I do not have a 5700 but some cameras have auto rotate feature for picture orientation (landscape or portrait). Of those that do, in some you can here a rattle like noise from the sensor that tells the camera what the orientation of the camera is.
—
Have A Nice Day, 🙂
James Hutchinson
http://www.pbase.com/myeyesview
I have a 5700 that has been used alot. But it doesn’t make any noise when you move it around. By the way, I really love it.
Ralph
<
http://www.darkstar.us>
Probably some spare pixels?
😉
Leen
Brett,
I’d go to the Nikon forum at dpreview.com and ask about that noise.
I guess that blew away the excitement of a new camera but it may be normal though.
If you go to the Nikon website, and dig and dig, you will eventually come up with a toll free tech support #.
I used it when our Coolpix 990 failed, wouldn’t shut off, and went thru some very strange antics. They were very helpful, and you can bypass the local store with their $300 up front fee when you have to send a camera in for repair.
Try this, but talk with a tech where you bought it too, Nikon people want to help existing customers, as they want more customers. In your case, they will ask you if you dropped it. My brother had one and it was a wonderful camera, but he dropped his, and went out and bought another.
Jane
Ok. I bought it at Adorama, and they are already closed for the weekend. I called a local camera store and they (as jhjl1 suggested above) told me that it’s a mercury switch that tells the camera which way it’s positioned. They state that it’s normal. I will feel better once Nikon confirms this, but I’m still on hold and have been on hold for over 30 minutes.
I just pulled my camera out, and turned off everything in the room. It doesn’t make any noise at all. Even if I shake it.
I also can’t think of a feature on this camera that takes into account whether or not the camera is in portrait or landscape mode.
But if there is a "switch" inside or not, mine makes no noise at all. Ralph
<
http://www.darkstar.us>
Hey Brett…
I agree with what others have said regarding auto rotate sensor noises. I hate to ask, but have you read your owner’s manual to see if they have anything to say about it? My Canon has this feature and it actually states in the manual that the camera may make some odd sounds as it’s moved from the landscape to portrait positions. Check the manual’s section about auto rotate. Personally, it was only after I had had the camera about 3 weeks that I even got around to reading the manual. It’s a guy thing…
I’ve given up waiting on hold for Nikon. Perhaps since it’s Friday everybody has gone home. In any event, I will call tomorrow and get confirmation from Nikon on whether or not this is normal.
In the meantime, I checked the owner’s manual and it doesn’t say anything about sounds when you tilt it from side to side.
I guess I’ll just have to wait and see. This is not the way I was hoping the first day with my new camera would go. Oh well. Life goes on.
I read your post responses on dpreview.com. Looks like it is not a normal sound. Adorama is a highly reputable dealer so if you have to send it back you are only losing use of it for a short time.
I had to send my new Canon G2 back to Canon the next day. I was really bummed about it, and even more so when I found out at dpreview that the problem ‘noise’ (leaving the camera in contiuous focus, but I leave it in single mode now) was normal. They still did some kind of replacement. As they say on the east coast, Go figure.
Sorry about your situation Brett. You should play with the camera around your home until you send it back.
Hey Mark do you still have that santa Camera ?
Santa Camera? What? Did I have a Santa Camera? I must be losing my marbles.
OK, let me re-phrase…the camera that arrived on your doorstep around christmas time with a work order attached…a digital canon…???
Brett,
I have had a 5700 for nearly a year – taken tons of pics – and I have NEVER heard any noise of any kind from moving the camera around – shaking it – or whatever. If it was me, I was send that sucker back and re-order. Pain in the butt, but otherwise, you will always wonder…….
Karen
wrote in message
Hello all-
Those who posted to the "What’s the best digital camera for under
$1000.00" thread know that I ended up buying the Nikon 5700.
Well, it just arrived and I’m sort of freaking out. While holding the
camera, if you tilt it from side to side, it sounds almost as if there’s something inside that’s sliding around.
The initial reaction might be that I’m just hearing the brackets that hold
the shoulder strap in place. That’s not it. I’m making sure to keep those still when I tilt it, and I’m still hearing that noise.
So, to those that own this camera, do you hear something when you tilt it
side to side, or is my camera defective? Please help!
Thank you.
—
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (
http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.560 / Virus Database: 352 – Release Date: 1/8/2004
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, Now I remember…Santa Canon. Okay, I thought I was losing my mind. You know I just sent that back a couple of days ago. Canon took a long time to send me the shipping label. Poor guy waiting for his camera. Still waiting I expect.
