Right to Repair: Nikon opens up Self Service Repair section on website

At one time, repairing your own camera wasn’t just an option. It was usually the only way. Service manuals to find or make replacement parts were easy to come by. Things have changed a lot over the years.

These days, it seems to be getting more and more difficult to repair your own electronics and cameras. Nikon’s trying to change, that, however, with a new Self Service Repair section on the Nikon website.

Nikon Self Service Repair Manuals

The new Self Service Repair section is still a little sparse at the moment. In fact, it contains only three items. There are two Nikon laser rangefinders and the Nikon Nikkor Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR lens for Z mount mirrorless cameras.

Nikon does have a set of terms with various disclaimers for those who wish to repair their own kit. The message is simple, you’re on your own and we won’t be there to help if you screw it up. Of course, it will also likely void your warranty.

The Manual is provided to help you repair on your own the above-mentioned applicable product that you have purchased. Please note that, if you repair the above-mentioned applicable product on your own, we will not provide customer support or assistance regarding the repair manual or how to repair the above-mentioned applicable products.

If that doesn’t put you off, though, and you want to have a go at fixing your Nikon gear, well, you’re in luck. Well, you are if you own the Nikkor Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR or one of those two models of laser rangefinder.

In-depth, but not a wide range yet

Hopefully, we’ll start to see more service manuals coming in the future – particularly for discontinued gear that Nikon doesn’t even repair anymore. There are an awful lot of dead or dying F mount bodies and lenses out there that Nikon won’t even touch.

Inexperienced users are afraid to fix it themselves due to a lack of reliable repair information. But now, Nikon’s giving them the literal instruction books on disassembly, and reassembly of their products. This will hopefully help to rejuvinate a lot of unused gear as the collection expands.

Of course, this is assuming the collection will expand. It’s possible that we may see only rare and infrequent updates to the Self Service Repair archive, with just one or two new additions each time. Hopefully not, though.

Right to Repair

The Right to Repair movement is an attempt to fight the ever-growing desire of companies to make their products unrepairable. After all, they’ve already sold the product once. Repairing it doesn’t make them any more money, does it? So, they want you to throw it out and buy another when it dies.

While this works with some customers, many simply choose to no longer buy those products, when possible. They either buy from a competitor or go without.

Now, though the public is fighting back. We want to be able to repair the things we buy. We don’t want to spend a fortune on something to have it suddenly brick itself three years later, forcing us to buy another. Even Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has come out in support of it.

The fight is ongoing, but it’s nice to see which side of the line Nikon appears to fall on.

You can visit the Nikon Self Service Repair website here.