Update - Nikon Silky Smooth and Medical Implants

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CoyoteCreationsNW

CoyoteCreationsNW

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THIS IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE - JUST MY EXPERIENCE. I recently had a pacemaker implanted due to a serious A/V block. Concerned with Nikon's warning I scheduled test time in a medical cardiac lab. Appointment was today. We tested for implant interference hand holding, tripod mounting, carrying on a Cotton Carrier chest rig and in a backpack. We tried with the camera off, on and actively focusing. In the end we even tried holding the lens directly over the implant. With my specific device and functions, the 400 TC 2.8 lens caused no reset or sensing errors. Very relieved I can keep using the lens. I'm headed to the Pacific Coast in Washington for four days this week to catch the shorebird migration back to Alaska and Canada, me and the lens.
 
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CoyoteCreationsNW said:
THIS IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE - JUST MY EXPERIENCE. I recently had a pacemaker implanted due to a serious A/V block. Concerned with Nikon's warning I scheduled test time in a medical cardiac lab. Appointment was today. We tested for implant interference hand holding, tripod mounting, carrying on a Cotton Carrier chest rig and in a backpack. We tried with the camera off, on and actively focusing. In the end we even tried holding the lens directly over the implant. With my specific device and functions, the 400 TC 2.8 lens caused no reset or sensing errors. Very relieved I can keep using the lens. I'm headed to the Pacific Coast in Washington for four days this week to catch the shorebird migration back to Alaska and Canada, me and the lens.
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Good to know. Thank you.
 
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I think this is a CYA situation where Nikon is concerned. I have no specific knowledge but I’d be willing to bet the odds are astronomical concerning the possibility of a health issue.
 
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CoyoteCreationsNW said:
THIS IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE - JUST MY EXPERIENCE. I recently had a pacemaker implanted due to a serious A/V block. Concerned with Nikon's warning I scheduled test time in a medical cardiac lab. Appointment was today. We tested for implant interference hand holding, tripod mounting, carrying on a Cotton Carrier chest rig and in a backpack. We tried with the camera off, on and actively focusing. In the end we even tried holding the lens directly over the implant. With my specific device and functions, the 400 TC 2.8 lens caused no reset or sensing errors. Very relieved I can keep using the lens. I'm headed to the Pacific Coast in Washington for four days this week to catch the shorebird migration back to Alaska and Canada, me and the lens.
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Great news! Hope you enjoy the migration on the coast.

--Ken
 
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I have had a pacemaker for five years. Other than an MRI, my cardiologist has not steered me away from any electronic devices. Ironically, my pacemaker is supposed to be MRI safe and he implanted it but he has no faith in the marketing blurbs.
 
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I've had an implanted defibrillator/pacemaker since 2008 and was warned against carrying a cell phone in a shirt pocket because of the magnet in the speaker, that's never been a problem since I don't carry a call phone. My unit can determine -- and has -- to the day and hour, if I've been near a magnet but has never recorded anything related to a camera's battery or mike.
 
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CoyoteCreationsNW said:
THIS IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE - JUST MY EXPERIENCE. I recently had a pacemaker implanted due to a serious A/V block. Concerned with Nikon's warning I scheduled test time in a medical cardiac lab. Appointment was today. We tested for implant interference hand holding, tripod mounting, carrying on a Cotton Carrier chest rig and in a backpack. We tried with the camera off, on and actively focusing. In the end we even tried holding the lens directly over the implant. With my specific device and functions, the 400 TC 2.8 lens caused no reset or sensing errors. Very relieved I can keep using the lens. I'm headed to the Pacific Coast in Washington for four days this week to catch the shorebird migration back to Alaska and Canada, me and the lens.
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The autofocus motors generate a magnetic field that can flip an MRI safe pacemaker into diagnostic mode where it defaults to 75/bpm and runs through the protected circuitry that allows safe operation during an MRI.

When they place the Medtronic blue patch over your heart and connect to the pacemaker, this is in essence what they are doing. There is a magnetic switch that is engaged.

