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Nikon D700 hot shoe problems with SB 900
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Not sure if this has been brought up here before but it seems that their is quite a problem with the Nikon hot shoe and the SB 900 flash. At times and
at random the SB 900 will fire by itself, flicker a few flashes, and or not fire at all along with the shutter. It seems that after some time the hot shoe will loosen up at the contacts possibly due to the weight of the SB 900. I have to shut the camera off and reattach the flash to get it to work or sometimes jiggle the base of the SB 900 around. My thoughts also (because I use Neil's great technique on foofing) is when I rotate the flash head it also causes the contacts and springs to loosen up over time. D700 owners are saying that the hot shoe is not made strong enough to handle the extra weight of the SB 900. Nikon will not admit to this but I believe is charging $250 to replace the shoe. I have also heard that when the Wg-as3 hot shoe water guard is used it will actually make the contact tighter between the SB 900 and D700 and it may cure the problem. Curious if Neil or anyone else has this problem and any other solutions.
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I use a D700 and SB900 (I have two). I have never had this problem. That must be very frustrating. Sounds like there is something wrong with either the camera or flash -- though must be the camera since your research seems to be telling you this and others are making the same complaint.
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Meseroll: It sounds like you may have loose contacts. Here are two suggestions you might try to alleviate the problem: First, clean both surfaces of the hot shoe and flash foot with a substance like Deoxit and second, (only if you are really brave) try to very gently tap down the rails of the hot shoe with a small rubber mallet just a very little bit to make a very tight contact. You're on your own re the second suggestion. Richard
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meseroll,
I had the same problem with my D700 and SB900 combo. I have 2 SB900's and it occurred with both, so that led me to believe it was the hot shoe and not the flashes. I bought the WG-AS3 which helped in landscape orientation but the problem continued in portrait(more weight in the hot shoe). Not only did my flash flickered, it also changed my ISO, FEC and flash itself would change to "A" mode. I used SC-29 cord to bypass the problem on my last shoot. I sent my camera into Authorized Photo Service to get the hot shoe circuitry replaced. I'm awaiting delivery and hoping it will cure the problem.
Tin -
I had this problem as well withe D700 and SB-900. However, it took about a year of use with this combination before the problem manifested itself. If there is a design defect, it's not immediately apparent.
Like Foxglove, I ultimately sent it to Authorized Photo Service for repairs. Currently, the combination is working again. I paid $250 for Authorized Photo Service to do a bunch of maintenance on the camera, one of which was replacing the hotshoe. Thus, just repairing the hotshoe should cost less.
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