Advice on self-repair

[clagier]

Something broke in my old Nikon D100 this weekend when I pressed the depth of field button. Display shows "ERR" and all I get is a grinding motor noise when I press the shutter.

I bought a repair manual on eBay, I'm pretty handy, but have no experience taking a camera apart.

Do I have a chance of fixing this myself? Any ideas where I can find further repair advice?

Seems like pro repair starts at $300. Wouldn't it be a better option to buy a used D40 (or would you recommend another Nikon in this price-range?)

Grateful regards!

Christian
Western Mass, USA

[David_Buzzard]

Without replacement parts, you're not going to be able to do much.

Any Nikon camera not currently in production is pretty much going for a song these days. You might want to look at a D200, or even an old D70.

David Buzzard

[DougAxford]

I used to feel comfortable taking apart film cameras where most repairs are mechanical such as broken wires, springs, etc. I wouldn't attempt a DSLR unless it was going in the trash anyway.

One of the problems with today's cameras and computers is that components are made too cheaply. The old ones were built to last decades - just not that way anymore.

[vdotmatrix]

Do you do your own dentistry or surgery? Here's a better question: Do you like this camera? If you are not a repair technician then you will muck this up. Send it off to be repaired and save yourself the grief. shop for repair estimate.