# Nikon d600 oil/dust on sensor



## TheStupidForeigner (Sep 12, 2015)

So I bought a used d600 just over a month ago and quickly realised the sensor was literally caked in what I assume is lubricant from the shutter. It's a known problem so Nikon fixed it without any need for warrenty, and it says online that if the problem happens again they will replace the whole camera of a newer model. Well, it has happened again. Just a thousand photos later and a good amount of spots have appeared on the left side of the sensor. So I am just wondering if anyone has anyone has actually had their camera replaced in this situation? It just seems to good to be true... Epecially as I bought the camera second hand in less than perfect condition.


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## Braineack (Sep 12, 2015)

did they actually replace the shutter under the service advisory or just clean it so far?


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## TheStupidForeigner (Sep 12, 2015)

The paper they gave me says: _

"Intensive cleaning of the mirror box, the oscillating mirror mechanics and the sensor area. Preventive measures to reduce dust entry and turbulence have been made. As a preventive measure carried out the exchange of the closing unit"_ (I guess that means shutter?)

A bit strange wording but it seems so.


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## Braineack (Sep 12, 2015)

you still need to get the shutter replaced under the service advisory before you can get a new D610.  They haven't actually performed the "fix".

Service Advisory


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## cgw (Sep 12, 2015)

The D600 was a lemon. Do what's necessary ASAP to get a D610.


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## goodguy (Sep 12, 2015)

Braineak got one and I am sure you will get a brand spanking new D610 too.
Dont worry about it, I cant see Nikon will mess with this
What I would do is if they will replace it consider maybe (if its possible) to add some cash and get the D750


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## wezza13 (Sep 13, 2015)

Bought mine off of ebay a couple of months ago, after asking the seller whether it had any oil issues or not.  She said she was upgrading to a D810 and no trouble with the D600 sensor.

It was fairly cheap (£600) and I knew about the repair that Nikon provide for this model, so I bought it.

Of course, a couple of days after owning it, the oil spots show up.  This led me to believe she probably cleaned the sensor before selling it.

I sent it in for repair on the 27th August and just waiting now for them to return it.  But, on the warranty page, it's still saying my equipment is awaiting repair! 

Any idea how long it takes to repair and when should I expect to receive it?


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## TheStupidForeigner (Sep 13, 2015)

Well as it says on the official nikon page in my country that they will replace the shutter, if they didn't do the correct repair when I took it to them and told them the exact problem that is 100% their fault... The people at the service center were quite nice so I hope they will also see it this way, I can't be without my camera for a week every few months..




wezza13 said:


> Bought mine off of ebay a couple of months ago, after asking the seller whether it had any oil issues or not.  She said she was upgrading to a D810 and no trouble with the D600 sensor.
> 
> It was fairly cheap (£600) and I knew about the repair that Nikon provide for this model, so I bought it.
> 
> ...



Wezza I took mine in person to the service center but they told me at first they would have to order a part so it would take about a week before I could collect it although they actually emailed me 2 days later and said it was ready. So I'd say it shouldn't take more than a week plus the shipping time. Just give them a call and put some pressure on them.


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## Braineack (Sep 13, 2015)

my shutter replacement took my 9 days door-to-door. (June 2014)

my d610 replacement took about the same time, one year later. (June 2015)


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## wezza13 (Sep 13, 2015)

I will call them first thing tomorrow!

Need it for a party on the 27th Sept, which is why I sent it in with plenty of time (or so I thought!)


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## astroNikon (Sep 13, 2015)

The Nikon Invoice Repair will list

RPL SHUTTER MECHANISM

when they replace the shutter.
I have to do an oil check again tonight after soccer to see if there's any new oil and hopefully to a new D610 at some point.


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## astroNikon (Sep 13, 2015)

FYI, a few others here have had D610 replacements.


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## BananaRepublic (Sep 13, 2015)

I know someone with this issue and I would pest and badger till I got a replacement


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## pixmedic (Sep 13, 2015)

cgw said:


> The D600 was a lemon. Do what's necessary ASAP to get a D610.



like braineack, hes going to eventually get a brand new D610 for the price of a used D600. 
worst case, hes going to get a _*brand new shutter*_ for the price of a used one. 
lemon or no ,there isn't a  better camera deal on the planet right now. 
I bought TWO D600's in the hopes that I could get a free D610 (or two)
I would happily buy a third D600 if I needed one. 
best deal in DSLR's _*ever*_. 

Nikon should put out oil slinging cameras more often.


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## cgw (Sep 13, 2015)

My sense is that Nikon intends to make the D600>D610 swap a limited time offer, so anyone with an ailing/incurable D600--whether original owner or whatever-hand owner who scarfed a used one--should push for a fix or replacement soon. The D600 has been off the market for awhile which was Nikon's obvious bid to contain the damage and limit the number of D610 swaps. Not sure whether buying a cheap,sick D600 in hopes of getting a new D610 is all that smart now.


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## pixmedic (Sep 13, 2015)

cgw said:


> My sense is that Nikon intends to make the D600>D610 swap a limited time offer, so anyone with an ailing/incurable D600--whether original owner or whatever-hand owner who scarfed a used one--should push for a fix or replacement soon. The D600 has been off the market for awhile which was Nikon's obvious bid to contain the damage and limit the number of D610 swaps. Not sure whether buying a cheap,sick D600 in hopes of getting a new D610 is all that smart now.



well, for starters....
you cant just assume every D600 is "sick".
I bought two and after several thousand frames on each, have yet to see sign one of oil spots.
also, I imagine that nikon will, at the very least, replace sensors for at least the next several years, if not longer.
they have given zero indication that either the sensor replacement OR the camera replacement will be for a finite amount of time anyway, so until they do....its forever  until Nikon says otherwise.

plus, I dont think anyone is _*actually*_ buying D600's with the sole intent of playing it like the lottery hoping to get a D610....
My sense is that people are buying them for exactly the same reason I bought mine.
A good Nikon FX camera at a bargain price. The D610 was just out when I bought my D600's. I got both of my cameras for <$1000 each with 1200 clicks on one and 5k clicks on the other. for that same money, I could have bought _*one*_ D610. 

so...
yes. buying a D600 now, a month from now, or 6 months from now is actually a pretty smart move.
its a great camera at a great price and you buy it worry free with the knowledge that Nikon will fix or replace it if you get oil issues. Until Nikon officially says that there is a time limit, and/or what that end time is, you can purchase a D600 without regrets. I can rack up a 100k shutter count on my D600's and if i get an oil problem at frame 100,001 I get a free shutter.


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## Braineack (Sep 13, 2015)

My sense is that when I go to the beach Wednesday, all the women are going to throw themselves on me...







Nikon already allocated the funds to fix/replace every D600 out there.


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## cgw (Sep 13, 2015)

pixmedic said:


> cgw said:
> 
> 
> > My sense is that Nikon intends to make the D600>D610 swap a limited time offer, so anyone with an ailing/incurable D600--whether original owner or whatever-hand owner who scarfed a used one--should push for a fix or replacement soon. The D600 has been off the market for awhile which was Nikon's obvious bid to contain the damage and limit the number of D610 swaps. Not sure whether buying a cheap,sick D600 in hopes of getting a new D610 is all that smart now.
> ...


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## pixmedic (Sep 13, 2015)

cgw said:


> pixmedic said:
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> > cgw said:
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nope.
best. deal. evah.


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## cgw (Sep 13, 2015)

Sorry, pixmedic, but our views of the ideal "customer experience" obviously differ. Mine doesn't include wasting time arm-twisting a manufacturer after buying a known,discontinued lemon withdrawn from the market to leverage a slim upgrade. Happy to be free of needing "deals" like that.