Well ya done good Mark. Many people would have kept it without a word. I could never have done that since my conscience and me are quite close 😉 I suspect the guy who is waiting for his camera does not realize how lucky he is that it landed on your doorstep and not someone elses that may not have been so honest. I suspect he’s really pissed off.
RALPH,
Excuse me for butting in. I had been eyeing the 5700 but decided to wait for the April SLR Nikon. How do new lenses connect with your 5700? Is it a special connection? I wanted to be sure to get a standard so that all future lenses would fit.
MARK,
Last time I priced the 5700 it had only come down to 8 or 9 hundred. Marty
Marty, the 5700 has a fixed zoom lens; it isn’t a SLR.
Leen
Marty,
What Leen said.
I have had mine for a year now. If I was to do it today I would be very tempted by the new digital Rebel by Canon. Since my film SLR is a Canon, I have all the nice lenses that would fit it.
Oh… the difference a year makes.
But it is not a knock on my 5700, it is perfect for my Old West photos, which is what I purchased it for. The lens is very sharp, the zoom range is excellent. I don’t use it in a normal manor. It is almost always on a tripod, hooked up to AC power, and connected to an external TV for a monitor. I never use the automatic user setting, however it works very well, and I found it doesn’t get fooled very often. Since I can manually set white balance, I use a warm card ( the 1/2 makes for nice skin tones) and since these photos are a ‘mobile’ business, I use hot lites, so the flash is always turned off.
But.. all those nice Canon lenses I have just sitting there brings a tear to my eye every time I see that new digital Rebel in a magazine.
Sniff..Sniff
Ralph
<
http://www.darkstar.us>
Well all, this is a little embarassing, but I figured out what was causing that noise. When I first opened the box I immediately started charging the battery. However, in the meantime, I wanted to check out the camera. It was at this time that I heard something shifting around inside.
However, after putting the battery and the CF card in place, I noticed that the noise went away. It turns out that it was just the lever that ejects the CF card that was causing the noise when the CF card slot was empty. Oops. 🙂
Anyway, I am not very happy with the purchase and have already taken about 75 photos.
I do have one additional question, though. I’ll just post it here rather than starting another off topic thread.
I was wondering if there is a particular non-OEM brand battery that is generally considered the best. OEM Nikon batteries for the 5700 run about $35. However, generic batteries both on eBay and in "regular" stores run about $15 each. Has anybody used these generic batteries? What is the best brand to buy?
Thanks.
Brett, I think you meant that you were very happy with the purchase, right?
I don’t have a Nikon, but I’ve had mixed experience with mixing OEM batteries (Canon) with generic brand. I bought a presumably compatible battery and charger for the price of a battery alone, and when all was said and done, the charger burned out and took my original OEM battery with it. So I’m leery of generics for any camera that has a specialized battery – not the same worry for AA’s. The Canon batteries are pricey, but I buy them and grumble..
Chuck
Glad it worked out for you Brett.
As for as batteries, I bought an extra energizer as a spare instead of the Canon brand, it outlast the Canon battery by about 65 shots on average and uses the Canon charger that came with the camera. The energizer cost a bit less than the Canon battery.
—
Have A Nice Day, 🙂
James Hutchinson
http://www.pbase.com/myeyesview
James, I assume that’s for your Rebel, which I’m guessing takes the same battery as my 10D and G2. Where did you find the Energizer? I’m willing to take another chance on a generic if it’s a name brand like Energizer.
Chuck
Glad you found "THE NOISE".
I use mine on AC pwr so I haven’t even bought an extra battery, however I use the viewfinder instead of lcd screen when I take it outside, and I have only charged the battery twice in the year I have had it, but have snapped off a lot of shots on the battery and never had the battery go down. It may be because I don’t use the lcd screen when I go outdoors.
I hope you ARE happy, because I find the 5700 a very well done camera. As soon as I can find an excuse for doing something else with my camera, I can’t wait to get a real flash for it.
Ralph
<
http://www.darkstar.us>
Best Buy, but I would think you could find it for less elsewhere if you don’t mind shopping.
—
Have A Nice Day, 🙂
James Hutchinson
http://www.pbase.com/myeyesview
James, thanks. B&H has several generics, including the one that didn’t work too well for me (Lenmar). I’ll search a bit.
Chuck
Well, I guess I’m making all kinds of mistakes lately.
Yes, I *AM* very happy with the purchase. Don’t know how that "not" snuck in there.
Thanks.
Sometimes we say things we don’t mean. 🙂
Especially when we are typoing fast.
however I use the viewfinder instead of lcd screen when I take it outside
I find that battery life on all my cameras far exceeds manufacturer claims and dpreview tests, because I almost never use the LCD outside. In fact, I rarely use it at all, except for the menus.
