D90 bug with MB-D80?!??!

[Michael Carter]

OK, this is weird... had a still shoot with my D90 today, full day of architectural & product for a magazine, merchandising feature of a new retail shop...

I noticed that when using the MB-d80 (the grip/battery holder), the camera would show a "dead battery" icon and die any time I used much of the "info" button.

That "info" button is the greatest thing since sliced bread for nearsighted guys like me. I freaking LOVE it, since I'm shooting with mixed tungsten, strobes, existing daylight, existing shadowy daylight, existing tungsten, etc etc - I'm changing color temps and ISO all day, manually dialing in color temps by the numbers, and not having to squint at the little LCD is priceless. INFO BUTTON = GENIUS IDEA, thanks Nikon.

But, the camera dies seconds after hitting "info". And I used the MB-d80 for ages on my D80. And used it for a D90 video shoot with no trouble.

Googled this, found nothing - anyone seeing a similar problem? Seems like some kind of firmware thing, since the body, batteries, and drive all work fine.

So, I pulled off the MB, got the damn battery door back on, did the full 6-hour gig & got 1.5 GB of luscious beautiful shots with one battery that didn't work up a sweat (the D90 has the prettiest damn sensor...). But after years of "big" SLRs, shooting with a non-drive-attached camera was just WEIRD... that thing is TINY all the sudden!!!

Anyone had this issue? Time to talk to Nikon I guess...

[PhantomVideo]

Have you tryed cleaning the pins on the MB-80 with an Eraser?, I've got a Chinese battery grip its never had an issue but a second hand lens of mine stoped talking to the camera, i cleaned the pins with a pencil Eraser and persto communication again

[Michael Carter]

Might try that, but it's been on my camera since brand new, only off to swap it to the D90...

One thing I realized is one of my batteries is aftermarket, came in Adorama's D90 kit... I'll try it for a while without it.

[mattsand]

some aftermarket batteries work perfectly and some not at all. i'm not sure why. i have a few pirated ones from china that says nikon on them with the wrong typeface (don't sue me please, they came with my grip), and they work fine, while some with a different brand don't, and the noname ones are hit or miss.

[Davidonabus]

Hey! I'm not sure what the cause of the problem is (I never actually associated it with the INFO button) but I've also had nothing but trouble with the battery grip and the D90. DEAD battery is so common place that I've stopped trying to use the battery grip - regardless of whether or not I'm using two NIKON batteries, one NIKON and one aftermarket, or two aftermarkets.

I gave up. But I'd love to know if it's actually a firmware problem?

d.

[mattsand]

iirc there are some settings about battery type and such that appear in the menu after you've added the grip, i've had to change them manually a few times. i've had no trouble with my grip using nikon batteries.

[Michael Carter]

Hmm... so it's not just me...

[awbacon]

I have the exact same issue. OEM battery grip w/ two Nikon batteries. Both charged back to back...one (right side, if you are looking at the back of the camera) always reports dead SO MUCH SOONER than the left side) always dies quicker

But its not "dead"....and I have alternated batteries. It seems that depending on the ORDER in which you insert the batteries when you get this error, the problem will fix itself.

So if I have one battery reporting dead, I remove both batteries, insert the DEAD BATTERY back into the SAME SLOT first, then the WORKING BATTERY back into its same slot, BINGO! Both batteries are working fine.

I think it must be a bug, but who knows? It scared the shit out of me on a shoot...I charged the batteries, and all the sudden my camera is saying I have no power. Almost pissed myself till I figured it out

[Michael Carter]

Yeah, mine was the same deal - clients standing around, a truckload of lighting gear, an upscale retail store about to open... sheesh. Glad I thought to pull the MB off.

Also... the thing seems to die instantly in cold weather... like, 40-ish, not even arctic.

I'm going to post to Nikon support. Anybody else, please do the same.

[Michael Carter]

Found this on Flickr:


Less than a year after usage, the D90/battery pack was malfunctioning, locking-up the camera - indicating I had dead battery, when in fact I had 2 brand new, fully charged Nikon batteries installed. Most comments are incorrect when they claim you cannot "recreate" the problem. Since the camera does not malfunction without the pack, I assumed that the connection between the battery pack and the camera was loose, or not making proper contact. I experimented by holding the pack only with a heavy lens (18-200 VR), moving it around, twisting the base a bit, and what do you know, malfunction occurred. Turning the camera off then on usually clears-up the problem before it happens again. I concluded the connection between the pack and the camera was not tight enough and cranked the wheel down very tight, solved the problem ... only to return when the pack came loose again. Unfortunately, the permanent fix is for Nikon to re-engineer the design of the battery pack so that it screws in tight (and holds tight) enough to make a continuous contact. Fortunately, there is a quasi-permanent fix. Take construction paper (thick paper we used to use in kindergarten) and make a thin shim the length of the battery pack. Place the shim between the camera base and the battery pack, in front of the screw, and then crank the dial down as tight as it goes, and presto! no more dead battery syndrome!

I think Nikon needs to address this problem. For the cost of my camera/equipment, I don't think I should not have to jerry rig a solution to a malfunctioning camera/battery because of a poor design.

Here's the link (http://www.flickr.com/groups/nikon_d90_users/discuss/72157623297002906/) - others suggest felt furniture pads, etc...

[Michael Carter]

So, I got some little vinyl pads at ace hardware - non adhesive, the things you set under a glass tabletop so it won't move. They're about 1/2" diameter and a millimeter thick. Not worried about them falling out (if they work) as the only time I took the MB off my D80 in 2 years time was when I sold the body. If they don't work, at least I won't have sticky residue to deal with.

The theory here is that something a little squishy or springy will create some outward pressure between the body and the MB, so that the thumbscrew won't rattle loose.

I have noticed over time that the thing loosens up on the D90 - on the D80 it was rock solid, never tightened it once. We'll see.

One other thing I've noticed? When you store a D80 battery door in the MB, it sort of "sticks" in that slot and doesn't rattle - the D90 door is rattley as hell in there.