Back of my F100 doesn't close anymore

[sterioma]

Hi,

today I was out shooting my small daughter, with my Nikon F100 and 200 AI lens mounted. All of a sudden I noticed that the camera back was not closed anymore. :confused:

Thinking I had inadvertently touched the lock release (?), I tried to snap it closed again with no luck. So I closed the camera on my bag, hoping that the light leak would be very limited (if any).

Once I home, I opened the back in the darkness of my bathroom, trying to close it, but it was just jumping back. So, I rolled back the Portra film (at 21 frames...), removed it and switched the light on.

Horror: The small piece(s) of plastic that keep the camera back closed have broken

Tomorrow I've got to call the Nikon service. The camera is not under warranty any more, and I am afraid that I have to replace the whole camera back...

 

[reub2000]

That sucks. Had the latch that holds the back closes on my ELAN 7 break. Things break, especially if they are old or made out of plastic. Best advice is to bring a backup body along with you when you go shooting.

 

[Snapshot]

You can buy a multi-function back for the F100 on eBay for around $30 dollars. It might be cheaper than going to Nikon for a replacement.

 

[jimgalli]

I was picturing your Ford pickup having rolled backwards down a hill with the tailgate open and CRUNCH! That would have been bad enough!! Not the Nikon!!!!

 

[sterioma]

You can buy a multi-function back for the F100 on eBay for around $30 dollars. It might be cheaper than going to Nikon for a replacement.

This seems like very good advice.

I have just seen that the back can be easily removed (even without a tool)

 

[Snapshot]

This seems like very good advice.

I have just seen that the back can be easily removed (even without a tool)

I was thinking of buying a MF-29 back for my F100 but hadn't had a real need to imprint dates. However, considering I've seen them sell of a low as $10 USD, it's almost too good of a deal to pass up. I've replaced the backs on my F90x camera's and it is literally a 1 minute procedure so don't feel hesitate about doing it yourself.

 

[sterioma]

In the end I had Nikon service replace it (I am lucky enough to live in the Italy city where the biggest Nikon service is located, so I don't have to pay shipping fees).

They charged me for the cost of the spare part only (around 40€ - the plain vanilla F100 back) and replaced it on the spot.

I did my math and shipping the MF-29 from the US to Italy would have been much too expensive and slow. Also, I couldn't find anything similar in Europe for in terms of low price.

Thanks for the tip anyway... And now I'll need to be more careful when loading the films

 

[tony lockerbie]

Yeah, I had the same problem with mine. Unfortunately I was photograhing a wedding and it sprang off, after about 12 frames, which was a total pain. Looking at the latch it's only rather flimsy plastic, which is not good on a fairly high end camera like this. My repair guy said that it is a common problem.
I had to buy a bare bones new back (which cost $90.00) and replace the rollers etc from my old back. I don't think being careful has much to do with them breaking, I think it's just a matter of time.
Tony

 

[film_guy]

At least it's just your film latch which failed, which is easily replaceable. It could be a whole lot worse, like the shutter or mirror box dying which is basically the entire camera's innards.