Nikon D5000 very dark viewfinder, any advice?

c22w1

c22w1

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Chris
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Hi

Does anyone know how to fix a VERY dark viewfinder on a Nikon D5000 please before I sell it for spares?
I will try to describe the problem as well as I can.
Live view and rear screen are working perfectly as are the pictures that it takes. The battery is fully charged and shows so on the rear screen but through the viewfinder it shows as almost depleted, very weird?
Not all focus points show in the viewfinder and none light up at all, instead when the camera is focused the whole screen flashes red as confirmation. I don't have the original Nikon battery but an aftermarket one but I doubt that it could be that. I did think about changing the focus screen but again I don't think that it will be that either.
I have also tried resetting the camera with the button at the side of the SD card.
The camera is not in warranty so I am a bit wary of sending it to Nikon and getting a big repair bill I would sooner buy another camera.
Anyone have any advice please?
Thank you
Chris
 
When you say the viewfinder is dark, do you mean that the scene you see through the viewfinder is darker than it is in reality? As if the lens were stopped down?
 
Just also noticed that when the auto focus says the camera is focused and takes pictures ok, the view through the viewfinder is blurred. When manually focused and in focus with the viewfinder, the pictures turn out burred, looks like this camera is ready for the bin and time for a new toy?
 
Pentamirror, although your lens may actually be stopping down and the viewfinder is gaining up (easy to spot, chronic under exposure). A repair job beckons. Has it been dropped?

Edit: look inside. Is anything untoward?
 
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I'd agree. It sounds as though the camera has impact damage to the AF system, particularly the pentamirror may have shifted on its mountings.

Don't chuck it. Get a quote from Nikon for repair, that shouldn't cost anything.
 
It's never been dropped or even had a serious knock, nothing looks out of the ordinary mirror wise etc in comparison to my D7000.
It autofocuses perfect but just doesn't look like it has in the viewfinder. The shots it takes are perfectly exposed too.
Don't Nikon charge a fee to give an estimate for repair, something like £40 or so? If they do that's money that could be put towards another body.
 
Its the pentamirror in the 'roof' of the camera thats being refereed to, not the reflex mirror that is immediately behind the mount. Normally you can't view inside the camera to see the pentamirror so you will very likely not be able to externally see anything wrong.
 
s162216 said:
Its the pentamirror in the 'roof' of the camera thats being refereed to, not the reflex mirror that is immediately behind the mount. Normally you can't view inside the camera to see the pentamirror so you will very likely not be able to externally see anything wrong.
Click to expand...

Thanks but yes I know, I was just answering an earlier question in post 7 above.
 
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c22w1 said:
Just also noticed that when the auto focus says the camera is focused and takes pictures ok, the view through the viewfinder is blurred. When manually focused and in focus with the viewfinder, the pictures turn out burred, looks like this camera is ready for the bin and time for a new toy?
Click to expand...

Check the diopter adjustment and also check the ground glass focussing screen above the morris to see if it's misaligned... I had a D2x that kept doing this.
 
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