# My D3200 dropped and the viewfinder turned blurry



## Bennno

so I have an d3200 and I dropped it and now the viewfinder is all blurry even in focus (including the green info bar) and the diopter won't help at all. should I try something before sending it to the shop?


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## xj0hnx

Take off the lens, and look inside to see if the mirror is off track. When mine fell of the tripod this happened, I popped it back on track and all was well. Of course, if you still have a warranty that would cover falls then you might feel better having a pro do it.


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## Bennno

I'm a beginner so i'm don't understand those things so much but I think the mirror is OK it lifts up nice and I forgot to mention that when I look in the viewfinder I see under the viewfinder screen  two objects who looks  like this        /    \


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## xj0hnx

Is it "under the view finder" if so then it may be the reflection of the alignment lines in the sensor, sheesh I wish I could explain that better. Like on my camera, if I look in the view finder, and tilt it up but keep the same point of view, I can see the reflection of the sensor, if you aren't having to tilt the camera up to see this, it is because something is misaligned inside.


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## Bennno

xj0hnx said:


> Is it "under the view finder" if so then it may be the reflection of the alignment lines in the sensor,.


 those lines appear without tilting the camera, I guess its the time for repair (I hope the warranty is covering this)


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## TWright33

Not to be taking advantage of the situtation, but I have a d3200 that is a couple of months old I am considering upgrading.

Just message me if they will not fix it. I will make you a good deal.


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## SCraig

If you dropped the camera it's going to be obvious to anyone repairing it.  Nikon won't fix it under warranty unless you purchased an extended warranty that explicitly covers drops.


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## KmH

The D3200 viewfinder is a pentamirror type viewfinder and one of the mirror sections may have come adrift.

The upper tier Nikon's have a pentaprism type viewfinder that is just a single piece of glass.

The OP's profile does not show a location.
As mentioned by SCraig, Nikon's USA warranty does not cover impact damaged caused by dropping your camera.
Here is Nikon USA's camera warranty:
https://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/333/related/1/session/L2F2LzEvdGltZS8xMzkyMzM4NDQ2L3NpZC9PeEI0RFNNbA%3D%3D


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## Bennno

thanks for your comments though I hope it will not cost too much as it sounds pretty simple to move one the mirrors to track... thanks anyway


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## Gizmy

Bennno said:


> I'm a beginner so i'm don't understand those things so much but I think the mirror is OK it lifts up nice and I forgot to mention that when I look in the viewfinder I see under the viewfinder screen  two objects who looks  like this        /    \



I have exacly your problem. Even the "/ \" thing. How did you solve this? Did the warranty covered this?

Thk you


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## Tinderbox (UK)

A photo might help


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## MartinCrabtree

Sounds like the focusing screen may have been dislodged by the shock. It's mounted by a small wire frame that's not too sturdy. Go here and look up the instructions for mounting a focusing screen on your 3200. That may help you.


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## KmH

The thread is 10 months old.
The OP last logged in to the forums the day after this thread was started - 10 months ago.


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## MartinCrabtree

Stop making sense........


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## Gizmy

I know it's old, but I need some help. Do you (Martin Crabtree), mean the wire that holds the blurry glass?


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## MartinCrabtree

Yes. If you remove the lens and turn the camera upside down you'll see the screen and retaining wire. It's fragile. Take great care not to get the focusing screen dirty. It's a bear to clean w/o damage.


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## Gizmy

I have taken out the wire. The Squared glass popped and then I put it back, and it's all the same. Didn't work...


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## MartinCrabtree

Sounds like time for a professional repairman to work on it.


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## Gizmy

MartinCrabtree said:


> Sounds like time for a professional repairman to work on it.



I think so. I'm affraid that the warranty doesn't cover this.... (Sorry about my english)


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## cpt_hay

I haven't found much good info on this topic, and this forum seems to have the most recent posts, so here's what I have figured out. Anyone else find anything similar?

I've just purchased my first DSLR the other day (from Craigslist, so I don't know the history of the camera), but the viewfinder has been blurry and the diopter adjustment does nothing when turned. I've been having trouble finding any info on this online, but did find one helpful comment on a D5100 teardown article about fixing the diopter.

Nikon D5100 Teardown - iFixit

Anyhow, I opened up the camera to see what I could find. In the photos I uploaded, you can see a spring to the right of the viewfinder. This is the spring attached to the diopter lens that _should_ be adjusted as the diopter knob is turned. 

It's a little tough to see in the photos, but I think one of two things may be wrong:

1. The clear plastic part at the front attached to the spring (where the diopter is attached) may have a small plastic part broken off that is supposed to meet the diopter adjustment. It's hard to tell, though.

2. The diopter adjustment knob and the diopter/spring assembly need to be re-adjusted/re-seated so that they are able to move the diopter lens properly. I have been completely unsuccessful at getting this done, so I may check with a qualified repair shop.

If the shop says that nothing can be done, or that it will be absurdly expensive to fix, my next course of action is to semi-permanently fix the diopter by fitting a length of wire sheathing over the post that the spring rides on to hold the diopter lens at the proper position. It'll mean that the diopter cannot be adjusted without opening the camera again, but so long as it works for me, I'll be happy.

Sorry for the long windedness, but there's such a lack of good info on this topic, I wanted to get my experiences out there. I'll keep the thread updated with progress if there is any interest.


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## cpt_hay

So to follow up (I guess people have been viewing the photos, so there must have been some interest), I ended up fitting a piece of tubing over the post the spring rides on to semi-permanently affix the viewfinder lens in place. Basically, I measured how far I needed to move it to see clearly and cut a length of tubing, then slit it lengthwise so I could slip it over the post while pushing the spring forward. Can't seem to find my photos of the fix, but it works like a charm, so long as I have my contacts in


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