Alas, my Z8’s rubber grip has done the thing they do: expanded.
I ordered the replacement part from Nikon’s parts site before looking at the replacement procedure — this thing is screwed in! And to get to those two screws, I need to go through the battery compartment from the back. This means taking off the viewfinder, top case, back case, back display, and a main logic board or two.
I’m no stranger to tiny-screwdriver work, but it looks a bit finicky. Still, I’d rather not be without this body for the time it’d take Nikon to complete the service.
Anyone here done this themselves? Tips/tricks would be appreciated.
I have not done the grip replacement in a Z8, so I can’t help you there. I have done a D750, which was a piece of cake.
What I want to know is why Nikon is still using this rubber formula that expands. Like many, I had to replace the corner piece on the Z6 III when it expanded, after less than a year. I’ve replaced a few port doors because they expanded. No other camera brand has this issue. I have Canon DSLRs that are 20 years old and have pristine grips.
Jman13 wrote:
I have not done the grip replacement in a Z8, so I can’t help you there. I have done a D750, which was a piece of cake.
Was the grip also screwed in from the battery compartment there? I'm interested to hear more.
I haven't had this experience with any prior Nikons; my D70's rubber eventually detached, but that was more an adhesive failure than anything else. I know it CAN happen, and it seems I won a bad lottery this time.
Honestly, with the grip larger and sticking out a bit, it's surprisingly comfortable. Just doesn't look great and sometimes gets caught on things. Meh.
Masque wrote:
Alas, my Z8’s rubber grip has done the thing they do: expanded.
I ordered the replacement part from Nikon’s parts site before looking at the replacement procedure — this thing is screwed in! And to get to those two screws, I need to go through the battery compartment from the back. This means taking off the viewfinder, top case, back case, back display, and a main logic board or two.
I’m no stranger to tiny-screwdriver work, but it looks a bit finicky. Still, I’d rather not be without this body for the time it’d take Nikon to complete the service.
Anyone here done this themselves? Tips/tricks would be appreciated. ...Show more →
Yeah, looking at the teardowns of the Z8, I'd be concerned about all the fragile electronics mini connectors. If you're near Seattle, Glazers might be able to turn it around quicker than sending it into Nikon.
I've done a grip replacement on a Sony mirrorless body, and that required removing the back plate, disconnecting the LCD ribbon connector and a few other things. The process was a bit nerve wracking.
Masque wrote:
Was the grip also screwed in from the battery compartment there? I'm interested to hear more.
I haven't had this experience with any prior Nikons; my D70's rubber eventually detached, but that was more an adhesive failure than anything else. I know it CAN happen, and it seems I won a bad lottery this time.
Honestly, with the grip larger and sticking out a bit, it's surprisingly comfortable. Just doesn't look great and sometimes gets caught on things. Meh.
On that body it was just double sided tape, no disassembly required. I would not want to try disassembling the camera to do this.