The same warning applies to headphones because people have a tendency to put them around their neck, and the magnet from the speaker will sit directly over the heart triggering the magnetic switch. The advisory is "Don't use headphones with a pacemaker."

I don't actually believe that in normal use the NSS motors will have enough magnetic strength to reach your heart from a normal shooting position behind the camera.

They're concerned about product liability.

Of course, if your idiot doctors already had the device in diagnostic mode to do these tests then you wouldn't know whether it was capable of interfering or not.
 
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missterephotos said:
Of course, if your idiot doctors already had the device in diagnostic mode to do these tests then you wouldn't know whether it was capable of interfering or not.
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You do know that there are several ways to evaluate pacemaker function that do not use a magnet to flip the reed switch?

I doubt the doctors were "idiots". In fact, given OP's description of the testing of the lens, it appears the health professionals did a splendid job of assessing any possible issues and providing reassurance that there was very little chance of a problem occurring with use of the lens.
 
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CoyoteCreationsNW said:
THIS IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE - JUST MY EXPERIENCE. I recently had a pacemaker implanted due to a serious A/V block. Concerned with Nikon's warning I scheduled test time in a medical cardiac lab. Appointment was today. We tested for implant interference hand holding, tripod mounting, carrying on a Cotton Carrier chest rig and in a backpack. We tried with the camera off, on and actively focusing. In the end we even tried holding the lens directly over the implant. With my specific device and functions, the 400 TC 2.8 lens caused no reset or sensing errors. Very relieved I can keep using the lens. I'm headed to the Pacific Coast in Washington for four days this week to catch the shorebird migration back to Alaska and Canada, me and the lens.
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Great news but just because there was not a problem in your test situation, does NOT mean there will not be problems later.
 
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RichF said:
Great news but just because there was not a problem in your test situation, does NOT mean there will not be problems later.
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Correct. In my specific case, a magnetic field could potentially flip a magnetic switch which puts my device in pacing mode at 60 bpm. I could likely feel this change and restore the sensing mode by moving the lens further away from the device. There is a very small risk that if the switch flips during a very small part of the cycle I could have a paused heartbeat. When asked how much of a risk his reply is 23 years I have never seen it happen but it is theoretically possible. I guess I just chose to accept that risk because, as Steve has suggested, I married the 400 TC 2.8.
 
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John Navitsky said:
and they actually treated the question seriously
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The cardiac lab has an amazing array of devices to monitor all of the implant functions in real time. They were able to watch and record each pulse or lack of pulse from both leads as well as the sensing input. We did identify some items that activated my swith, but not the Nikon lens or my cell phone. Again, not a perfect test but good enough to convince me to keep using a lens that is the best wildlife lens I have ever had.
 
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CoyoteCreationsNW said:
Correct. In my specific case, a magnetic field could potentially flip a magnetic switch which puts my device in pacing mode at 60 bpm. I could likely feel this change and restore the sensing mode by moving the lens further away from the device. There is a very small risk that if the switch flips during a very small part of the cycle I could have a paused heartbeat. When asked how much of a risk his reply is 23 years I have never seen it happen but it is theoretically possible. I guess I just chose to accept that risk because, as Steve has suggested, I married the 400 TC 2.8.
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makes sense to me. You can never been 100% certain for most things in life, so understand the risks and act w/ caution and care, And enjoy life !!
 
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CoyoteCreationsNW said:
THIS IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE - JUST MY EXPERIENCE. I recently had a pacemaker implanted due to a serious A/V block. Concerned with Nikon's warning I scheduled test time in a medical cardiac lab. Appointment was today. We tested for implant interference hand holding, tripod mounting, carrying on a Cotton Carrier chest rig and in a backpack. We tried with the camera off, on and actively focusing. In the end we even tried holding the lens directly over the implant. With my specific device and functions, the 400 TC 2.8 lens caused no reset or sensing errors. Very relieved I can keep using the lens. I'm headed to the Pacific Coast in Washington for four days this week to catch the shorebird migration back to Alaska and Canada, me and the lens.
Click to expand...
If there was a real problem then we couldn't use speakers on our computers either.
It looks like Nikon are just being overcautious and covering all liabilities ... 🦘
 
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