Comments on: D300 False Low-Battery Warnings=Worthless DSLR…Thanks a lot Nikon

By: Mgillo

Mgillo — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 07:51:31 +0000

I thought I was the only one having this problem. After spending a lot of money on this camera I am very disappointed with the battery problems. This last time, I put a brand new battery in the camera and it didn't even turn on. Going back to the store I got it from and hopefully they can help me out.

By: John

John — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 05:52:25 +0000

This is hard to swallow after buying so called “professional” level SLR, but I've heard a couple of people suggest adding a piece of electrical tape on the inside of the battery door to make sure that the battery stays flush with the contacts. I've found that pushing on the battery door usually resolves the DBS on my camera.

By: David

David — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 03:07:26 +0000

Bought a D200 in July 2007--- in less than 5 months, constant false low battery--sent back to Nikon for repair--they sent me a new camera.
Bought a D300 Dec 2007. Then in 2009, bought an MB-D10--- with an EN-EL3 in the battery pack and one in the camera, D300 would NOT turn on---false low battery.

However, with an EN-EL3 in the camera and 8 AA's in the MB-D10, the camera would show fully charged. GO FIGURE. But, I did not know, that the camera was actually not drawing ANY juice from the AA's, only from the EN-EL 3 in the camera itself.

So, I bought an EN-EL4a and the little door handle to make it useable in the MB-D10. Back to the false negative battery.

So, paid $250 to Camera Service (auth Nikon repair ctr) to get everything up to snuff. Camera worked perfectly for 2-3 hours---then COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN!!

Camera will NOT turn on at all. No LED showing pictures remaining in flash card---NOTHING.

Isn't life grand??? The camera went south just as I was about to photograph a Golden-winged Warbler--the 2nd rarest warbler in the U.S.!!!

The bird was gone by the time I went back to the SUV to get my back up camera.

So, back to Camera Service to find out what they screwed up in the camera to make it shut down completely. Of course, they will blame something else and take NO responsibility for what has happened---- trust me!!!

So, a fe

By: John

John — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 12:57:44 +0000

I have an older d200 with around 60k actuations and I've experienced this problem, albeit briefly, on a handful of occasions. I'm fairly convinced that it involves loose/faulty contacts. On the occasions which I've experienced this problem, I have always been tilting the lens towards the ground. Generally after tilting the camera back up to it's natural position (to figure out why the shutter won't fire,) it works itself out. Twice I've had to switch it off and switch it back on to convince it that the battery was fine.

I also have a mb–d200 grip that took a spill down the side of a ravine (whoops) that will occasionally decide to corrupt the data on my CF and forces me to format it via my computer. This convinces me further that Nikon has loose contacts in the battery bay. Does anybody else use a grip with their camera that is experiencing DBS?

By: Randyschaeffer

Randyschaeffer — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 08:55:45 +0000

Nicoleb — thanks — yours is the third suggestion re changing the firmware I've gotten. Right now the camera is at Nikon factory repair. I've passed along your suggestion.

By: Randyschaeffer

Randyschaeffer — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 08:53:35 +0000

Xavier — thanks – I passed along your suggestion re the software to the folks at Nikon factory service. At this time I dont have another lens to substitute.

By: Nicoleb

Nicoleb — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 08:43:34 +0000

For me, updating to the latest firmware and cleaning the contacts of body, lenses and batteries (incl. the charger) with a simple cloth seem to have done the trick *knocking on wood*
There is nothing else I can tell you – it worked for me (only after the update though!)

By: Xavier Lanier

Xavier Lanier — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 00:43:27 +0000

Randy, can you please try using your Nikon D300 with different lenses? Many readers have reported that the trouble seems to worsen with VR Nikon lenses. Another thing you shoudl do is update the Nikon D300 firmware. This is the software that runs your camera and is available in the support section of Nikon.com

By: Randy Schaeffer

Randy Schaeffer — Wed, 12 May 2010 02:14:36 +0000

Without warning my D300 body sops communicating with the lens – shutter and autofocus shuts down. Yes — I've cleaned the contact points in both the camera and lens. One night I cleaned the contact points, used the camera, set it down on the table for the night and it was malfunctioning when I picked it up in the morning.

Repair shops are at a loss. I see this is happening to a lot of folks. Has anyone found the source of the problem and a fix??? Please dont tell me to clean the contacts.

thanks

By: AshleyM

AshleyM — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 10:49:56 +0000

Seriously I am having this issue and this blog describes it PERFECTLY. Nobody else understands this dead battery sign when you have 4 fully charges Nikon brand batteries, and each one tells me they are dead- I turn the camera on and off and it works again for a minute but then it dies again. Its so frustrating, I sent my Nikon off to be repaired and they are telling me there is nothing wrong with my camera. Seriously!? Why would I take time off from photography to ship it out if there was nothing wrong with it? And pay for shipping?