Z8 Service Advisory (first one on the Mount issue)

[ShunCheung]

Once again the lens mount is the issue, but unlike some of those Z9 sold around October to December 2022 where you might not be able to unmount a lens, in the Z8's case, you might not be able to properly mount and lock a lens in place. Such problems should be very obvious.

https://www.nikonusa.com/en/service-and-support/service-advisories/technical-service-advisory-for-users-of-the-nikon-z-8-cameras.html

And Nikon also has a serial number checker for the Z8: https://nikon.tfaforms.net/657

 

[mike_halliwell]

You'd have thought a physical 'mount and dismount' test would happen on every body mount?

The wording implies a lack of rotational range, ie a lens can't rotate far enough for the pin to drop in.

[John Di Leo]

My new z8 is affected.

Using the FTZ2 adapter, the flanges can be inserted, but when turned to lock something catches and prevents full rotation. I can finagle it to get it to engage.

I will send it back (ugh).

There is a problem with the shipping label though. In the "product: Please choose" dropdown box, the z8 is not listed.

Since the FTZ is now connected, and I am using F mount lenses for now, I am going to await Nikon addressing this, fearing that if I write in "z8" on the label or choose another model delays in proper routing may happen.

[ShunCheung]

There is some speculation that all early Z8 are affected by this advisory. I don't have a Z8, but I type in a few serial numbers, including the one for my Z9, and those are all affected.

I went to this serial number check for Nikon USA: https://nikon.tfaforms.net/657

Type in your affected serial number and it'll lead to another page to enter your name and address as well as generating a UPS shipping label. Of course I didn't go through the whole thing, but John perhaps you can try that route.

However, I wouldn't necessarily rush to send any Z8 in. The Z9's service advisory was different as a lens could potentially be stuck on a Z9 body. In this case just make sure your lens is lock in place on the Z8. Otherwise, the lens may fall off or if the lens is mounted on a tripod, your Z8 may fall off. But I would wait a bit to make sure that Nikon has sufficient parts to fix perhaps 20K, 30K Z8 bodies around the world. That is a lot of labor time and parts. You probably don't want your new Z8 to be stuck on some parts hold.

[mike_halliwell]

29 minutes ago, John Di Leo said:

I can finagle it to get it to engage.

Is that wiggle it with a tiny bit of rotational torque?

So do you reckon 'just' a body mount replacement should do it?

Does it meet the false-stop with a nice worn lens mount I wonder?

[mike_halliwell]

37 minutes ago, John Di Leo said:

There is a problem with the shipping label though. In the "product: Please choose" dropdown box, the z8 is not listed.

So, is that a list of all the 'free' return Nikon digital camera faults?

Can't see the D600 or did they never 'fess up to that one officially?

Odd that the D750 has two options.... and why, I guess, they get a different return label?

[ShunCheung]

I have forwarded this thread to my contacts with Nikon USA. They will check any issue with their web site. Perhaps the Z8 is too new and is not yet added to some drop-down list for repair selection.

[ilkka_nissila]

1 hour ago, mike_halliwell said:

So, is that a list of all the 'free' return Nikon digital camera faults?

Can't see the D600 or did they never 'fess up to that one officially?

Odd that the D750 has two options.... and why, I guess, they get a different return label?

The D600 service advisory for the shutter oil spill issue was active for a long time but they eventually ended it. I guess parts availability would be an issue and all D600 owners had plenty of time to take advantage of the service. 

 

It seems the web sites have not yet been fully updated to provide this service for the Z8.

[ilkka_nissila]

Although my Z8 serial number is affected by the recall, there doesn't seem to be any way to get more information yet from the Nikon web site in my country. It's midsummer in Finland so most people are on holiday.

My Z8 seems to lock with all my Z lenses and adapters. So far so good. I wonder if the camera develops the fault over time or if some of the affected serial numbers aren't really faulty.

 

[ShunCheung]

I wonder whether any Z8 in customers’ hands is not on the service advisory list.

If your Z8 is working fine and lenses mount just fine, I would wait a bit and make sure that there is sufficient spare parts for the recall. It takes some labor to fix the cameras. You don’t want a working camera stuck waiting for its turn to fix something that is not urgent.