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## Braineack (Sep 13, 2015)

Yeah filling out a form and getting a free shipping label is pretty tough...

using tapatalk.


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## Derrel (Sep 13, 2015)

Braineack said:
			
		

> My sense is that when I go to the beach Wednesday, all the women are going to throw themselves on me...



Be very cautious about that. If there are a lot of women on the beach, you could be suffocated from their total,collective weight. That would be a terrible thing. But, if that happens, could I have your cameras and lenses?


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## krs_2007 (Sep 13, 2015)

cgw said:


> The D600 was a lemon. Do what's necessary ASAP to get a D610.



I'm sorry, been here for a while and don't really comment.  But this comment is absurd. It's not a lemon,   It's a great camera with a cleaning issue, no big deal. 

Have they responded to the issue, yes.  Am I ready to give up on the quality, hell no. 

The camera is a fantastic camera!  Learn to use it and quit complaining.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


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## krs_2007 (Sep 13, 2015)

cgw said:


> Sorry, pixmedic, but our views of the ideal "customer experience" obviously differ. Mine doesn't include wasting time arm-twisting a manufacturer after buying a known,discontinued lemon withdrawn from the market to leverage a slim upgrade. Happy to be free of needing "deals" like that.




Learn to use a camera and then come back and state it's a lemon.  Typical complainer, just move along.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


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## pixmedic (Sep 13, 2015)

cgw said:


> Sorry, pixmedic, but our views of the ideal "customer experience" obviously differ. Mine doesn't include wasting time arm-twisting a manufacturer after buying a known,discontinued lemon withdrawn from the market to leverage a slim upgrade. Happy to be free of needing "deals" like that.



there's no need to arm twist, because Nikon is handling the problem like a pro.
Nikon has not denied any claims, nor turned away any cameras.
there are only two questions.  do  you have a D600? and, does it have oil spots?
that's it. if the answer to those two questions are yes, then it gets fixed. no fuss, no muss. 
to me, that screams exemplary customer service. 
if you like spending twice as much money to avoid the _*possibility*_ of a small inconvenience, thats certainly your business...
me? not so much.


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## cgw (Sep 14, 2015)

pixmedic said:


> cgw said:
> 
> 
> > Sorry, pixmedic, but our views of the ideal "customer experience" obviously differ. Mine doesn't include wasting time arm-twisting a manufacturer after buying a known,discontinued lemon withdrawn from the market to leverage a slim upgrade. Happy to be free of needing "deals" like that.
> ...



Provided you're gratified owning the only camera(?)Nikon was forced to withdraw from the market. Seems a thin pretext for smugness. Nikon was cornered into generosity. Enjoy it. Many other customers and retailers on the sharp end of the problem didn't.


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## pixmedic (Sep 14, 2015)

cgw said:


> pixmedic said:
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> > cgw said:
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im not sure I would call it "smugness".  just stating the reality of the situation.
I wanted to upgrade to a full frame setup.
I realistically needed two bodies.
at the time, the D610 was $2000 and used D600's were around  +/- $1000.
I did not have $4000 to spend on cameras.
Fact: budget wise my choices were 1 D610, 1 D800, 2 D700's, or 2 D600's.
Fact: If I bought a D600 and it had any oil issues, Nikon would fix it.
I choose the D600's over the similarly priced D700's due to the 24mp sensor and better ISO performance.  and to some extent dual SD card slots. (I did prefer the 51pt AF system of the D700, which I miss from my D7100)

simply speaking, there were no better options for me than the D600. why would I spend twice the money for basically the same camera when I KNOW Nikon will fix any oil problems with the D600's?
it doesn't matter to me WHY they will fix it, only that it will get done.
if someone  has ethical issues with the _*reasons*_ behind Nikon agreeing to do the repairs, than they probably wouldn't be buying Nikon products anyway so the D600 vs D610 debate is a non issue. that person would be shooting Canon or some other system.
all that mattered to ME was that it would be done if there was an issue.

ive been extremely pleased with my choice. the D600 has been a great camera. i have had no issues out of either of mine, like many that purchased them, and I dont worry about the oil issues because if one does start flinging oil I know it will get fixed.  I fail to see how it was a bad choice in any way.


