Df (and other) rubber grip

[Airy]

Mine is getting loose after 2 years of admittedly intensive use, to the extent that it fell off twice when picking the camera (after some warming and massaging, it would stick again, to a limited extent).

At the camera shop, they said the cause was the solvent-free glue allowed in Europe; Df sold in Japan do not exhibit that nasty behavior. I am a bit surprized by the explanation, since the Dfs are anyway assembled outside Europe, right?

Moreover they said that I could return the camera to get it serviced. But I do not want to part for two weeks from the camera that accompanied every single step I made since May 2014. Call that a fetish if you like, but in fact I think it is a bit ridiculous, there must be a simpler way. Maple syrup? too sweet. Neoprene glue? is probably going to dissolve the rubber. Give up the rubber and glue some gaffer tape instead? inelegant. Put double-sided adhesive tape to re-glue the rubber? but I do not know the best way to first get rid of the present glue.

Shto dyelat, as Lenin put it...

[stenrasmussen]

I wonder if thin carpet tape will work. Its super strong adhesive nature ought to work well.

[Airy]

Ok, I'll try it. And what about removing the present glue?

[John Geerts]

I am bound to encounter the same problem. So I am curious too about the solution

[BW]

I think the best solution is to use the nail and scrape it off manually. It doesent harm the the rubber or the camera chassi. I used Aquaseal to glue it on again on my D3s. My Df is also starting to loose the rubber but I have used gorilla tape to create a some grip. I guess the kind of tape they use on hockeysticks will give better friction. I never worry about appereance, just function.

[Bjørn Rørslett]

If the problem should surface on my Df, it'll be the responsibility of the local Nikon repair facility to fix it. Just chat with my contact(s) to ensure they can do the job quickly while I wait.

There are, as yet, no signs of loosening covers on my camera.

[Airy]

There is no such thing as a local Nikon repair facility in Lille. There are only 1.5 million inhabitants here in the far North (of France, that is to say), so why bother.

Not even sensor cleaning is possible without giving up the camera. French service.

[Bjørn Rørslett]

Guess I'm lucky then, even through there are no more than 1.5 Million people in my region of Norway ...

[Akira]

I think I've seen a hands-on sample of Df with deteriorated grip in a large retailer here in Tokyo.  Of course, such a sample is rather abused, but I'm not sure if the adhesive is the culprit.  I've also heard that recent models uses special double-sided tapes instead of the adhesive to attach the rubber grip.  Sten's advice seems to work.  You could remove the residual adhesive using sticky tapes, which is my usual procedure whenever I want to remove the sticky adhesive of the removed tape.

I'm concerned if the rubber grip itself is somewhat deformed like the one on the hands-on sample I saw, which would make the matter a bit complicated.  In the past, there were problem of the grips ripped of from the higher-end models like D2.  I've seen many hands-on samples with loose grips on the retailers, and they are in general deformed and a bit stretched.

[JJChan]

My Df rubber has been stretched and peeling almost since I got it. I had same issue with D200 after its IR surgery

I have replaced them with 'OEM' rubber grips from China and USA (search for Df rubber on eBay)

YMMV
JJ

[tommiejeep]

JJ, not being a 'purist' , and initially worried about the size of the grip on the Df,  my half case arrived before the Df.  The fact that most of my shooting is done in a hot, humid climate is another factor.  I gave up on using Lens Coats on the 500 vr since they only last 6 months before losing their shape , grip.  The elasticity goes  .  No sign of any problem with the Df's rubber grip.

ps I am really enjoying the Summarit M 75 f2.5 but still have not used it head to head with the Voigt 75 f2.5 LMT so keeping both  .  I did get a very good deal on the Summarit from a Dealer in Auckland N.Z. ( probably known to Roland) and Customs and Excise treated me well 
Tom

[Fons Baerken]

Used some superglue from the hardware store to stick it back on

[Harald]

I bought a new one for 14€ directly from a NSP.

Harald

[JJChan]

ps I am really enjoying the Summarit M 75 f2.5 but still have not used it head to head with the Voigt 75 f2.5 LMT so keeping both  .  I did get a very good deal on the Summarit from a Dealer in Auckland N.Z. ( probably known to Roland) and Customs and Excise treated me well 
Tom

Tom
That's great! The M Summarit 75  were selling for Singapore $950 as a close out at Cathay Photo! They also had 35mm Summarit for same price. I thought long and hard and when I got back to the store 3 days later they were all sold out! It goes to show that if there is a good deal, one should grab first and regret later...

JJ

[Peter Connan]

If you use superglue, be very careful to apply only enough.

This stuff tends to flow well and get into all sorts of places where you didn't want it.