the box for the store one (with charger etc) and had to get a second in to sell me (the new boxed one that I was going to buy and was testing before leaving). On testing it I found the issues. Obviously wanting to make a sale they then wanted to rule out my lens (hence offering the test with the zoom) and the subsequently the store model D4 when we replicated the faults with the other lens. The shop owner also tested with me. Back home now and my old D3 has consistent left/Right with the same lens (I had to double check!)

I do not have a single issue with my D4.

Question: How many camera shop can you think of that will let you open, not one, but TWO D4's and let you "test" it with a 85 1.4 and 24-70 2.8 in their store for focusing issues? That is over $9500 (US Dollars) worth of gear! The only way I can think of a store letting you do this is 1) you bring in your own 85 1.4 and 24-70 and they have a test body in stock for "playing with."

It's not hard to test for, single point AF and select left most focus point, pick a high contrast target and shoot. If the result is an out of focus blur then check against centre and right hand point. If all points are in focus then you are lucky ! Obviously left and right might be softer than centre due to lens but left and right should be consistent
I truly wasn't expecting to see any issues after the D4 has been out so long but was buying the camera in a foreign country so was testing first. .

I have not heard of a left focus problem on the D4. Is there more data on this? With about 15,000 clicks on mine, this is a surprise...and mine is one of the very first. Anyone else have this problem with left focus in the D4?

Very disappointed, was going to buy a D4 but tested two and both exhibited the left focus issue. One was straight out of box and had new firmware. This was the first I tested and the second (shop model) was worse (on original firmware). We tested with an 85mm f1.4 (both at 1.4 and 2.8) and with a brand new (shops) 28-70 f2.8 at 70mm 2.8
Giving up on the D4, hope they fix it in the D4S. I was hoping it would give me better focusing with my f1.4 primes (focussing in lower light and hopefully being more accurate). If Nikon can't get this right, I think it's about time they at least brought out a Dx camera with hybrid viewfinder for critical focusing.

@ Gitzo Grat story... getting the last bid in on eBay and such is always a game...

Interestingly enough I am in the process of thinking about changing from Manfrotto quick release to Arca-Swiss....but the cost for four tripod heads is a bit high at present so I might have to look at eBay...

Inasmuch as I shoot from a tripod much of the time, (and I never could stand "screwing" the camera to the tripod, then "unscrewing" it when I finished, I have become a firm believer in quick release plates; as I usually use my tripod with an Arca-Swiss ball head, I have Arca style QR plates on everything; the one plate I have always wanted, but never have been able to find a bargain on, is an "L" plate designed to fit my D-300s; I've had a regular "bottom" plate on the 300s ever since I've had it, (which is just great when you're shooting in landscape format, but when you need to shoot in portrait format, you have to rotate the ball head all the way over to the side, putting the camera body off to the side of the tripod, and it's a "pain in the butt"; the best way to solve this problem, is by having an "L" plate on the camera, rather than a "bottom plate"; the only problem with "L" plates is.........they cost like $150 ! So......I have been trying for months now to buy a "like new" "L" plate on eBay.

I had the perfect opportunity about 10 days ago, as there was a "Really Right Stuff" L plate up for auction, (made to custom fit a 300 body), and it had no bids on it up to the day before the ending; the next day, I had to go to Terre Haute, didn't get home in time, the auction ended, and some lucky bidder snagged my L plate for $43 ! ( I had very seldom seen them fetch less than around a hundred bucks before) As they always say, "when you snooze you lose"! Damn! Now I had to start all over again; fortunately, there was another RRS plate up for auction, that ended in 3 days; some schmuck bid it up to $30, with 4 days to go; (which is clearly ignorant;) this time, I was ready ! as the auction was within a few hours of ending, the thing was already up to $55; (which made last week's winner look very lucky) this time I was DETERMINED........with 20m seconds to go, I confirmed my "max" bid......$ 101.59; when the clock ended, there was a few seconds of furious "back and forth" bidding, but I ended up winning, getting my plate for $81, + $10 shipping; not nearly as good as the previous auction, but still not bad.

