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drfoto (Offline)
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Help from a Photographer in Japan - 05-09-2011, 01:30 AM

I'm a Nikon photographer in the US. I have a couple of technical questions for which I hope to find a definitive answer. Unfortunately, when posed to Nikon Technical US, the answer was, "We can only tell you what Nikon engineers recommend. We don't have the specific answers to your question." As such I'm hoping that I can find a way to enlist the aid of someone in Japan to submit my request for information to Nikon Technical Support Japan where a definitive answer might be forthcoming. The internet is filled with recommendations and anecdotal experiences that are in conflict with the guidelines in the owners manuals, so definitive answers backed by rational explanation would be invaluable.

Thanks in advance for your assistance.
Mark Alberhasky
Atlanta, GA USA
IMAGEMA Mark Alberhasky Photography


My questions:

"The owners manual for a Nikon DSLR indicates that the camera should be turned off prior to changing lenses or memory cards, to avoid electrical issues."

My questions are,
(a) Is the sensor charged when the camera is on, in a fashion that could attract dust when a lens is removed?
(b) What are the electrical issues that could arise when removing a lens while the camera body is powered?
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masaegu (Offline)
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05-09-2011, 01:42 AM

Quote:
Originally Posted by drfoto View Post
I'm a Nikon photographer in the US. I have a couple of technical questions for which I hope to find a definitive answer. Unfortunately, when posed to Nikon Technical US, the answer was, "We can only tell you what Nikon engineers recommend. We don't have the specific answers to your question." As such I'm hoping that I can find a way to enlist the aid of someone in Japan to submit my request for information to Nikon Technical Support Japan where a definitive answer might be forthcoming. The internet is filled with recommendations and anecdotal experiences that are in conflict with the guidelines in the owners manuals, so definitive answers backed by rational explanation would be invaluable.

Thanks in advance for your assistance.
Mark Alberhasky
Atlanta, GA USA
IMAGEMA Mark Alberhasky Photography


My questions:

"The owners manual for a Nikon DSLR indicates that the camera should be turned off prior to changing lenses or memory cards, to avoid electrical issues."

My questions are,
(a) Is the sensor charged when the camera is on, in a fashion that could attract dust when a lens is removed?
(b) What are the electrical issues that could arise when removing a lens while the camera body is powered?
I wouldn't mind contacting Nikon here in Japan for you. Could you give me the complete model number as the company's Japanese website states it is needed for any inquiries?


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to your true interest in the Japanese Mind.
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godwine (Offline)
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05-09-2011, 10:28 AM

Quote:
Originally Posted by drfoto View Post
I'm a Nikon photographer in the US. I have a couple of technical questions for which I hope to find a definitive answer. Unfortunately, when posed to Nikon Technical US, the answer was, "We can only tell you what Nikon engineers recommend. We don't have the specific answers to your question." As such I'm hoping that I can find a way to enlist the aid of someone in Japan to submit my request for information to Nikon Technical Support Japan where a definitive answer might be forthcoming. The internet is filled with recommendations and anecdotal experiences that are in conflict with the guidelines in the owners manuals, so definitive answers backed by rational explanation would be invaluable.

Thanks in advance for your assistance.
Mark Alberhasky
Atlanta, GA USA
IMAGEMA Mark Alberhasky Photography


My questions:

"The owners manual for a Nikon DSLR indicates that the camera should be turned off prior to changing lenses or memory cards, to avoid electrical issues."

My questions are,
(a) Is the sensor charged when the camera is on, in a fashion that could attract dust when a lens is removed?
(b) What are the electrical issues that could arise when removing a lens while the camera body is powered?
While I do not have access to Nikon Japan, I could offer some "logical" answer to your questions while you wait for someone to redirect your question

1. Yes, the sensor is active as long as the camera is at its ON state (Sleep/standby doesn't count), though, the current passing through the sensor is minimal at best, it is only active to keep it "Active"

2. Some say you can risk a short, which is definitely possible, but the control pins are pretty far apart, it is not likely that it can be "shorted" but the locking/unlocking motion of the lens.

Keep in mind that there are still manual focus lens as well as lensbaby type lens that has NO motors or any controls, those will have NO electrical contact at ALL. And in Lensbaby case some uses it with no optics, so if dust is an issue, then those lens wouldn't have existed...

just my $0.02
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drfoto (Offline)
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05-18-2011, 05:58 PM

Masaegu,

Thanks for your gracious offer to assist. While the camera model isn't really relevant (as the issues exist for any Nikon DSLR body), go ahead and use D3s as the model to satisfy the fields of the inquiry form.

If it's easier for you to contact me directly, feel free to write to
mark@imagema.com

godwine,
Thank you as well for your comments. You sound as though you have a technical background.

My best,
Mark
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masaegu (Offline)
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05-18-2011, 07:36 PM

Just sent in my inquiry form to Nikon. Will forward the reply to you when I have received it.


