We’ve been writing about the Nikon Z 8 on these news pages since its launch a couple of months ago. Unfortunately, it’s not all been good news. Hot on the heels of reports that the Z 8 was a top seller in Japan comes reports of potential fault with the camera. There is already a recall for a lens mount issue, and now some users have reported strap lugs breaking.
What’s going on with the Z 8?
Nikon launched the Z 8 on May 25th this year. The new camera delivered many features from the flagship Z 9 but in a 30% smaller body. However, only a month later, we reported that the company had launched a recall of some batches of the camera. This was because of a fault that prevented users from rotating a lens to the locked position. Next, at the start of July, the news was that the Z 8 was topping sales charts across Japan. Now, only two weeks later, owners are raising concerns about another fault with the camera.
What is the new issue?
On July 6th, photographer Bart Ros posted about a broken camera strap lug in the Nikon Z 8 Facebook group. Ros said, “The anchor point on the camera broke. And the body fell. And it does not turn on anymore. Something audible is broken inside the body. But there is no external damage.” The next day, Ros posted an update, “According to the local distributor here in EU (European Union) it is a know issues (sic). And Nikon plans to check it during the mount recall.”
What has Nikon said?
Nikon hasn’t made any official comment to date. However, Bart Ros confirmed that Nikon had offered him a full repair under warranty or a replacement Z 8. Since then, a post from a Chinese Z 8 owner has been shared on the Facebook group. That person also found the strap lug detached from their camera, though luckily, it didn’t fail in use. In addition, several members of the Z 8 Facebook group have claimed knowledge of other failures though they don’t appear to have personally experienced issues.
What we think
From the limited evidence so far, it’s difficult to gauge whether the strap lugs that have failed are individual failures or part of a more widespread issue. Rumors can also spread quickly on social media, often without any real facts behind them. Therefore, it’s important to keep a sense of perspective at this point. A small number of users are claiming to have had an issue with the strap lugs on their Z 8s. But the failures haven’t been exactly the same. We will continue to monitor the situation and let you know if we get more reports of lugs detaching. One good thing to note is that Nikon is again taking steps to ensure customers get their cameras mended or replaced. So, if you experience a problem with your Z 8, it should be swiftly resolved.
Update (8/8/2023): Nikon acknowledged the faulty strap lugs and will repair cameras that have certain serial numbers. Go here to check if your Nikon Z 8 qualifies.