Bert
Bert, I’ve pretty much stopped using the LCD on my Canon G2 for composing the picture, although the viewfinder image has different coverage and I wind up with the need to crop. However, when I’m shooting high-contrast situations, I’ll use the review feature on the LCD because the display shows the areas that are blown out as blinking. It gives me a chance to change the exposure compensation and try again.
Chuck
I find that using the LCD on macro shots works much better though….better pics and easier to capture a good frame.
Jodi, good point. The viewfinder isn’t seeing the same thing as the lens at close range – that’s ‘parallax error’. Really must use the LCD for macros unless you want half a flower or half a lizard…
nikon 5700
brett …I too was concerned about a small noise like something loose in the lense barrel……only a smalll noise but it was noticable…..checked it with a friend and he had the same noise…..just the camera i suppose
cheers
greg wallis
Since getting my new camera, I think I’ve used the EVF once or twice. Surprisingly the LCD doesn’t seem to drain batteries like my old camera. I too bought an extra battery for this camera but I’ve only swapped it out one time. It’s always good to have a spare though.
Joe
Joe
Why do you not use the EVF, or only use it once or twice. I thought the main advantage of the EVF is that you could support your camera with both hands and \your face and thus making for more stable photography as compared to holding the camera about a foot away from the face. This is only curiosity on my part.
g.
Grant, I was going to add that I think my pictures show less evidence of camera shake since I stopped using the awkward posture of camera thrust forward at arm’s length while composing on the LCD. I took your previous advice and went back to what I’d consider the ‘normal’ camera stance as described. EVF or optical viewfinder; in either case, the big saving is in image quality as opposed to battery life…..IMHO.
Chuck
Grant,
Good question. I’ve found that I can compose my shots much easier with the LCD. Also, all the settings are displayed electronically on the LCD (or the EVF if I was using it) so it’s just much easier for me to see the settings as I’m adjusting them.
I was very used to using the view finder on my old camera. If you used the LCD at all with that thing you were burning through batteries like crazy. With my new camera this doesn’t seem to be a problem at all and I get very good life using the LCD full time.
Getting a tripod for Christmas also helped. I’ve got my camera on the tripod almost full time so stability isn’t as much of an issue any more.
Lastly, I find the EVF sort of hard to look at. It’s grainy and I find myself having a hard time picking out details that can through the LCD.
Joe
The viewfinder isn’t seeing the same thing as the lens at close range
That’s one of the advantages of an SLR. You’re lookin’ thru the lens, so WYSIWYG. No parallax problems. However, My E-20 viewfinder doesn’t show 100% of the image, unfortunately.
Bert
Lastly, I find the EVF sort of hard to look at. It’s grainy and I find myself having a hard time picking out details that can through the LCD.
When I was shopping for my last camera, I narrowed my choice down to the Olympus E-20 and the CP 5700. I liked the 8x zoom on the 5700 (vs 4x on the Oly) but I didn’t like the EVF. The Oly has a traditional optical TTL viewfinder, and I was accustomed to that from my film SLRs.
As far as using the LCD for composing, over the years I have developed the classic "photographer’s crouch" where I dig my elbows into my (ample) abdomen to steady the camera. The LCD doesn’t work for that.
Bert
I appreciate the views on the EVF and how all that glitters is not gold. Most EVF have at least twice the numbers of pixel elements as compared to their LCD and yet they appear to be grainy?! I also looked thought a few EVF and thought maybe it is just me but I agree they do seem to enhance the ‘grain’.
For what it is worth most SLR are not WYSIWYG but rather WYSIWYTG. The extra ‘T’ standing for ‘Think’. With the current breed of 35 mm SLR it is just the Nikon F5 and the Canon EOS 1V that give 100% coverage. I suspect that most dSLR should give full coverage but not being up on my dSLRS this is a guess. While I know this is nit picking what can I say … I’m anal.
g..
See I’m not as "old school" (no offense meant to any of you golden agers 😉 )as some of you guys are. I really only got into photography when I got my first digital 4 years ago. I’d always had a camera but I never really tried taking anything other than the occasional snapshot on vacation or holidays and birthdays (film and processing cost probably determined this as much as anything else). Consequently, I think the LCD is probably easier for me to adopt as my primary view finder. Incidentally, I did a little experimenting with my camera the other day and WYSIWYG for both the LCD and the EVF. This is a nice change from my old DC290’s optical view finder which even after a couple of years shooting with it resulted in me cutting off the occasional top of a head. When my wife used, well it was really bad.
