Nikon N80 Advice Needed

snegron · Feb 14, 2009

I cracked the LCD of my N80 today by mistake. I purchased it new a few years ago but only used it for three or four times before putting it away in storage. I have been usung my F3HP and F but got a bit tired of the exxtra weight (same reason I put my F100 away). When I placed my laptop computer near my N80, I mistakingly bumped the LCD with a corner of my computer. Now there is a spiderweb-like crack on the LCD. Will this crack grow? Is this something that can be repaired? Has this happened to anyone here? I know that I can pick up an N80 body for a low price, but I really think it's a shame being that this N80 has only seen about three or four rolls in its lifetime.

mattk · Feb 14, 2009

Is the info displayed distorted under the crack? I'm not at home to look, but I think you cracked the plastic cover shield. If I remember you can't push on the display and distort the LCD image--I think you will be ok.

snegron · Feb 14, 2009

No, the info is not distorted (sigh of relief)! I wonder if there is a chance now for humidity to get through the spiderweb crack? It is very humid here in Florida and during the mornings and early evenings the humidity levels increase.

p.s. The crack is directly above the image of the line near the center of the LCD. The line still looks straight; the crack appears to be on the surface.

Toffle · Feb 14, 2009

A crack this size does not seem to be too much of an issue. Does the display still work properly? If it still functions, don't worry too much about it. These are great cameras, and quite rugged. Both my daughter and I use one on a regular basis. (She got hers brand new, minus a warrantee card, for $42 off an ebay seller outside Detroit, which means that a repair is probably not a very cost effective fix if the display is shot.)

Good luck, and cheers...

snegron · Feb 14, 2009

Toffle said:
A crack this size does not seem to be too much of an issue. Does the display still work properly? If it still functions, don't worry too much about it. These are great cameras, and quite rugged. Both my daughter and I use one on a regular basis. (She got hers brand new, minus a warrantee card, for $42 off an ebay seller outside Detroit, which means that a repair is probably not a very cost effective fix if the display is shot.)

Good luck, and cheers...

Thanks! Luckily it is not affecting the actual display underneath the crack (at least for now). On the flip side of all of this, at least I don't have to think about treating it too delicately from now on. I am usually very careful with my gear, but I won't have to worry about scratching this camera now that it has its first ding! Ironically it will now be used more!

nyoung · Feb 14, 2009

If it were me, in your situation, I would cut a piece of the clear packaging tape to fit, and put it over the window. Cut it carefully and rub it down firmly and it should become an invisible barrier to keep any moisture out of the works.

snegron · Feb 14, 2009

nyoung said:
If it were me, in your situation, I would cut a piece of the clear packaging tape to fit, and put it over the window. Cut it carefully and rub it down firmly and it should become an invisible barrier to keep any moisture out of the works.

Thanks! I wonder if there is some sort of clear, hardening liquid which could be used to fill in the crack? I remember seeing something many years ago to repair cracked vehicle windshields without having to replace them. I know that the LCD is plastic, but maybe there is some type of liquid out there that would work?

GeorgeDexter · Feb 14, 2009

snegron said:
Thanks! I wonder if there is some sort of clear, hardening liquid which could be used to fill in the crack? I remember seeing something many years ago to repair cracked vehicle windshields without having to replace them. I know that the LCD is plastic, but maybe there is some type of liquid out there that would work?

Just in case you have the urge, don't try superglue. It will fog the area around wherever you put it and make the plastic semi-opaque! Too bad, because it really holds well.

waynecrider · Feb 15, 2009

There are plastic solvents and glues that I have used to construct things out of sheet plastic, but I wouldn't go that way with trying to repair the window plastic. I'd either cover it with a clear tape or adhesive plastic or contact a repair shop to see if parts are available. The cameras are just not worth that much, and bodies are available for a $100 or under most of the time. In fact for the abilities their probably one of the best values in the market, but kind of went the same way the 8008 series did. Mostly overlooked, thus prices went down faster. I own two.

John Koehrer · Feb 15, 2009

You might try finding a protective plastic for an Mp3 player/cellphone or Ipod screen.
Best buy etc. has them hanging on pegs waiting for you to make your selection. Peel & stick should work.

snegron · Feb 15, 2009

GeorgeDexter said:
Just in case you have the urge, don't try superglue. It will fog the area around wherever you put it and make the plastic semi-opaque! Too bad, because it really holds well.

I was very tempted, but I know I would have probably gotten my finger stuck to the LDC or the camera, so I decided to pass on that idea!

snegron · Feb 15, 2009

A follow up:

I shot three rolls with my N80 today at the park with my kids. It worked flawlessly despite the annoying spiderweb-like little crack on the LCD. It is about as annoying as having a small scratch on your sunglasses; annoying at first, but you learn to get used to it after awhile. All the setting info can be seen in the viewfinder, so I don't really need to look at the LCD too much other than to check to see if the camera is turned on or not.

Nikon N80 Advice Needed

Attachments

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency