After Nikon Sydney replaced the shutter mechanism + seal (under warranty) and gave the sensor a wet clean, the problem of oil splatter on the sensor still persists. It’s nowhere near as bad as reported in the initial post but after 800+ actuations, the telltale spots are back again. I ran a series of time lapse shoots to get the shutter actuation count up and then took some stills to check for marks. The 50mm prime lens hasn’t been off the camera since I collected it from Nikon’s Sydney repair center. I must add, that to their credit, that the guys at Nikon did a great job with no hassles. But there’s a bogy in the weeds somewhere here. The new shutter mechanism and seal should have fixed the problem. Reports of the issue reoccurring are in circulation and you can read a similar account in Martin’s first comment in my original post.
I’m prepared to wait and see if it worsens or if the marks on the sensor are the end of it. What’s beginning to annoy me a little is that Harvey Norman at Penrith initially refused to acknowledge there was a problem. Despite me providing a detailed account of the issue, the same that I gave to Nikon, no one (except for the guy who actually worked in the Photography section) seemed to be prepared to entertain the idea that this problem could be caused by a fault in the camera or the manufacture of the camera. Whether they actually got in touch with Nikon, as promised, I never found out, because that call to me was never made and no discussion about whether the camera should be replaced took place nor in that context was it suggested or offered despite the ‘replacement warranty’ details being on the sales record copy they printed out whilst I was there.
Art + Photography 