Is my D200 developing DBS?

My favorite camera is starting to do some strange things, the latest of which might be Dead Battery Syndrome (DBS).

Strange Thing #1: Fully charged battery indication down to two bars:

Just yesterday, I was using my one year old D200 with my 18-200 VR, a very recently charged battery, and v2.0 firmware with no vertical grip. I was talking pictures of my kids, and just for an instant, the camera seemed to have problems focusing and firing. I noticed that the battery indicator on the top LCD was down to two bars. I turned the camera off, then back on, and it was back up to five bars. I went into the menus and checked the battery info. It indicated a fully charged battery with 16 shots (which seems about right). The camera then worked fine for a while. Later that day, I took some more shots, and it seemed to work fine, but when I tried to review them on the read LCD, they wouldn’t display. I looked at the top LCD was down to two bars again. Then I turned the camera off, them back on, and it was back to five bars, and I could review the photos.

Strange Thing #2: Buzzing sound when using DOF preview:

Another strange thing is an occasional buzzing sound when using the DOF preview button. Usually, I just heard a soft click and it works fine. But sometimes when using the 18-200VR, it just buzzes while this button is pressed. I don’t yet know if it’s the camera or the lens yet, since this too is a fairly recent problem, and I usually have the 18-200 on my D200. It’s also rather unpredictable, so I’ve not been able to determine the source or if there are specific conditions.

Strange Thing #3: Rouge Flashes from the SB-800:

Sometimes when using my SB-800 on my D200, the SB-800 will flash all by itself. It’s a weak flash, like a pre-flash, and it too is quite unpredictable, though it seems to happen more often if the D200 is tilted, but it doesn’t happen all of the time. I’ve not noticed this problem with the SB-800 my D70. I have seen others write about this problem, and it had been suggested that the mount might be a little loose. That may indeed be the case, but it too is a recent problem, and when coupled with these other problems, I’m starting to wonder if it’s related.

I’m going to be crabby if I need to send it back to Nikon again. I got it in May 2006, and I’ve had to send it in twice already! Once last August because of a blob on CCD and missing images (completely missing as if they were never taken, not just black frames!), and they replaced the CCD, Image Control Board, and a bent CF pin (no idea how that happened). Then I had to send it back to them in October because the on camera flash died. I got the extended warranty because of all the early banding issues (which was never a problem for me), and I’m glad I did. Meanwhile, my 2.5 year old D70 still works like a champ.

I’ve got a vacation coming up in October, and I really want to use my D200 instead of the D70, so I might just sent my gear into Nikon soon, but I thought I’d ask to see what type of issues others have experience to see if this sounds like DBS. I think I might just take the D70 with for back-up too, but I love using my D200...when it's behaving!

For those of your familiar with DBS, did your problem develop like this? Did you also have the rouge flash and buzzing problems?

--

There are 10 kinds of people in the world: Those that understand binary, and those that don't.