[John Di Leo]

7 hours ago, ShunCheung said:

 

I went to this serial number check for Nikon USA: https://nikon.tfaforms.net/657

Type in your affected serial number and it'll lead to another page to enter your name and address as well as generating a UPS shipping label. Of course I didn't go through the whole thing, but John perhaps you can try that route.

However, I wouldn't necessarily rush to send any Z8 in. The Z9's service advisory was different as a lens could potentially be stuck on a Z9 body. In this case just make sure your lens is lock in place on the Z8. Otherwise, the lens may fall off or if the lens is mounted on a tripod, your Z8 may fall off. But I would wait a bit to make sure that Nikon has sufficient parts to fix perhaps 20K, 30K Z8 bodies around the world. That is a lot of labor time and parts. You probably don't want your new Z8 to be stuck on some parts hold.

That's what I did, right after I saw your warning on this site. Mine was affected. There was a link to start the return and the last(?) part of that was the shipping label and that is what I screen shot.

I am in no hurry to send it in as the FTZ2 is currently attached and all is functioning electronically. If I could have sent it this morning, I would have, tryng to "beat the rush."

[John Di Leo]

34 minutes ago, ShunCheung said:

If your Z8 is working fine and lenses mount just fine, I would wait a bit and make sure that there is sufficient spare parts for the recall. It takes some labor to fix the cameras. You don’t want a working camera stuck waiting for its turn to fix something that is not urgent.

yes, fully agree. It seems to be working fine as the FTZ seems securely attached and I have no Z lenses (yet).

@mike_halliwell

7 hours ago, mike_halliwell said:

wiggle it with a tiny bit of rotational torque

yes, that is what I mean by finagle,

Mirriam Webster defines finagle as "manipulate, engineer, manage, wangle, maneuver"

It seems to be normally locked into place. It feels like it is. The "catch" is when the FTZ is first inserted and turning begins...it hits something immediately and catches. It "feels" superficial like the flange of the mount and only one of them...I think. All of the retaining screws look to be fully seated. It does not happen every time. I just tried it a few times and the problem did not happen. It also didn't happen when I first attached the FTZ.

I'm betting it's something minor and a simple fix if the parts are ava.

I am REALLY glad though that I didn't trade in my d810, and I may keep it for a while just for a backup as needed

[ShunCheung]

Thanks John. As I said, I have already sent this thread to people with Nikon US. Hopefully they’ll fix any issue promptly.

[BeBu Lamar]

I wonder which company they had made these lens mount parts for them? 

[ShunCheung]

1 hour ago, BeBu Lamar said:

I wonder which company they had made these lens mount parts for them? 

Doesn't matter. Parts come from all over, but they are on a Nikon camera such that Nikon is responsible for it. You would think after making cameras with interchangeable lenses for some 70+ years, Nikon has a lot of expertise with lens mounts. Especially after the recent Z9 mount service advisory, which was announced in mid December last year, Nikon would be very careful with their lens mount parts.

The Z9 advisory was announced on 15 December 2022, and apparently that affected those Z9 bodies sold between October to early November 2022. I bought my Z9 months before that and it is not affected by that advisory: 

 

[ilkka_nissila]

1 hour ago, BeBu Lamar said:

I wonder which company they had made these lens mount parts for them? 

I believe Nikon views the mount to be a part of their core business and at least a few years ago they were making them in their factory in Sendai, Japan. They are then sent out to where the camera is assembled.  (Of course, they may have changed this in the past few years.)

 

I'm a little bit annoyed at choosing the Z8 so early in its availability. It'll need to be sent to be repaired, there is not yet any support for the camera in DXO Photolab, and Nikon went on to give the Z9 a major firmware update. 😉 Those things I would have probably avoided if I had bought the Z9 instead. But I figured the Z8 would be more multi-purpose, with the option of using it as a smaller unit.

 

But then this is not the first time that early adopters get to experience delays and slight glitches. Since my camera locks onto my lenses and adapters, I don't have any rush to send it in.

Edited June 24, 2023 by ilkka_nissila

[mike_halliwell]

23 minutes ago, ShunCheung said:

Nikon would be very careful with their lens mount parts.

Could be as simple as a batch that have a small burr on one of the 4 bayonets.

[ShunCheung]

So far, I have yet to see one post from several forums I follow that one has a Z8 that is not included by this service advisory. One can go to Nikon's serial number tool to check around. I think it is fairly safe to assume that essentially all early Z8 are included. Given that Ricci pointed out that Nikon manufactured some 12K Z8 during the first month of production, and it was probably in production for 2 months before the announcement, there can easily be 25K, 30K Z8 already in customer's hands. In other words, this is a pretty massive recall.

