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Author Topic: D7000 Autofocussing in cold weather  (Read 2669 times)

Ray

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D7000 Autofocussing in cold weather
« on: June 05, 2011, 07:39:10 am »

As many of you know, I've been very enthusiastic about the Nikon D7000 specs, particularly its dynamic range.

However, having recently returned from some trekking in cold regions in Nepal, in April, at 4,000 meters altitude where it gets very cold during the night, I can report that my copy of the D7000 body ceases to autofocus when it's cold.

Frequently in the mornings when it was cold but not subzero, that is, not so cold that one needed to wear gloves, the D7000 would refuse to autofocus.

After the camera had been exposed to the sun for some time, whilst dangling around my neck, it would gradually resume its autofocus capability. Not suddenly, but intermittently. After it was fully warmed, there would be no problem.

There was no doubt that the cold weather was the cause. However, there may be a doubt as to whether or not this problem is confined to my copy of this camera.

An enquiry on Google does not seem to turn up any clear problem in this area, regarding D7000 autofocussing in cold weather, so I wonder if any readers of this forum can confirm that they also have experienced such a problem.
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degrub

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Re: D7000 Autofocussing in cold weather
« Reply #1 on: June 05, 2011, 10:02:38 am »

Was everything else working ok ?
maybe it is a thermal contraction issue  - so that the power/signal contacts are no longer contacting to the lens ?

Nikon states 0-40 C operating temperatures.
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Ray

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Re: D7000 Autofocussing in cold weather
« Reply #2 on: June 05, 2011, 10:25:15 am »

Was everything else working ok ?
maybe it is a thermal contraction issue  - so that the power/signal contacts are no longer contacting to the lens ?

Nikon states 0-40 C operating temperatures.

Everything else was working fine. It was just a pain to have to shoot in full manual mode. I was using 2 cameras, the D700 and D7000. In circumstances when the Nikkor 24-120 lens would not autofocus on the D7000, I tried the lens on the D700 and it worked fine.

If the situation is that the D7000 does not autofocus below 0 degrees C, then it could be that some part of the internal electronics subjected to below-zero temperatures at night, takes some time to warm up during daytime when it appears relatively warm. This is not satisfactory.
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degrub

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Re: D7000 Autofocussing in cold weather
« Reply #3 on: June 05, 2011, 10:41:07 am »

i always slip the camera and batteries inside my sleeping bag when it is that cold.
Could be a build QC issue as well for the 7000
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Ray

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Re: D7000 Autofocussing in cold weather
« Reply #4 on: June 05, 2011, 11:08:19 am »

i always slip the camera and batteries inside my sleeping bag when it is that cold.
Could be a build QC issue as well for the 7000

It occurred to me that the fact the camera was made in Thailand where it's warm all year round, may have had something to do with it. I understand that all the Nikon cameras and lenses that are made in Thailand, including the Nikkor 24-120/F4, are shipped back to Japan for quality inspection before being released for sale.

I've visited Nepal a couple of times with Canon cameras and never, ever had a problem with autofocussing due to cold weather.
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Ray

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Re: D7000 Autofocussing in cold weather
« Reply #5 on: August 23, 2011, 04:31:22 am »

An update:

This problem of autofocussing in cold weather has continued in the mild winters of Brisbane where temperatures rarely fall to zero in the night.

When the camera warms up, say by midday, it's okay. However, this is not an acceptable situation, so I took the camera back to the supplier for repair under warranty. That involved a 2 hour drive to the coast. Never mind! It was an opportunity to have a picnic on the Gold Coast.

In order to ensure that the camera did not warm up by the time I arrived at the supplier, I placed it in an esky with an ice block.

When the sales assistant checked it, sure enough the camera did not autofocus. It autofocussed in Live View mode, with contrast detection, but not with phase detection. I thought that demonstration had sealed the problem and that there would be no more disputes.

How wrong I was. The Nikon repair agent claims he cannot fault the camera. This is plain weird.

I have two Nikon cameras, the D700 and the D7000, and two Nikkor lenses. The D700 focuses flawlessly with either lens under the same conditions whereas the D7000 doesn't autofocus at all with either lens.

I would appreciate it if any other readers would express a similar complaint, if they've experienced it.
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