To Repair or Replace My DSLR?

May 3, 2015 10:51 AM

I'm a hobbyist photographer on a very fixed income. My camera is Nikon D3100, which I bought used for $300. Last fall it survived my apartment fire, and I think there's some discoloration from smoke damage. Don't know if I should repair (if so, where? And how much would it cost?) or replace (if so, with what?) I would love some help deciding if repairs would be worth it and, if not, suggestions on models that are good for newbies and are also affordable used.
posted by mermaidcafe to Media & Arts (11 answers total)

Last fall it survived my apartment fire, and I think there's some discoloration from smoke damage

Do you mean that the housing is discolored, or the images it takes appear to be discolored?
posted by aubilenon at 10:53 AM on May 3, 2015 [1 favorite]

Probably get a new one, repairs would probably be more than you paid for it. The casing on my lens for my D80 popped open and it was $300 to fix the casing only!!! (From the Nikon repair people)
posted by Kestrelxo at 10:56 AM on May 3, 2015 [1 favorite]

Is the lens damaged? Can you get someone (camera repair) to see if the lens is in good shape at least? If so you can buy a D3100 body only (no lens) for $250 or with a lens for $350 now new on Amazon. I'm seeing a few for less on Ebay used or with only 1 bid. I'm no camera expert but I do quite a bit of photography and I really like my D3100, and if you already know how to use it, there's less of a learning curve than buying a different model. (I bought my D3100 on Amazon, body only, since I had lenses.)
posted by Crystalinne at 11:34 AM on May 3, 2015

It's very likely the repairs will cost as much or more than buying a new one. Seconding Crystalinne's link to buy on Amazon.

If the lens is damaged, but the camera functions fine, you can replace the kit lens for about $100.
posted by mtphoto at 11:45 AM on May 3, 2015 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks all! A few quick notes--I've tried different lenses with the same results. I don't know what part is discolored, but there's a yellowish cast to a lot of the pictures I take which is worse with flash. I asked about repairs at a local camera shop, but they said it'd take them a few weeks just to open it up and take a look, plus I never got a clear answer on diagnostic costs. I bought this one on Amazon and was planning to look there again but wasn't sure which model to look for, like if I should get a newer one or not.
posted by mermaidcafe at 12:33 PM on May 3, 2015

I'd be shocked if it could be repaired for less than a couple hundred bucks. I'd just buy a new/used one. I don't know a lot about the lower end slrs out right now, but imho dslrs have been "good enough" for quite a while. I'm a pretty advanced photographer (I shot professionally in the past), and while I've been tempted, I haven't been able to justify the cost of upgrading from my 10 year old Canons. Yeah, the newer ones have higher resolution, better low light performance, faster autofocus, video, etc. But I take great photos (if I do say so myself) without any of that stuff. So if you're on a low budget I would suggest looking for something several years old that's in good shape. You should be able to get something super cheap because everyone wants the new stuff, and it'll still take very good pictures.
posted by primethyme at 1:22 PM on May 3, 2015 [1 favorite]

Hmmm...soot is sort of yellowish...if it were on any other parts than the main sensor/ccd, like the white balance sensor for example, then it would try to compensate and your pictures would be coming out bluer. So soot probably on main sensor and probably a bunch of other parts.
Replace.
(Also consider that you now have a 'crap camera' that you can use around lasers, water, with crazy filters, hanging by a rope, tossed in the air, etc.)
posted by sexyrobot at 3:51 PM on May 3, 2015

I don't think there's anything you can have repaired by an "authorized" place that is going to be less than $300 no matter it is. Replacing a worn out USB port on my Canon SLR was $500+ and that was for a simple problem without the mystery.

If it's not the lens then I would think you have residue on either the sensor or the mirror/prism/etc. The sensor is pretty damn sealed up though, and if it were that dirty I think you would be seeing evidence of it at 100% in your files (does it look soft or can you see weird patterns or noise?). I would start there though and then move on to the mirrors. This is definitely something you can do yourself with a little google and acetone. To have a professional do a more thorough cleaning you are looking for a "clean-lube-adjust" service which is usually like $75-150 depending on the camera and what needs to be done.

Personally I'd clean it myself and if that doesn't fix it, buy a new camera.
posted by bradbane at 3:58 PM on May 3, 2015

I have never ever found these kinds of repairs to be worth it. Every time i've had a problem with an SLR, i've managed to find a nicer one for $150-300. Similar cameras have been towards the lower end more than once on slickdeals.

Dust/smoke related intermittent problems like this are a troubleshooting nightmare for anything complicated and electronic. I wouldn't even pay to repair it unless the repair shop was going to guarantee the work and zero-rate any further repairs for like, 90 days at least. And i doubt most or any places would do that unless the problem was with the specific part they replaced. So screw it.

You also have to factor in that the malfunctioning camera still has value. I bet you could get at least $100 for it as is.

That's an even stronger argument for replace honestly. No repair is going to cost $200. Selling the current camera and adding another couple hundred bucks to that is a no brainer.
posted by emptythought at 7:19 PM on May 3, 2015

I agree with what everybody else has said. The D3100 was a serviceable camera in its time, but bluntly: the low-end DSLRs just don't hold value well and since then (particularly the Nikon ones) have been replaced with much better upgrades. Since Nikon keeps channel-stuffing the low end models, you could probably get a D3300, D3200, D5200, or D5300 used or refurbished for not that much money (check slick deals, ebay, etc.). The low-end Nikon Nikon DSLRs have all been 24 megapixels for a few years now, and at that level of image quality, your technique or lenses will let you down first. And, of course, you'll still get to use all your existing lenses.

Selling off the old one for parts would help you.

If you really want to get something new that's cheap, consider also the Sony alpha line (A5000, A5100, A6000) of mirror less cameras. They're also well over the "good enough" level. Again, massive discounts for used or refurbished product because there's a lot of it in the retail channel. Other people say good things about Fuji's mirrrorless cameras or the micro 4/3 cameras, but I'm not overly fond of Fuji's different sensor filtration pattern or the smaller sensors that come with micro 4/3 cameras. Suffice it to say, every interchangeable lens camera made within the last two years by the major manufacturers is likely to feel like an upgrade to you, and none of them does badly at taking pictures. $300 will get you something perfectly nice for 95% of people.
posted by Strudel at 7:49 PM on May 3, 2015 [2 favorites]

Like other people said, you could buy another couple-year old DSLR for what it would cost to repair your original camera and it would also be a nice upgrade. Nonetheless, I suspect that the problem is your kit lens. If money really is that tight, maybe you post to Craigslist that you'd be willing to buy someone else's used kit lens but meet up and take a couple of test shots with it first before paying. My guess is that there's gotta be dozens of people out there with unused kit lenses sitting in their drawers willing to part with it for very little money.
posted by alidarbac at 8:14 PM on May 3, 2015