Nikon Z8 flaws strike again as owners take to social media with reports of broken strap lugs

Despite being very well-received by both reviewers and photographers alike, the Nikon Z8 seems to be having a bit of a rough time since its release. First, Nikon had to recall a specific batch of Z8s thanks to a lens mount issue that prevented lenses from being mounted to the camera. More recently, according to Nikon Rumors, Nikon Z8 users seem to be having some trouble with the camera's strap eyelet lugs falling out or becoming loose.

A few users have posted to social media about their camera straps breaking during use, with one particular user's breakage causing them to drop and fatally damage their camera. Judging from the images uploaded to the Nikon Z8 Facebook group, it isn't an issue with the plastic moulding or the metal casting, since there is no visible damage to either. Rather, the issue seems to lie with the assembly itself coming apart or not being properly assembled from the get-go.

As of the time of writing, Nikon has not yet addressed the issue, but affected users should receive warranty support, as it does appear to be a manufacturing defect. If it is widespread enough, it's likely that the Nikon Z8 will be the subject of yet another recall. While there has been no official statement, a local Nikon distributor in Rotterdam allegedly told one Z8 user that this was a known issue, and that he would receive a replacement unit under warranty.

It's disappointing to see such a well-reviewed, capable camera suffer blows like this, and, while these types of manufacturing defects are almost certainly very rare, seeing two build-quality issues pop up back-to-back does call Nikon's quality control into question somewhat. It is unclear, though, just how widespread the issue is, and until Nikon addresses it with a statement or recall, there's no reason to assume it is a rampant issue.

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