Will we see a Nikon Z5 MkII in 2022?

The Nikon Z5 will be 2 years old in July 2022. We have already gotten Mark II's for the Z6 and Z7. What does everyone think will we see an upgraded Z5 this year?

Nah. The Z6 and Z7 I think got released a little early due to some complaints about dual card slots, battery life, and some other things.

The Z5 for a more entry level FF camera already had that out of the gate, and it's less likely to be used by working pros, so less of a demand for a refresh.

I'd say 2023, and if anything, they might make it into a Zf

If the world was normal we might. But with shipping, labor, supply chain issues world wide I think the two year cycle will slip to three for all the cameras.
I’m sure that Nikon have a Z5ii, Z6/7iii and Z50Ii either ready or near ready for production. I also sure that there will be some filtering of Z9 bits and features coming. Not that I know any of this, it is just how Nikon has done camera updates for as long as I can remember (going back to the N6006/F601 which got some F4 features). Updates were less common with film cameras, where DSLR cameras have mostly followed a two year cycle. Our Z cameras are to new to have a solid schedule, but looking at the Z6/7 to Z6/7ii our Z cameras seem to be on a two year update. One could see the Zfc as the Z50ii.

So that raises the question do you think they will improve the autofocus and speed limitations of the Z5 enough to make it worth waiting?

Just_Scott said:

So that raises the question do you think they will improve the autofocus and speed limitations of the Z5 enough to make it worth waiting?

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I don’t find the AF and speed ( frame rate ) limitations of the Z5 limiting given its target audience. Or for me. But I can only say that it works well enough for me. Can’t speak for anyone else.

Something has to differentiate it from the more expensive bodies.

Would not expect Z6ii (or latest Z6) performance via a Z5 firmware update or even in Z5ii at this time. Otherwise it would just be a Z6ii with a different name

Processing power and firmware limitations may preclude significant upgrades to the Z5. That’s just speculation on my part.

I wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t see a Z5ii for another 3 years or longer, so a year or two after a Z6iii. Again speculation on my part

Note that the D610 never got an update and the D750 didn’t get an update for 7 years

Just_Scott said:

So that raises the question do you think they will improve the autofocus and speed limitations of the Z5 enough to make it worth waiting?

Click to expand...

I don't know enough to venture a guess. If there is a long time for a Z5ii, Nikon may try to push an update to keep the loyal around. But there are limits to what can be achieved with the hardware and with staff. Only Nikon executives really know and they are being closed mouth.

If it gets the next gen chip, it will by default get better than the original Z5.

But of course, they would want to release the Z6iii and Z7iii before the Z5ii, and use whatever EXPEED7 chips they can make and put them into those bodies with higher margins. And they want to release the more expensive bodies first.

So it depends on when we see those two bodies. If we don’t see them in the summer/fall, then it’s very unlikely we see the Z5ii this year. If we get those two bodies in summer/fall, there is still a remote chance of it happening, albeit still slim.

Just_Scott said:

The Nikon Z5 will be 2 years old in July 2022. We have already gotten Mark II's for the Z6 and Z7. What does everyone think will we see an upgraded Z5 this year?

Click to expand...

You have seen the meow shutter sound. Maybe we will see some more innovative shutter sound.

My biggest wish for the Z5 ii is a faster burst speed. The current 4.5 fps is too slow. It doesn't need to be as fast as the Z6 with it's 14 fps, but even 7 or 8 fps would be a great upgrade. I don't really care about no video crop because I don't do video on cameras that much. If I do it would be 1080p.