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A couple of weeks ago, it was reported that a handful of users had experienced the strap lugs falling out of their shiny new Z8 cameras. Now, it appears that the issue is not only a little more of a problem than we thought, but it may be worldwide.
Nikon has now added the strap lugs to its Z8 advisory, offering free repairs, including the cost of shipping. And this offer will continue even when your warranty runs out.
The last thing you want to happen when you’re wandering around with your camera strap on your shoulder is for your camera to go crashing to the ground. It seems, though, that might (but equally might not) be an issue if you shoot a Nikon Z8 (buy here).
Some users are reporting that their strap lugs have completely come out of their Nikon Z8 bodies. Fortunately, no cameras appear to have died yet as the result of a fall, but users say they’re not confident using them.
The Nikon Z8 (buy here) has only recently started shipping, and already Nikon is offering free repairs over a defect. In a statement issued on the Nikon website, the company says that the Z8 is having an issue where lenses cannot be locked into position on the mount. Nikon admits the circumstances in which it happens are rare, but it obviously does happen.
Nikon says they’ve investigated the cause and believe they’ve narrowed it down to a serial number range. For those affected, Nikon will not only repair the issue for free (even if you’re lazy and you do it after your warranty expires), but they’ll even cover the return shipping costs.
The recently announced Nikon Z8 (buy here) has proven extremely popular, with a great number of people pre-ordering it around the world. Sales of the Nikon Z8 are even allowing Nikon to claw back some market share in some areas. Some early pre-orders are now starting to arrive, but is it really worth upgrading if you already own a Nikon Z7 or Z7 II (buy here)?
Well, the answer is, it depends. If you’re a video shooter, then the Nikon Z8 offers many advantages over the Z7/Z7II. But for stills photographers… In this video, Nigel Danson discusses that topic. He’s adding the Z8 into a kit that already contains a Nikon Z7. He discusses some of the pros and cons of each and why certain things might sway an individual in one direction or another to help you decide for yourself.
It looks like Nikon might be going back on its word when it comes to future feature enhancements. Promised deep down in the Nikon Z8 (buy here) announcement press release is Auto Capture. This is the same Auto Capture that was recently released for the Nikon Z9 (buy here). The new feature lets your camera shoot completely unattended on a pre-fixed spot, waiting for a subject to appear.
It looks like this feature is being rolled back now, though. Nikon had initially mentioned that the feature was also coming in the Z8 during the Z9 v4.0 firmware launch video. Now, all reference to the Nikon Z8 has been removed from the video. The paragraph that mentions Auto Capture has also been removed from the press release.
It looks like Nikon might finally have gotten itself together. According to the latest report from the Japanese sales statistics collector, BCN, Nikon has clawed its way back up to being the 3rd most popular camera brand, ahead of Panasonic. Ahead of these come Sony and Canon in first and second place, respectively.
According to BCN, the sales rankings for Nikon in Japan have been bolstered largely by the release of the Nikon Z8 (buy here). The camera has proven to be extremely popular in Japan, taking Nikon much higher in the sales rankings than it’s been for a long time. Other hot sellers include the Nikon Z fc (buy here), Nikon Z50 (buy here) and Nikon Z30 (buy here).
Nikon’s recently released Nikon Z8 (buy here) has proven quite popular. With lots of pre-orders getting into people’s hands now, though, a dirty secret has been revealed. Nikon is actively blocking 3rd party batteries from working with it. Reports were posted to Reddit and social media from users who’ve received their cameras and found that it doesn’t work with their 3rd party EN-EL15C batteries.
While this is something Nikon has been known to do in the past, this time, it caught the attention of Right to Repair campaigner Louis Rossman. While Louis typically slates companies trying to force customers into compliance, he takes a pretty fair and objective look at the situation. Ultimately, however, he believes it’s not in Nikon’s best interests to continue doing this.
The recent announcement of the Nikon Z8 (buy here) has caused quite a bit of buzz. And for good reason. Even before the official announcement, it was expected to become the true successor to the Nikon D850 (buy here), not just in specs but in workflow and how it feels to shoot with it. The Nikon D850 was considered the best all-rounder Nikon DSLR for many different uses. So, the Z8 had some pretty big shoes to fill.
In a recent interview with Adam Waring at Digital Camera World, Nikon said that they had a lot of different options to consider when it came to developing the Z8, but that ultimately, its customers wanted what amounts to a “baby Z9”. Amongst other things, Nikon also says that the electronic shutter used in the Nikon Z9 (buy here) and Z8 are so fast that they keep up with the mechanical shutters of their predecessors.
Last month, I spent two weeks on the frozen sea ice along the coast of Baffin Island, Canada, searching for female polar bears who had just emerged from their dens with their newborn cubs. Knowing that encounters would likely not be closer than 100 meters, I decided the new Nikkor Z 600/4.0 TC VR S would be the perfect lens for this project. Luckily, Nikon was able to provide me with one, and they gave me the new Nikkor Z 400/4.5 VR S lens to try out — the smallest and lightest 400mm prime in its class.
When I arrived at Nikon HQ to collect the lenses, a surprise awaited: a prototype of the new Nikon Z8 to test in the high Arctic. Needless to say, I was excited to try it out. This has been an eagerly awaited addition to the Nikon mirrorless lineup, and all I knew were the many online rumors. None as outrageous as my April Fools Z9 Field Report spoof, but still just rumors.
This field report is about my initial impressions of the Z8 and my experiences in the field. I will also write about my experiences with the 600 and the 400, but I will do that in a separate article.
After a lot of rumour and speculation, Nikon has now officially announced the new Nikon Z8 mirrorless camera (buy here). While having some specs in common with the Nikon Z7 II (buy here), the Z8 appears to be the true successor to the Nikon D850 (buy here), whereas the Nikon Z7 II mostly seemed like D850 level specs shoved into a mirrorless body.
The Nikon Z8 features a 45.7-megapixel stacked CMOS sensor, but this one shoots 8K video at up to 60 frames per second. It also features internal 10-Bit ProRes 422, as well as 12-Bit N-RAW and ProRes Raw recording. Nikon says it’s smaller and lighter than both the Nikon Z9 (buy here) and Nikon D850 bodies and sports a blackout-free EVF with a 4-way tilting LCD.
Udi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.
Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe
Dave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.
John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
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