One other benefit I find of using the LCD is that when it’s -20f the heat coming of my body doesn’t fog things up and/or cause condensation. I just stand back, compose the shot from my tripod and click away. Works for me and like I said before using the LCD doesn’t seem to be very hard on this cameras battery. Thank God there aren’t any metal parts on the outside of this camera or else I might be losing skin! 😉
Most EVF have at least twice the numbers of pixel elements as compared to their LCD and yet they appear to be grainy?!
That’s pretty interesting Grant. I certainly didn’t know that.
Joe, using the LCD like you are doing is just like using a medium format camera (from a tripod) with a waist level finder without using the magnifing glass. This works great and looking at your image this way is a great help in composing ones images.
"Old school" photographers, like me, have always worked this way for about 70 years with their Rollei, Hasselblad, Mamiya and Yashica MF cameras, either from a tripod or handheld in front of ones belly.
Holding the camera in front of you with almost stretched arms is the best way to be sure the images will be blurred due to lack of stability. Unfortunately many people think this is the best way to show everyone they can afford a digital camera too. 😉
(If I remember well this is called "keeping up with the Joneses". Am I right?)
Leen
Leen,
"Old school" photographers, like me, have always worked this way.
I think I’m in good company then!
nfortunately many people think this is the best way to show everyone they can afford a digital camera too.
That’s pretty funny Leen, and I think for a lot of people you’re exactly right. And you are also right about the term "keeping up with the Joneses".
🙂
Joe
Keeping up with the Jones …. hell I am having enough trouble keeping up with the Canons and Nikons now you are tell me there are Jones as well.
Grant
Once, while on a group bicycle tour, a woman passed me on her bike as I was holding my camera out in front of me to shoot a photo while I was straddling my bike. She exclaimed, ‘You don’t need to be looking at yourself in the mirror, you look okay’. I couldn’t quite believe my ears. So I don’t use LCD screen anymore so as not to give the impression that I’m so vain that I’d….
I use the LCD as long as the light is not to bright – I often have the lens adaptor on myG3 and that obscures the viewfinder too much – if I’m not using a tripod I tend to hold it with forearms braced against my sides and camera against my front at waist level or slightly higher…. (I won’t admit to having a belly yet Leen!) – the flip out screen makes it work very well – if I don’t have my reading glasses with me (and they are a recent enough acquisition that I often forget) I have to hold the screen a fair way from my eyes so that I can focus on it.. I supose it is rather the way that one would hold a medium format camera – never having used one it didn’t occur to me – and i can actually handhold more steadily this way than holding it in coventional SLR mode up to my eye.
Susan S.
I wish i had a more steady stance. I notice my pics with tripod are definitely clearer for indoor shots….I don’t use flash…hate it ! Macro is not a problem at all though…seems my hand is steady enough for that.
Mark,
You cracked me up!!!
Shan
Susan, re your adaptor on the G3; which extension lens(es) are you using? I noticed that the G3 wide and tele extenders push the ranges farther than those available for the G2.
Chuck
Re Grant and his ‘grainy’ EVF.
The problem here is that although, as stated in an earlier post, most EVFs have around twice as many pixels as the larger LCD screen they still don’t have anywhere near enough to display all the information from your 4 / 5 / 6+ megapixel sensor. The image you see in the EVF is heavily reduced and this causes a lack of detail in the display – which can mimic graininess.
I used to have a Fuji 4900 – nice camera but it had an EVF. With either the LCD or EVF I found it impossible to manual focus on those dark scenes. I tried to do some night shots of the Acropolis and was having great difficulty. I never got to see the results properly as some Greek taxidriver ‘relieved’ me of my camera on the way back to the airport – it was very early in the morning and I didn’t realise in time that the camera bag hadn’t been unloaded from the taxi!
Chuck – I have neither the wide angle nor tele adaptor! – I decided that I didn’t want to fork out that much cash for lenses that could only be used on the one camera – I’d virtually never use the wideangle anyway (barrel distortion is bad enough at full wide on the lens as it is, and I’d mainly want it for architectural shots) I was tempted by the teleconverter but really wouldn’t use it enough to justify the expense. I use the adaptor with a UV filter to protect the lens (having on one occasion spent a rather fraught hour cleaning sand out of the edges of the zoom which scared me a little!), and also use it with a polarising filter or a set of Hoya macro lenses.
Susan, ah…..! Actually, I have an aftermarket extender (can’t remember the name) which is straight-barreled and holds a 49mm filter. I used it once, then decided it was too much hassle. But I haven’t had the G2 to the beach….!
🙂
Chuck – this wasn’t the beach – it was a four year old throwing sand in the sand pit at my daughter’s kindy!