What made it a little better, I had messaged the seller, asking him if he would "combine" shipping if I won two items, and he agreed to do so; (he was also selling a EN-EL3e Li-on battery for a D-300 ), ( $35 to $40 on Amazon) The battery had NO bids, right up to the last minute, and only a $1 opening bid; it looked like I was gonna score it for a buck, but not wishing to "lose a golden opportunity, I entered a "max bid" of $10.25 (just in case !) It was a good thing I did..........again.....last second, there must have been 2 or 3 bidders, but they set their "max" too low, and I got my battery for the very decent price of $6.26 (and no shipping ), thanks to my message to the seller. Nothing like winning an auction, after you have employed a bit of "strategy" !

Gitzo, Thanks very much. Make sense to me and I fully understand. Wow so much knowledge here. I will make some small (maybe bigger ones) sacrifices and save for a good longer lens. Thanks again.

Parke1953.........

The "reflex" lens you refer to is a "completely different animal" than a "regular" telephoto camera lens; here's what I mean by that.......

in 99.99% of camera lenses, the light from the "subject" enters the front end of the lens through a bunch of individual pieces of optical glass, known as "elements"; each individual "element", (or "group" of "elements") has a specific purpose........such as to make the "subject" look bigger than it would to the un-aided eye; ( just like binoculars and small telescopes do); such a lens is said to be "refractive"........in other words, each element "refracts" ( or bends ) the light rays, as they "pass through" the lens elements, on their way to the film. (or sensor)

In other optical systems, ( such as astronomical telescopes ), a much different "method" is used, ( mainly because telescopes that are designed to look at extremely distant, extremely "faint" sources of light, (such as stars and other astronomical objects), the "refractive" method of dealing with light becomes "not such a good idea" very quickly, as the telescope gets bigger. That's why almost all modern telescopes use mirrors, rather than "lenses" to collect the light. ( It would be completely impossible to build a 200 inch diameter glass lens ) (for a lot of reasons)

I'm sure you have noticed that great big telephoto camera lenses are VERY expensive; there are many reasons for this.......the main one being........they are very expensive to design and build; a good example, the last time I looked, Nikon's fine, 600mm, f4 tele goes for about $10K; (which is much more than almost all of the cameras that it's designed to work with)

Somewhere along the line, almost everyone gets the "urge" to "do something" a "different way", to "save money"..........or to "sell more" "units" ( of whatever ) That's why we have so-called "reflex" camera lenses; it sounds great to the "beginner" to be able to buy a 500mm "super-telephoto" camera lens, for a mere few hundred $$$$$; but as the old saying goes, you almost always "get what you pay for". A reflex camera lens is an extremely poor attempt to "get a lot" for very little $$; here's why..........

First.......telephoto lenses, (just like "normal" lenses and "wide angle" lenses), have to do a LOT more than just make things look bigger or smaller, or closer or farther away. They also must be capable of producing a "sharp", well defined image of "something" on the film, (or on the sensor in a digital camera) To do this, you need to be able to control "exposure".....(the correct amount of light for a given "subject" under a given amount of ambient light ); ( a bright, sunny day at noontime requires a very different "exposure" than, say, an airplane landing at 10 pm on an un-lighted runway.)