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## Braineack (Sep 14, 2015)

Yes, the D600 had a design flaw: it slung oil.

Early owners got kinda screwed (kinda like 7Dmii owners that couldn't focus), but Nikon was still cleaning them under warranty, for free.  And had a service advisory for cleaning service within a few months after initial release.

Who cares if it got forced from the market or not?  The D610 is a D600 -- It just doesn't sling oil.  They could have named it the DoesntSlingOil600, it's still the same thing.

We are almost two years into the service advisory for a free shutter replacement; you can buy one without worry.

If it starts to sling oil, you can get the shutter replaced from what is supposed to be one directly out of the DSO600.  If that shutter sling flings oil, they will send you a new DSO600.

I'd personally rather buy a new D610 For $700, than a new D610 for $1500.  There's nothing wrong with the D600 otherwise.  Even with oil sludge over all the sensor, it produces beautiful images -- still one of the best sensors on the market today.


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## astroNikon (Sep 14, 2015)

Derrel said:


> Braineack said:
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I just want to know which beach this is ?????


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## cgw (Sep 14, 2015)

Braineack said:


> Yes, the D600 had a design flaw: it slung oil.
> 
> Early owners got kinda screwed (kinda like 7Dmii owners that couldn't focus), but Nikon was still cleaning them under warranty, for free.  And had a service advisory for cleaning service within a few months after initial release.
> 
> ...



Different hierarchy of needs, I guess.


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## astroNikon (Sep 14, 2015)

My d600 just had it's shutter replaced.
So I went from 26,000 shutter activations to ZERO.
I cleaned it once myself early on when I saw oil at around 6,000

Nikon was in denial when the entire fiasco initially cropped up.
But now the value of what you buy is fantastic.


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## Braineack (Sep 14, 2015)

My sensor was FILTHY before i even started to notice, and that was because i took a photo at f/11 once.

my needs were a cheap yet  powerful FX camera that took great pictures -- It did it.  I bought it refurbished for much less than retail, and ultimately wound up with a free brand new-in-box D610 (with extra battery and all) 40,000 accusations later.

The D600 never gave me any bit of trouble other than some oil spots that eventually made their way onto the sensor.  Once I noticed them, I kept shooting it for over a month because I wasn't ready to be without it.  Then I was without camera for 9 whole days, where the shutter was replaced and it worked good as new again.  One year later and 20,000 more shots, I noticed oil again, called them up, sent them a few samples, and was approved for a free replacement the next day.

So yeah, the D600 was technically a lemon,  but it's the sweetest tasting lemon you'll ever eat.


This is the image that triggered my free replacement.




Turner Motorsport No. 97 BMW Z4 by The Braineack, on Flickr

about 5 seconds worth of post work i forgot to clean up.



this shot also has zero clean up:




DSC_0619-11 by The Braineack, on Flickr


let's play: Find the Oil Spots with this one...


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## TheStupidForeigner (Oct 10, 2015)

Just a quick update, a few days ago I just got my brand new d610 fresh in its box with extra battery, charger and a fresh warrenty  Pretty sweet as the d600 I gave in had over 150k shots on it and a load of scratches  As I said before I took mine in person and it took about 10 days to pick up the new one. I did make quite a bit of effort to make sure nikon understood it was the second time I was giving it to them and I wanted it replaced not another bodged repair, not sure if that made a difference but can't hurt to give an extra little push 

Thanks Nikon!


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## wezza13 (Oct 11, 2015)

Very nice!

Glad you got yourself a 610.

Got my 600 back a few weeks ago with a new shutter, zero actuations - luvverly! 

Have fun with it


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