I am hoping someone maybe able to help me - I have a D2x + 80-400 VR lense, just around 12mths while on location shoot it just stopped showing F6 +a triangle in the viewfinder and top screen. The only way to finish shoot was to keep turning it off and on and waiting for it to start working again.

Hence the problem back to repairers with the lense as well - they cant fault - have camera back and 3 months latter [not that much work] and again same problem comes up on the 2nd day of shooting. Back to repairers and no fault can be found + a charge for clean [like as if 3 shoots it needed that]

Now its set to come back from Nikon repairers with the problem not fixed and now camera out of warranty - no one can tell me what F6 means - could be the lense and camera not talking but they cant fix it as its so interment it hasnt done it with them.

Honestly ready to throw the thing:( over a bridge and go for a better Pro camera - I thought buying Nikon would mean service as well as performance, Im faced with buying a 2nd body to back up this pro one - which is a bit rich.

Just hoping someone else has come up against this problem - Nikon act as if its a rare one but a friend with a little D90 her camera does the same and the same figures show when it jams up - so its something within the Nikon system

Triangle F6? you mean like Δ(delta)F6?

I'm pretty sure the 80-400 VR has a minimum aperture of F/32. That's the 6th full stop from the maximum aperture.

When a lens is either not equipped with a CPU or has a contact communication failure on the D2 series and D200, the camera will read the position of the aperture ring in terms of change (Delta) from the maximum aperture. If you set non-cpu lens data, it will show up as an actual f/stop based on the data you put in.

This tells me that you are either losing electrical contact or the lens CPU is failing. Probably the former.

The most common cause of this? Dirty lens/body contacts. takes a minute or two to clean.

Friend's D90? If it were a D200 this would happen, a D80 would show F-EE. an N90 i'm not sure.

thanks... the contact are cleaned and were by the repairers 3rd time around but what you say is more likly than anything Ive got from Nikon so far could be its CPU -

shall phone the repaires and give them your advice - as I think you are on the money
thanks so much !!:thumbsup: