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What will the next Z camera be?

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Digmen1

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With the Z9 being released very soon.....

What Z camera do you think Nikon will work on next?

What Z camera woud you like them to work on next?
 
Z50 is the oldest camera in their lineup without any update so far. And I think they could use Expeed 7 there without substantial risk of cannibalizing Z9 sales. So they don't have to wait and they could update it soon. Whether they will really do it is another thing.
 
BasilG said:
Low-end DX Z (Z30) seems to be the most likely. Z50 upgrade would make sense as well.
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Nikon's Z mirrorless FX line up is quite full at this point. I too expect them to expand in the DX area, but what Nikon really needs is more lenses. Expect more lenses are announced at the CES in early January, 2022.
 
shuncheung said:
BasilG said:
Low-end DX Z (Z30) seems to be the most likely. Z50 upgrade would make sense as well.
Click to expand...
Nikon's Z mirrorless FX line up is quite full at this point. I too expect them to expand in the DX area, but what Nikon really needs is more lenses. Expect more lenses are announced at the CES in early January, 2022.
Click to expand...
That would be nice. ;)
 
I also think a Z50 update is likely.

An FX Zf could be interesting, and I bet there'll be one some day but not soon. Another interesting possibility would be something like the Sony A7c, since Nikon now has a few compact lenses available and another on the roadmap (the 26mm). That 26 is an odd one, though, and I wonder if they're pulling a "24-105" so as not to tip their hand too much.
 
I'm thinking, and praying, for a Z Ff or Fx. Full frame version of Fc. With the success of the little Fc, I wouldn;t be surprised if Nikon does some re-prioritization to bring it forward in schedule.
 
Some Random guesses:

1. Entry level, Z5ii or Zf. I guess the later has higher possibility. According to Thom Z5 does not sell as well as Nikon expected, while the production cost is quite high considering dual SD card slot / IBIS / sealing. So a Zf / Z6 market segregation could be better than a Z5 / Z6 segregation. But Nikon has to think about how to make those huge full frame S lenses look good on Zf...on Zfc even 50/1.8s looks funny.

2. Mid range: Z6iii. Pretty much guaranteed with Expeed7 processor. But I am wondering what sensor would it use. I doubt Nikon will use Sony's new 33mp because it is a bummer. Bad rolling shutter and only cropped 4k60p. This is not any better than what Z6ii can already offer. Also because Nikon does not have A9 / R3 like Sony, I believe they can offer Z6iii a sensor with much faster readout speed. Maybe not as good as stacked sensor design but maybe 1/60s. This is already much better than A7iv.

3. High-end: Z8, Pretty much guaranteed with Expeed7 processor and a 'pro' body design. I guess it will use Sony's 60mp sensor like D850.
 
Biggs23 said:
shuncheung said:
BasilG said:
Low-end DX Z (Z30) seems to be the most likely. Z50 upgrade would make sense as well.
Click to expand...
Nikon's Z mirrorless FX line up is quite full at this point.
Click to expand...
Not really.
Click to expand...
Nikon is still selling new Z6 and Z7. With the Z9 coming this month, plus Z5, Z6ii and Z7ii, that would be a total of six "current" bodies. Maybe they can add a retro FX, but I don't expect any more FX bodies until they drop the Z6 and Z7. After that, perhaps the 6ii and 7ii can move to the "old generation" category to make room for something new.
AcquiredTaste said:
AcquiredTaste said:
I too expect them to expand in the DX area, but what Nikon really needs is more lenses..
Click to expand...
Agreed.
Click to expand...
 
In terms of what would be optimal for the brand in 2022? I think it’s clearly the Z6 III and Z7 III. Those are the most general purpose cameras in the lineup and would satisfy professional users the most.



That would do the most to put the “Nikon is behind/dying” talk behind them. Did the Z50 sell more units than the Z6/Z7? It would make sense to ride the wave of momentum from the Z9. A Z30 or Z50 would be…a mistake, IMO.
 
evaeva0705 said:
Some Random guesses:

1. Entry level, Z5ii or Zf. I guess the later has higher possibility. According to Thom Z5 does not sell as well as Nikon expected, while the production cost is quite high considering dual SD card slot / IBIS / sealing. So a Zf / Z6 market segregation could be better than a Z5 / Z6 segregation. But Nikon has to think about how to make those huge full frame S lenses look good on Zf...on Zfc even 50/1.8s looks funny.

2. Mid range: Z6iii. Pretty much guaranteed with Expeed7 processor. But I am wondering what sensor would it use. I doubt Nikon will use Sony's new 33mp because it is a bummer. Bad rolling shutter and only cropped 4k60p. This is not any better than what Z6ii can already offer. Also because Nikon does not have A9 / R3 like Sony, I believe they can offer Z6iii a sensor with much faster readout speed. Maybe not as good as stacked sensor design but maybe 1/60s. This is already much better than A7iv.

3. High-end: Z8, Pretty much guaranteed with Expeed7 processor and a 'pro' body design. I guess it will use Sony's 60mp sensor like D850.
Click to expand...
I’d be surprised if they didn’t come out with an R3/A9 competitor. There’s a market for a fast sports camera with a focus on high ISO performance.



But you bring up a good point with the Z5. I’m not sure why people think they need to bolster the lineups at the low end when the mid range cameras are the big sellers.



It seems fairly obvious (to me at least) that the mid range sets the tone, is the biggest seller and the most important to the brand.
 
shuncheung said:
Biggs23 said:
shuncheung said:
BasilG said:
Low-end DX Z (Z30) seems to be the most likely. Z50 upgrade would make sense as well.
Click to expand...
Nikon's Z mirrorless FX line up is quite full at this point.
Click to expand...
Not really.
Click to expand...
Nikon is still selling new Z6 and Z7. With the Z9 coming this month, plus Z5, Z6ii and Z7ii, that would be a total of six "current" bodies. Maybe they can add a retro FX, but I don't expect any more FX bodies until they drop the Z6 and Z7. After that, perhaps the 6ii and 7ii can move to the "old generation" category to make room for something new.
Click to expand...
A retro, a high-ISO camera, and a max resolution body would all find solid spots in the lineup.

I do agree, though, they will likely skip those and attack DX first. Oh well.
 
It is hard to predict what order Nikon will deliver things. These are all things likely to come in the next few years.

Z8 - Super high res sensor - perhaps 60-80MP

Z7iii - Inherit some goodness from Z9 (improved AF, fps and video)

Z6iii - Inherit some goodness from Z9 (improved AF, fps and video)

Z90 (or whatever the product number would be) - A mirrorless APS-C for wildlife and daytime sports. Fit in the marketplace like the D500 did, inheriting some speed and AF tech from Z9

Z5ii - upgrade

Z50ii - upgrade

---------

The Z7iii and Z6iii are probably not due until later in 2022 (expecting 2 year cycle).

The Z5 originally launched in July 2020 so a 2 year cycle would make it elibible for a refresh in middle of 2022.

The Z50 originally launched in Nov 2019 so it's now eligible for a refresh.

A Z90 is probably not imminent since it's probably a new sensor and we haven't heard any rumors of such. Since it appears that the D500 was a nicely profitable product for Nikon, I would assume they eventually want a mirrorless equivalent, now that the Z9 is present.

Nikon has apparently been testing much higher resolution sensors for a little while so they could be readying a Z8 based on that and this would not be directly competitive with Z9 (different camera for different purposes), but could very well use the same fast readout mechanism to deliver mid-range fps at very high resolution.

More speculative would be:

Z30 - Cost reduced APS-C body (perhaps no viewfinder, focus on video and vloggers)

Z70 - A move upscale from Z50 (add sensor stabilization and other features)

ZF - Full frame retro body

Z?? - Some new direction Nikon surprises us with
 
Z900 with 40mp sensor
 
michaeladawson said:
vbuhay said:
Digmen1 said:
With the Z9 being released very soon.....

What Z camera do you think Nikon will work on next?
Click to expand...
I am thinking Medium Format...
Click to expand...
Not a prayer in hell.
Click to expand...
Not even if you could use the same z lenses or F lenses with the FTZ adapter... all the Nikon have to do is get a larger sensor, move it back a few mm and adjust the Z9 body and voila - a ZMF....$6500.00 body.
michaeladawson said:
michaeladawson said:
michaeladawson said:
What Z camera woud you like them to work on next?
Click to expand...
Ultra high Dynamic Range medium format.... with zero noise....
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
vbuhay said:
michaeladawson said:
Not a prayer in hell.
Click to expand...
Not even if you could use the same z lenses or F lenses with the FTZ adapter... all the Nikon have to do is get a larger sensor, move it back a few mm and adjust the Z9 body and voila - a ZMF....$6500.00 body.
Click to expand...
Not happening. You got your MF option with the second question in the OP's post. As far as what the most likely next Z camera is... not a prayer in hell for MF.
 
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