Video: Little Disappointed With Nikon...

Hey,

So this post/video is a little upsetting for me to write/make.  I don't know if I quite made it to the "Nikon Fan Boy" status however I was on that Nikon team however lately it hasn't been as good as it was.

In this video I go over my experience with the D600 and the oil spots I got on my sensor from the manufacturer's defect.  I did all the research one could do about this camera and in the end I thought I had A, waited long enough and B, knew that it could be cleaned easily if this happened.

At first, all was perfect.  The D600 really was (and still is) an amazing camera however the oil is becoming a much larger headache for me.  After two months with it, I was thrilled I had no oil on my sensor and all was good.  However after taking the camera to SE Asia, that wasn't the case.  It got a fair amount of oil spots and some being pretty large on the sensor.  I just thought that was because of the excess heat in SE Asia.  Unfortunately I was wrong to assume that.

After getting the D600 cleaned at the camera store where I purchased it in my University town when I got home from SE Asia, I thought I was home free.  I read a lot that the oil went away around 3000 acts. and I was at 6000+ and it was cleaned after 6700 acts.  Unfortunately after doing some lighting tests recently (2 months or so later), I noticed oil spots again in the top left hand corner of the sensor and across the top of the sensor as well.  I was disappointed so I called Nikon to see what there was to do.  Currently there is no cleaning services here that do wet cleaning of sensors and none that I would probably trust.

I called Nikon last week and they told me that it takes 5-7 days (excluding shipping) to service the camera.  With shipping after an hour drive (to Henry's), it would take within the two week mark to ship, service and ship back.  This summer I am between school and my job in the end of August and I am doing photography as my job and this unfortunately means I cannot just ship my camera away for two weeks.  So I asked the Nikon Service person on the phone if there was a loaner program and he said there was through the NPS program.  I asked what it was and he instantly transferred me to the NPS desk.

The lady at the NPS desk proceeded to tell me that it was a professional service that you could get a loaner camera when you camera is in the shop.  However you must have 2 pro bodies, 2 or more pro lenses, and 100% of your income is from photography.  Well I don't have two pro bodies however fit the other criteria however only for this summer.  The lady on the phone also said it was a 3 week application process which also doesn't fit my timeline so well.  Also I want it cleaned sooner than the 3 week with the application process and the two weeks of shipping cleaning.

After I found out the duration of the cleaning and then that I didn't qualify to get a loaner camera because I guess I am not "pro" enough to not be without my D600, I asked what they could do for me then.  The person on the phone told me she could expedite the service time to 5 days.  But that still doesn't work for me because I have some shoots through my week and I have weddings on the weekends now.  So the conversation basically ended there when they couldn't help me more than that and I had to decide what I wanted to do.

Sooo I thought I would make a blog post/video about this since potential D600 buyers and/or Nikon shooters out there with 1 body, or who don't make 100% of their income with their photography should hear/see this.  However I decided this is pretty damming and disappointing information about Nikon who up until now I have backed 100% and I might not want to share it.  So today I decided to give Nikon another chance because as I said I was a pretty big fan of them.  I called them up asking for the customer service department.  Went over my story and situation with the gentlemen on the phone and same situation happened for the most part.  However two new points came up.

First, you have to pay to ship my camera to Nikon however they pay to ship it back.  That is a great system if the reason the camera is being serviced is due to owner misuse or by fault of the owner.  Personally I do not feel comfortable with paying money to ship a defective camera to Nikon to get it fixed when it was not the owner's fault it needs to be shipped.  Secondly, the gentlemen on the phone made another suggestion which was for me to rent a camera from Henry's or Vistek while my camera is being serviced.  This falls in the same category since I don't want to pay more money to use a D600 after I bought one for over $2000 and it isn't working the way it should due to a manufacturing defect.

So after the issue wasn't resolved I decided to share this experience with everyone because I feel I owe it to share it more than I owe Nikon to not say anything.  It does upset me a little to write this and publish damming information but Nikon didn't really keep me happy enough that I could write a happy blog post about how Nikon's Service came through for me.  But regrettably I can't write that story right now because it didn't happen.

As I said in the video, if you know of something for me to do, or advice for me or anything I should know please share it with me in a comment below here, or my video or in an e-mail.  I currently don't know what to do, and I am not taking landscapes yet however will want to do long exposures of waterfalls and startrails soon and there is no way to get a usable images with the sate my sensor is in.

Well I hope this helps all of you who are in my boat or something similar.  I am sorry to write this negative post however this is how it is, and I hope I didn't say anything with a bias.  I wouldn't say I am angry, just disappointed Nikon cannot be more accomodating to people who 1) need their services maybe more than a pro with multiple pro bodies, and 2) Who might one day be 100% photographers and buy more of Nikon's gear.  Up until now I couldn't understand why people switched camera systems.  I didn't know what would make someone sell all their stuff and move to Nikon/Canon/Sony/Pentax etc from their current system.  However I am starting to get that idea now unfortunately and I am very disappointed by it.

I will post about this again once I have figured all this out and let everyone know how it is resolved.  Personally I don't see Nikon catering to me which is unfortunate considering the amount of gear I do have that is Nikon.  Also I do expect to keep growing with my photography and continuing to do it on the side and that would mean purchasing more Nikon gear but it's things like this that make you question a company/brands service and commitment to their users or if they are worth your continual support.  

