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Nikon Customer Service (1 Viewer)

FrankD

FrankD

Well-known member
A few of you may remember that I bought two sets of Nikon 8x32 bins recently to compare...the HG and the SE models. I have since sold the HGs and kept the SEs. However, you may also remember that I had an issue with a lack of great resolution due to a film and dust particles covering some of the internal elements/prism. There was also a slight issue with the focus and how it felt in one of the barrels.

I sent the SEs back to Nikon to have them check them over and cleaned as necessary. I received them back today...exactly two weeks later.

Just by looking at them you can tell they cleaned the external glass services and the grinding feeling with the focus is completely gone. In fact, the focus feels butter smooth now. However, when I aim the binoculars at a bright light source, such as a lamp, I can still see the fine dust particles silhouetted inside the eyepiece. They turn an otherwise extraordinary view into less than that and are a distraction.

What are your thoughts on my course of action at this point? Should I contact Nikon again and explain my problems? I would think that somebody just had to have looked through them after cleaning them to determine if the dust particles were gone and yet that just cannot be the case as I can plainly see them.

Should I send them to an independent business for cleaning? (and, yes, I am guessing that it will void the warranty).

What, if any, other options do I have?

Thanks ahead of time for the help folks.
 
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I think if you clearly outline your issues with the binoculars, the techs may be better able to correct your problem. It appears Nikon is willing to work on the glasses, but the technicians might need more specific instructions. It's definitely worth a try! Good luck!
 
Send them back again. Write down everything in detail.

Sometimes, just like with a doctor, if you give them more than one condition to deal with, they get really lost and tend to discredit any secondary ailments.
 
Thanks folks. I am going to try to use them for a bit to see how bad the particles actually affect my birding. I have a feeling they will be at their worst if I try to go hawk watching with them.

I was pretty detailed in my first letter but am more than willing to give it a second go. I just hate having to wait another two weeks. Patience isn't my best virtue. :)
 
If what you see is internal "hazing" or "fogging" you will need to describe that very specifically to Nikon. Bits of dust or lint are not likely to cause much of a problem unless they are excessive and I have never seen that. Hazing is more common. In the flashlight test hazing looks like a gray smokey disc of light where the light beam strikes a glass surface. This can result when contaminants like evaporated lubricants or in your case perhaps cigar smoke precipitate onto the glass or when fungus begins to grow in old binoculars. The backs of the reflecting surfaces of the prisms can be the culprits as well as the glass surfaces that light passes through. A complete internal cleaning requires disassembling and reassembling the prism clusters and possibly the eyepieces and recollimating. It is time consuming and probably not something Nikon likes to do in these free repairs unless an owner demands it. If cigar smoke sucked into the binocular at the eyepiece tubes is your problem I would be willing to bet that most of the contamination is on the eyepiece field lens, the back prism aperture and the two prism reflecting surfaces that are open to the back of the binocular.
 
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Henry,

Thank you for the great info. Based on what I am seeing it looks as if the particles are somewhere on the eyepiece elements themselves. My eye will actually focus most of them clearly if I look right at them. There is one however that must be on a different element or possibly the prism as it does not focus no matter what I attempt.

As stated, I could probably bird with them provided most of the backdrop is dark in color. With a lighter background, sky, lightsource, etc... the dust particles stand out pretty well.

It does appear that the service department cleaned some of the internal surfaces though as that original "film" that was visible via the flashlight examination no longer appears when I look through the objective.

Thank you again.
 
If the particles are in-focus or close to it they are on the field lens at the front of the eyepiece. They probably don't have any effect on the brightness or contrast unless there is fine hazing present as well. The worst thing about dust in this spot is the distraction it can cause us obsessives since it is so visible.
 
FrankD said:
Thanks folks. I am going to try to use them for a bit to see how bad the particles actually affect my birding. I have a feeling they will be at their worst if I try to go hawk watching with them.

I was pretty detailed in my first letter but am more than willing to give it a second go. I just hate having to wait another two weeks. Patience isn't my best virtue. :)
Click to expand...


Frank,

Have you resolved this problem?

John
 
John Traynor said:
Frank,

Have you resolved this problem?

John
Click to expand...

John,

My apologies for not posting sooner. I did not send the bins back to Nikon just yet. I chose instead to experiment with the "problem" out in the field a bit first. What I have found is that the particles only distract me when I am looking at a bright sky with no ground in the field of view. The dust particles are located in the lower one third, and left, of the image so if I am scanning the horizon I do not notice them. I also do not notice them whatsoever when scanning the tree canopy or any eye level bushes, shrubs, etc... Even a slightly dark sky at dusk does not pose a problem.

I may opt to send them back again after the Christmas bird count when birding slows down a bit. I haven't decided.

Thanks for asking.
 
As an update, I did bird with the SEs for most of the month of November. However, I decided that the dust particles were too much of a distraction for the perfectionist in me and subsequently sent them back to Nikon. Again, I included a very detailed letter specifically illustrating my problems with 6 or 7 large dust particles inside the right eyepiece. I went on to even list specifically where, in the field of view, the dust particles were located.