One issue we need to distinguish is that (1) a Z8 has a serial number included in the service advisory and (2) a Z8 that actually has a mount issue. I think only a small number have actual problems about mounting, but Nikon is trying to replace a lot of lens mounts to be on the safe side. The Z8 problem is also much easier to check; as long as your lens mounts and click locks, you should be fine. The Z9 problem is more concerning because a lens potentially cannot be unmounted; when a lens is stuck, it is a lot more problematic.

As far as Ilkka getting an early Z8, you just never know. Both Dieter and Matt (Laur) bought their Z9 one year after the announcement, but in that case it was those that were shipped about 10, 11 months since the initial shipment (on 23 December 2021) were affected.

If one's Z8 is showing no mounting symptoms, I would wait a bit until the initial rush is over, and hopefully plenty of spare parts are available before sending it in. According to Gray's of Westminster's video, the repair is going to take around 30 minutes. Watch 42 seconds into the video: Nikon Live Camera Chat - with Matt Irwin, Photography Q&A - YouTube

 

[mike_halliwell]

15 minutes ago, ShunCheung said:

but Nikon is trying to replace a lot of lens mounts to be on the safe side.

I thought the lens mount was on the, errr, lens?

[BeBu Lamar]

If Nikon made their mount in Sendai up to a few years ago at least I guess the problem coming from moving all camera products away from Sendai. 

[ShunCheung]

10 minutes ago, BeBu Lamar said:

If Nikon made their mount in Sendai up to a few years ago at least I guess the problem coming from moving all camera products away from Sendai. 

Nikon camera bodies made in Japan are not free from issues. Way back in 1996, a friend of mine bought two new F5 and both had the false battery low issue that required repair. I waited a full year before I bought my F5 in late 1997 and that is free from any issue; I still own that body today. (Back then, flagship bodies were on an 8-year product cycle so that it was much easier to wait a year. Today, electronics get out of date much quicker.) Back in 2005, Nikon had a service advisory for the D2H: https://www.nikonusa.com/en/service-and-support/service-advisories/d2h-service-advisory.html

And back in 2012, approximately 30% of the D800/D800E had the left AF issue: https://www.photo.net/forums/topic/452807-thom-hogan-declares-d800-not-recommended/

Today, Nikon uses a lot of robotics to manufacture mirrorless cameras, which should be a lot simpler without the moving mirror and AF mechanism, and where those robots are installed should make no difference.

Nikon is moving most production away from Japan to, of course, save money, but these recalls are causing them a lot of money. They really need to tighten up the inspection of these parts. Unfortunately, that is another down side for producing 12K new bodies a month for perhaps a couple of months and then ship them out upon announcement. Customers are happy that they can get their Z8 quickly, but if there is a problem, the recall is pretty massive.

 

[bgelfand]

Two "old engineering saying" apply:

1) Never buy anything with a version that ends in .0 (Dot Zero).

2) Do you know how to tell a pioneer? They are the ones with the arrows sticking our of their rear ends. (This from the wagon train massacre scenes in the 1940 and 1950 B-Western movies.) 

 

[mike_halliwell]

Early adopters are beta testers.

[mike_halliwell]

On 6/23/2023 at 4:50 PM, ShunCheung said:

There is some speculation that all early Z8 are affected by this advisory. I don't have a Z8, but I type in a few serial numbers, including the one for my Z9, and those are all affected.

Eh? Are you saying the serial number for your Z9 is on the advisory list for the Z8?

So, if your lens does mount normally, it's fine?

[ilkka_nissila]

1 hour ago, mike_halliwell said:

Eh? Are you saying the serial number for your Z9 is on the advisory list for the Z8?

So, if your lens does mount normally, it's fine?

I think Shun just checked if a hypothetical Z8 unit with the same serial number as his Z9 is on the affected serial numbers list for the Z8. 😉

 

Grays of Westminster youtube channel commented that it takes 30 min to do the repair. However, of course shipping etc. can add to the overall cost. I suspect many users who don't experience a problem will not send their cameras for service as they don't want to be without the camera. When/if the camera eventually needs repair or cleaning, and the love affair is over, they might then have it sent for fixing this issue.