Reflex lenses use a mirror to ":collect the light", which is "reflected" FORWARD, where it then is "reflected" BACKWARDS, ( by a small "secondary" mirror, and is brought to focus on either the film plane, (or a sensor). To accomplish this, if you take a close look at a mirror lens, you'll see that there is a large "opening" (or "hole") in the main mirror.......that's so the light can pass through the "main" mirror, on it's way to the film. What you WON'T see, (which is very necessary to control exposure), is an iris diaphragm, ( which ALL "regular" camera lens have ), together with a means of changing the shutter speed, in order to control exposure. So the only way the mirror lens has to control exposure, is to increase (or decrease) the shutter speed. Without going into a "long discussion", this just isn't a very good way to control exposure. ( which is probably the "under-statement" of the year ! )

Look through about 10 years worth of National Geographis magazines, ( or back issues of "Outdoor Photographer" ), and you'll see thousands of bright, very "colorful", very sharp images of wildlife (and other things)...........and not ONE of those photographs was taken, using a mirror lens ! Yes, you can take a picture of a car six blocks away, and have it look like it's one block away.........but it will be a VERY POOR picture ! (which is the only kind of picture you can take with a mirror (or "reflex") lens !

Please note........while I AM a very "opinionated" person, I'm NOT just discussing MY opinions here; I'm discussing the laws of physics, (as they pertain to optics and camera lenses); (and unlike "speed laws", you just can't break them !)

If you really have the need for a 500mm telephoto lens, and you lack the necessary "big" $$$$ to buy one, there are STILL about a dozen ways to "do it on the cheap"; ( but this post is already way too long ! )

My RMA has to go through channels, but is allegedly in the process. I did ask for the rep that placed the order and got the .. my apologies for the problem you are having.

I told her that there were 3 problems with my order and from least to most were

1) ordered wednesday 2 day .. it did not ship until friday and i did not get it until monday
2) she told me SN 30079xx was shipping, they sent me 3005xxx
3) after 4 hours of testing .. left focus is ugly, right is close enough (i guess), center is sharp as a tack.

I do not see how I have gotten 4 of these that have this problem, yet many seem to get cameras with properly working outer focus points.

Mine have all been 3004-3006 SN's that I have been sent. 2 from the Nikon Store and 2 from BestBuy.

If someone looks at my test photo and can tell me what the heck I did wrong and your suggestion corrects the problem I am showing, I'll send you something via paypal because I would LOVE to keep a D800E. The RMA should be here in a day or two. After that dont bother with a suggestion as it will be gone.

Hell, they might have a D400 before I bother ordering another D800E. :-(

TaoTeJared said:
@Geoff_K: Seems silly just to give up on one rather than sending it in unless you don't want/need all the features on the D800/e or want to save $1,000. Sounded like they were getting them turned around fairly fast - if you would have sent it in a week ago, you probably would have got it back next week. Just my thought.

I have seen those that had the focus shifted to another point and been asked to send it in more than once. At $65 a pop that can get expensive. I do not see why I should have to pay to ship something in for a repair that should be working upon arrival.

I am not going to get caught up in .. sorry past the 30 days, deal with it ... story. ;-)

golf: looked at one, like the D800 size better.

@Geoff_K: Seems silly just to give up on one rather than sending it in unless you don't want/need all the features on the D800/e or want to save $1,000. Sounded like they were getting them turned around fairly fast - if you would have sent it in a week ago, you probably would have got it back next week. Just my thought.

@Geoff_K Give the D600 a try....no?

I did not have VR on when I tested it. I just tested with my Sigma 50mm macro at F3 1/640th and tripod mounted and it is the same from it. Soft on left, somewhat soft on right, sharp as nails in center.

0-4 for this problem plus the Nikon Store rep ... well .. lets say mislead me .. I specifically asked what SN they were shipping. She told me it was much higher than what I received (shipped days later than it should have). She knew I would not have ordered had she told me it was under 3006xxx.

I told my wife I was done with the D800E until 2013 and I must admit I am losing interest in even trying to get one that focuses properly.

Geoff_K said:
Nikon 70-200 VR1 at 200mm ... F3.0 SS ~1000 ( i was at 1250 and 1000 during testing) tripod mounted. my apologies Tao.

I personally would shoot at F4-f8, turn off the VR and tripod it. You don't need your shutter speed that high - really redundant.

That said, it does look off for sure. Like I said above, you have an early batch SN. I would just send it in.