I received the bins back at the end of last week and eagerly opened the package. Sadly, all of the dust particles are still there and they still present a problem when trying to glass over open water or open fields especially with the current snow cover not to mention scanning the horizon.

In my correspondence with Nikon they initially confirmed that they received my letter and were planning to work specifically with the internal elements of the right eyepiece. However, in the letter I received from them when the binoculars were returned it simply lists a "General check and clean". I have a feeling that there was a miscommunication somewhere along the line on their part. Also, I do have a hard time believing that someone would not look through the bins after they were cleaned to determine if the dust particles were removed.

Any thoughts on this matter would be appreciated. At this point I am more than willing to send them to a reputable, independent business to have that eyepiece internally cleaned even if it voids the warranty. Sadly, they are relatively useless to me in this condition and I would hate to have to lose such a beautiful image just because of a few dust particles. If I cannot get them cleaned independently then I may have to look at selling them to someone who does not mind the less than perfect image.
 
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Not a 'specific' answer as such, but why don't you try ringing them and explaining the situation? You definately want to get to speak to someone (at least a supervisor) higher than customer service agent though!

It is possible that their 'support' staff are judged by their throughput of 'piece' work and do the minimum to push a unit through unless requested (by a supervisor?) to do other than the minimum?
 
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FrankD said:
As an update, I did bird with the SEs for most of the month of November. However, I decided that the dust particles were too much of a distraction for the perfectionist in me and subsequently sent them back to Nikon. Again, I included a very detailed letter specifically illustrating my problems with 6 or 7 large dust particles inside the right eyepiece. I went on to even list specifically where, in the field of view, the dust particles were located.

I received the bins back at the end of last week and eagerly opened the package. Sadly, all of the dust particles are still there and they still present a problem when trying to glass over open water or open fields especially with the current snow cover not to mention scanning the horizon.

In my correspondence with Nikon they initially confirmed that they received my letter and were planning to work specifically with the internal elements of the right eyepiece. However, in the letter I received from them when the binoculars were returned it simply lists a "General check and clean". I have a feeling that there was a miscommunication somewhere along the line on their part. Also, I do have a hard time believing that someone would not look through the bins after they were cleaned to determine if the dust particles were removed.

Any thoughts on this matter would be appreciated. At this point I am more than willing to send them to a reputable, independent business to have that eyepiece internally cleaned even if it voids the warranty. Sadly, they are relatively useless to me in this condition and I would hate to have to lose such a beautiful image just because of a few dust particles. If I cannot get them cleaned independently then I may have to look at selling them to someone who does not mind the less than perfect image.
Click to expand...
Frank,

Cigar smoke may have done permanent damage to the internal lens coatings and it may not be dust you're looking at.

However, I took the liberty of calling Nikon to specifically ask them about their service policies and charges. I was told they service these binoculars for a fixed price (apparently regardless of ownership) and that you should SPECIFICALLY ask for an internal cleaning to be performed. A general check and clean most likely did not include any internal work.

The Nikon parts and repair phone number is: (310) 414-8107. I’d call them and discuss all your options.

John

PS
Replacement rubber eyecups for the SE 8X32 are $3.10 each (two per bin).
 
Gentleman,

Thank you for the suggestions. I am going to follow them and call them later today to see what they have to say on the issue. I thougth I was thorough enough in my explanation of the problem and specifically what I would have liked to have done but may have to actually call to see where the miscommunication occurred.
 
Frank,

I just noticed that you described the dust spots as being in the right eyepiece only. If they are on eyepiece elements they should rotate along with the eyepiece when you turn the diopter adjustment. This eyepiece is quite easy to remove. All you need is a small jeweller's screwdriver to loosen the three set screws you will see if you remove the rubber eyecup. As I recall, you can then just lift out the cylinder which holds the eyepiece elements. If you are lucky and all the spots are on the outside surface of the field lens it would be very simple to clean them off. Then just remember to replace the diopter ring so that 0 is set where it was before.

Henry
 
Henry,

Thank you. I may give this a try. What is the worst that could happen? I put a few more dust particles in there and end up having to call Nikon anyway.
:)

Coincidentally I have some free time tonight and a jeweler's screwdriver handy. I might just give it a whirl. If you "hear" alot of hootin' and hollerin' on this forum later then you know I was successful. ;)
 
Henry,

I hope you do not take this the wrong way but I could kiss you! A can of compressed air and a half hour later I had a perfectly picturesque view out of my SEs....completely free of any visible dust particles! Outstanding! Now I can take it out on the Christmas bird count on Saturday.

Thank you very much.
 
henry link said:
Frank,

What da ya know?! I had no idea it would actually work. The bill for my consulting fee is in the mail ;-))

Henry
Click to expand...

Yoohoo! Gotta love those Nikons... and Henry.
By the way, Henry, now that i can afford it, could you please tell me one more time how to build a 9x35 EII or SE?
 
Considering all the trouble I went through shipping them back and forth I would be more than willing to send you that $10 Henry....:)
 
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