Nikon Announcement: D600 sensor repair service will be closed in 6 months

Nikon released a notice on February 22, 2013, "To Nikon D600 Digital SLR Camera Users". In response to the phenomenon of multiple black granular images appearing in the captured images pointed out by users, the camera was taken back free of charge and repaired. The structure of the digital SLR camera makes it technically extremely difficult to completely prevent this phenomenon, and in some rare cases, these dust particles are very obvious in the image. Six years after its release, Nikon will end its sensor repair service in January 2020.

D600 Sensor

Nikon USA has confirmed that the free repair program will end on January 10, 2020. Nikon USA's full report is below:

As of January 10, 2020, Nikon will no longer offer free corrective service to Nikon D600 owners. Customers who wish to obtain service for their D600 after this date will be referred to Nikon Customer Service, and repairs will be performed in accordance with Nikon's standard service policy.

Ash falling phenomenon

If you or someone you know owns a D600 affected by sensor "dust," you have about six months to send it in to Nikon for repair. In 2014, reports emerged that Nikon was simply swapping out D600 units for D610 units when affected cameras were sent in, but Nikon noted at the time that each repair was handled on a "case-by-case" basis, so don't get too excited about a subtle upgrade.

Nikon said in a 2014 financial Q&A that it had set aside approximately $17.7 million to address the "dust" issue with the D600 sensor. It's not known if the end of this service is the result of the issue being fully resolved or a realignment of the company's funding allocations.