Video: Lighting Gear

Hey folks, so here is a video on what lighting gear I use.  I thought I would make this video since I haven't actually reviewed any of my lighting equipment other then my speed lights and my beauty dish.  So here is a video with all of them together!  Hope it helps.

http://youtu.be/UNrIhfw3eqE

Video: How to Get Sharper Photographs

Hey,

Here is a video I did talking about how you can get sharper photographs.  I hope it helps and if you have any questions please let me know and I will be more than happy to help!

Tom

Video: Magazine Video Review

Hey folks,

Here is my video review of some photography magazines.  When I was looking for which photography magazines were best, I wanted to hear what others thought and I didn't find much to be honest.  So I thought I would share what I had found so far.  Hope it helps!

Video: Nanuk Hard Case Review

Hey folks,

Here is my long overdue review of one of my best pieces of gear I own.  That is my Nanuk hard case.  It has taken a beating and still looks great, works great and most of all has protected my gear.  I trust this case with my equipment and in this video I go over all the features why I prefer using a Nanuk instead of the other cases on the market.

Hope you enjoy this video and I hope it helps you if you are looking what case to get.

Video: Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur and Cameron Highlands)

Hey folks,

Thought I would post Malaysia's video at the same time as well.  So all my videos from my trip are up now!  Hope they help, let me know if you have any questions.   I recommend checking it out for my advice for Cameron Highlands.  It was a stunning place to see and I highly recommend going there for sure.

Video: Singapore

Hey folks,

I have just uploaded my video for my time in Singapore.  I would recommend checking it out if you are thinking of travelling to Southeast Asia.  Hope you enjoy it and if you have any questions please let me know!

Videos!

Hey folks,

If you haven't noticed already I have been on a small video binge recently and have made a lot of videos for my youtube channel as of late.  This is because I have time now to and I had been slacking a little due to school and travelling however that is all over so I have time to make up for lost time.

I just posted four videos on the exposure triangle which include aperture, shutter speed and ISO as well as a summary of all of them together.  I hope this helps and if you are not a fan of listening to me or youtube videos, I still have the blog posts I wrote on the exposure triangle on my blog here.  Just search "exposure triangle" and you will find the posts.

Hopefully they are helpful and if you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask me in a comment on my channel or my blog or you can send my an e-mail to tomhoustonphotography@gmail.com.

Thanks again!

Review: Lowepro Photo Sport 200 AW

Hey folks,

In this video I reviewed probably the best photography backpack I have ever seen and used.  This bag is perfect for those who are adventurous and want to have their camera with them safely and comfortably.  Lowepro really hit it out of the park with this bag and I would highly recommend it to anyone.

In the video I go over all it has to offer and why I found it so useful on my travels and trips.

Video: 16-35mm f/4 VR Re-Reviewed

Hey Folks,

I have reviewed my 16-35mm f/4 lens again after using it a lot throughout my trip in SE Asia on my FX D600.  So I thought after using it more and using it on a full frame camera I would give it another review.  Here is the video link or you can click here:

http://youtu.be/Arc0lQiKS4o  

Video: Critique: Website of Faisal Photography

Hey Folks,

This video is a little different then my others.  I was asked to critique someone's personal photography website via my Facebook Page and I decided to make it into a video so others than help out as well.  I would love to hear if you agree or disagree with my review of Faisal's Website.

If anyone else wants me to look at their photography or website I am more than happy to help critique your work.  

Here is the link to the video or click on the "video" link above: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIFe676mWBU&feature=youtu.be

Hope that helps,

Tom

Video: Cambodia, SE Asia

Hey folks, so I just uploaded my video on going to Cambodia.  I talked about where I went and where I would recommend going as well as my tips and advice on shooting there.  Hope you enjoy it and I did only say the main points so if you want the finer details or have any questions please don't hesitate to ask!

http://youtu.be/Z3UxqsgDcCU

Video: What's In My Bag

He folks,

Just made a "what's in my bag" video recently because of the shift in gear I have done recently so this will be the most up to date gear.  It is all the same as my last gear review video however this is all of the gear I use.

Hope you like it,

Tom

Video: Gear Review

Hey Folks,

Currently I am selling two of my lenses and I have acquired two new big things for my kit.  So right now I have the most gear I will have in a while probably.  Because of this I decided to make a video of all my gear going over quickly some pro's/con's of them.  I hope you enjoy the video and if you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask!

Video: http://youtu.be/sMzt-XTFA9A

Tom

Video: Comparison between the SB-600 and the SB-900

Hey, 

Here is my video for my comparison of features that were important for why I upgraded as well as why I would buy each flash.  Hope you like the video!

http://youtu.be/po0uljhsxyo

Video: SB-900

Hey folks,

Just posted my review of the SB-900 and soon I will post up my quick comparison of the SB-600 and the SB-900.

Hope this helps!

Video: SB-600 Review

Hey folks,

Here is the link to my video for my review of the SB-600!  Hope you enjoy it.

http://youtu.be/8exOoIyITE4

Videos

Hey folks,

Just made a video on my initial thoughts of the 16-35mm f/4 VR wide angle zoom lens as well as my camera, the Nikon D90.  I hope these videos help and if you want me to cover anything just toss a comment below.

Video: Lens Review 17-55mm f/2.8G DX

Hey folks,

Just made/posted a video review for my 17-55mm so I hope it helps!

Tom

Video: Cameron Mini-Max Beauty Dish Set

Hey folks,

Since my beauty dish blog post was so popular I decided to make a video review of it which you can find Here.  I hope it helps and that you enjoy the video!

Tom