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masaegu (Offline)
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05-20-2011, 08:35 AM

OK, I got a reply but not the answers from Nikon today.

---------------------------------------------------------------
回答 (Nikonimaging) - 2011/05/20 05:01 PM
日頃よりニコン製品をご愛用いただき、誠にありがとう ございます。

このたび、D3Sの件でお問い合わせをいただきましたが、 本件については、
現在担当部署に確認を依頼しております。

結果がわかり次第、改めてご連絡いたしますので、恐れ 入りますが、
今しばらくお待ちいただけますようお願い申し上げます 。

以上、ご回答申し上げます。
今後ともニコン製品をご愛顧いただきますようお願い申 し上げます。

My translation:

"Thank you for your patronage of Nikon products.

We are in receipt of your inquiry regarding D3S. Currently it is being processed by the department in charge.

We shall inform you as soon as we have the results. Until then, we sincerely ask for your patience.

This is our reply for today.
We appreciate your continued patronage of our Nikon products."


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masaegu (Offline)
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06-03-2011, 04:30 AM

Received a reply from Nikon today.

回答 (Nikonimaging) - 2011/06/03 12:31 PM
日頃よりニコン製品をご愛用いただき、誠にありがとう ございます。
このたびは、ご連絡が遅くなりまして申し訳ございませ ん。
お問い合わせいただいたD3Sの件について、担当部署より 回答が
ございましたので、ご連絡いたします。

はじめに、D3Sの日本語、および英語の使用説明書を確認 いたしましたが、
レンズやメモリーカードの装着、および取り外しに関し て、電源OFFにする旨の
記載はございますが、「電気的問題を避けるために」の 文言はございませんでした。

1つ目のご質問の、カメラ本体の電源が入っている場合 センサーはレンズを
外した時にほこりを集めてしまうほどの強さで帯電して いるかにつきましては、
帯電しておりません。

2つ目のご質問の、カメラ本体の電源を切らないままレ ズ交換をした場合、
どのような電気的問題が発生する可能性があるかにつき ましては、誤動作しない
ように対策しておりますが、より安全性を考慮してお取 り扱いいただくために
記載しており、メモリーカードやレンズには、カメラか ら電源を供給しておりますので、
電源OFFにより電源供給を停止することで、不測の事故を 避けることができます。

My brief translation:

(First they apologize for the delay in replying.)

"We have reviewed our D3S user's manual both in Japanese and English. We, however, have not found the phrase 'to avoid electrical issues' as the reason for requesting our users to turn off the camera when changing lenses and memory cards.

1. No, the sensor is not charged in that fashion.

2. Every possible measure has been taken to avoid problems concerning removing a lense or memory card without turning off the camera. We ask our users to turn it off for the highest level of safety. Because the power for the lense and memory card is supplied from the main camera body, one can avoid unexpected accidents by turning off the camera first."
_____________

To OP:

Please do not reply since I am no longer active on this website. Today I just came back to show you the email from Nikon. I am glad my last task on here was for a nice gentleman as yourself.


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steven (Offline)
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06-03-2011, 07:31 AM

drfoto, as far as the removing/connecting lenses while the power is on is concerned... I'd imagine that since lenses get their power (for auto focus etc.) from the body, leaving the power on could potentially cause problems.

As for memory cards... if, for instance, you are in the middle of writing/re-writing something (like you are adjusting a photo) and you were to remove the memory card, I believe there is a chance of erasing the data on the card or corrupting the data. As far as I know video game memory cards and even some USB memory sticks also work that way.

Anyhow, interesting thread! It's too bad Nikon US couldn't help you out, but much respect for the thoughtful reply of Nikon JP (and also to Masaegu for relaying that response as well as translating it into English).

I have a D70 and was thinking of getting a D5100 sometime soon.
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06-08-2011, 05:14 AM

[quote=My questions are,
(a) Is the sensor charged when the camera is on, in a fashion that could attract dust when a lens is removed?
(b) What are the electrical issues that could arise when removing a lens while the camera body is powered?[/QUOTE]

Yes, if the sensor is charged from being powered on, the camera will becomes a dust magnetic. This is the same for near all cameras. However, with my Nikon sometimes I've forgotten to cut off power, and I've changed the lens while on, but I've not had any problems with it (yet). It it probably a better idea to cut it off first, but it "might not" hurt it as bad as you think if you forget to turn it off while changing the lens. Just always try to remember to tilt the camera body away from any wind, and not leave your camera without a lens on it for very long time.

Although I've not ever heard of any, but if any type of electrical issues ever does happen, a quick fix is to set your camera back to default "check your manual".

I LOVE my NIKON!
NIKON makes GREAT cameras, and the BEST part is that almost ALL NIKON lens fit NIKON cameras, no matter how old the lens are! A+++
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06-08-2011, 05:18 AM

[quote=
I have a D70 and was thinking of getting a D5100 sometime soon.[/QUOTE]

D5100... NICE!
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