Nikon issues official product advisory on D600 dust problem; suggests sensor cleaning

posted Friday, February 22, 2013 at 11:31 AM EDT

Nikon has issued an official product advisory for an ongoing dust problem with some of its D600 digital SLRs. According to some D600 owners, the camera's 24.3-megapixel full-frame sensor accumulates dust or oil, which can show up in the corners of photos.

While the problem seems to lessen the more you shoot with the camera, it never totally goes away, according to recent independent testing.

Nikon acknowledges the dust issue in the advisory, which has been posted on the company's U.S. and European websites, and suggests cleaning the sensor on your own or bringing it to a Nikon service center.

Nikon has offered similar advice in response to our queries for stories on this issue in the past but this is the first time the company has posted an official statement on its website.

Read Nikon's full advisory below. (At the bottom of this post, see an image showing the D600's dust problem from a time-lapse test video by Toronto-based artist and photographer Kyle Clements.)

Thank you for choosing Nikon for your photographic needs.

Some D600 users have reported the appearance of random spots on their images which is generally attributed to the natural accumulation of dust. While understanding that dust will occur over time, and steps may be taken to reduce the occurrence, the complete elimination of these dust spots may sometimes be difficult.

It has come to our attention that, in some rare cases, they may be reflected noticeably in images and removal may be difficult using normal measures. Therefore, Nikon is informing users of a service to reduce this issue.

Resolution

As a first step, please follow the guidance from the D600 User's Manual (pages 301-305) related to the Clean Image Sensor function and manual cleaning using a blower bulb.

If these measures do not remove all dust particles and you are still experiencing problems, then please consult your nearest Nikon service center. The technicians will examine the camera thoroughly, and service it as needed.

Requesting service

See the following for instructions on requesting service by a Nikon service center.

http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Service-And-Support/Service-And-Repair.page

Please direct inquiries regarding this matter to your nearest Nikon service center.

We hope that you will continue to choose Nikon for your photographic needs.