Fuji XE5 - Z30II

Fuji looks like it has a potential hit (aside from US pricing) with the XE5 and I'm curious to get the community take on a potential Z30II (yes, it's been done before, but now there's a real target camera)

crop or full frame? Fixed or interchangeable lenses? Optical, EVF or hybrid?

I think if a potential Z30II was made, the target camera that Nikon would want to compete with is the X-M5, not the X-E5.

Imho, Nikon would just take the Z30 chassis and give it the Expeed 7 treatment.

Nikon already has a price competitive camera to compete with the X-E5, it's called the Z5II (or the Zf, when on sale)

TonyNC said:

Fuji looks like it has a potential hit (aside from US pricing) with the XE5 and I'm curious to get the community take on a potential Z30II (yes, it's been done before, but now there's a real target camera)

crop or full frame? Fixed or interchangeable lenses? Optical, EVF or hybrid?

Click to expand...

I agree with the other responder. The Z30 compares more with the X-M5 than the X-E5. Without an actual EVF, any Z30 model is a total non-starter for me. Add an EVF to it and you're competing with a Z50.

Look at the price of the X-E5 ($1700 in the US). That's quite a bit more than the Z50II. And double the cost of a Z30. You're into full frame Z5 territory.

Now, if you want the Z30 to morph into a rangefinder styled body with a corner EVF I'd be interested in seeing what Nikon can do. In addition to the EVF it would need to add IBIS and significantly increase the MP count. If it does that then what is the point of the Z50?

Fujifilm appears to be trying to cultivate a Leica-like following. They do it with retro styling and controls, some retro unique bodies like X-Half, and above all else the hype around Fujifilm film simulations.

You can't and shouldn't try to, compete with that. For Fujifilm users the film simulations are like religion.

Now to be fair, I expect the next new Nikon cameras to be heavily impacted by tariffs.

TonyNC said:

Fuji looks like it has a potential hit (aside from US pricing) with the XE5 and I'm curious to get the community take on a potential Z30II (yes, it's been done before, but now there's a real target camera)

crop or full frame? Fixed or interchangeable lenses? Optical, EVF or hybrid?

Click to expand...

I don't really thing the X-E5 is a "hit" for non-Fuji shooters. It is probably for fuji shooters. However, I don't think it will impact the Z30 II (if there is one). If anything, the Z5 II at the same price has the X-E5 beat out the door in many respects despite being a larger, heavier camera. But from a value and feature standpoint, I think it beats the X-E5 on many fronts.

I don't think the X-E5 is going to sway Nikon to necessarily rush to update the Z30 II to be honest. Especially if an FX-style video camera (Nikon "ZR") is due to the be released this year. Of course this camera will be FF and more expensive, but Nikon may not bother updating the Z30 II because of cameras like the Z5 II and the upcoming ZR. Plus at least compared to Canon, the Z30 is still positioned quite well against their latest R50 V and /V1 release. If anything, Nikon will just make an EVF-less Z50 II for a Z30 II. So add the Expeed 7 and call it a day, but for most of the intended audience, I think the Z30 is still a viable option as it does record 4k30 which is probably still the most popular format for most vloggers.

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TonyNC said:

Fuji looks like it has a potential hit (aside from US pricing) with the XE5 and I'm curious to get the community take on a potential Z30II (yes, it's been done before, but now there's a real target camera)

crop or full frame? Fixed or interchangeable lenses? Optical, EVF or hybrid?

Click to expand...

Based on precedent so far in the Z line, a Z30ii would be a viewfinder-free (due to Z30), APS-C (due to two-digit model number), low-end (due to model number being low), interchangeable lens mirrorless body. Almost certainly it would have the Expeed7 chip.

A full-frame no-viewfinder camera would probably be named Z3.

A fixed-lens version would not have the Z moniker, because “Z” refers to the interchangeable lens mount - which doesn’t exist in a fixed-lens camera.

A few here have pined for a Nikon S rangefinder-style camera but I don’t see Nikon doing it. That would be a Z camera too … maybe with a three-digit model number?

Z30II with an EVF (rangefinder style) would be an instant buy for me.

PLShutterbug said:

TonyNC said:

Fuji looks like it has a potential hit (aside from US pricing) with the XE5 and I'm curious to get the community take on a potential Z30II (yes, it's been done before, but now there's a real target camera)

crop or full frame? Fixed or interchangeable lenses? Optical, EVF or hybrid?

Click to expand...

Based on precedent so far in the Z line, a Z30ii would be a viewfinder-free (due to Z30), APS-C (due to two-digit model number), low-end (due to model number being low), interchangeable lens mirrorless body. Almost certainly it would have the Expeed7 chip.

A full-frame no-viewfinder camera would probably be named Z3.

A fixed-lens version would not have the Z moniker, because “Z” refers to the interchangeable lens mount - which doesn’t exist in a fixed-lens camera.

A few here have pined for a Nikon S rangefinder-style camera but I don’t see Nikon doing it. That would be a Z camera too … maybe with a three-digit model number?

Click to expand...

Nikon can make a "Zs" Nikon S type camera. To me, the "Z" name doesn't necessarily mean interchangable, as Nikon does refer to the entire system as the "Z system" not specifically the mount but the entire system as a whole. So if anything, I'd associate the "Z" loosely meaning Nikon's mirrorless system as a whole, which could include cameras with integrated lenses, but those will probably not have numbers associated with them, although some may have interchangable lenses like the Zf series, but some may not. But the numbered bodies likely will always have interchangable lenses. But the non-numbered ones may not. So a "Zs" may have a fixed lens, but the ZR (video camera) will have the Z mount (and not a fixed lens). The "Zs" also could have an interchangable lens, as the original Nikon S didn't have a fixed lens. But I wouldn't necessarily assume all Z cameras will have interchangable lenses just because of the Z-mount.

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I would disagree with that conjecture. If you could point me to 50 years of F cameras that did not have interchangeable lenses that used the F mount.

michaeladawson said:

I would disagree with that conjecture. If you could point me to 50 years of F cameras that did not have interchangeable lenses that used the F mount.

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There hasn't been any obviously, but I believe Nikon will still use the "Z" prefix to denote it's mirrorlesss. Just how they used "F" in some cases to denote film (although not always) and "D" for DSLRs, and now they use "Z" to denote mirrorless (lenses and cameras). Companies can change how they do things. After all, after 60+ years Nikon changed the mount. Things change over time. What they used to do may no longer be the concept moving forward, and I think for Nikon, in some respects, they are ditching some of their old habits/conventions as the Z system as a whole ushers in a new era of camera for Nikon. DSLRs were losely similar to the film camreas, just the media was different, but the overall concept was relatively the same (SLR) with a mirror. The mirrorless systems totally change that and that's where I think Nikon is pushing the entire system as a "Z" system.

Frankly, we don't know what a digital Nikon S would be like, but I'm quite sure they will put a "Z" in front of what ever they call it. Not to mention the original Nikon S did have interchangable lenses, so a digital version may likely also be the same (but have an OVF instead of an EVF like is found on most modern cameras).

Just how canon refers to their mirrorless system as the "EOS R" system. Sony had to change theirs to E-mount for obvious reasons (A-mount was for their SLRs). Fuji also does the same thing, and Fuji at least does have integrated lenses that are also started with an "X" even though cameras like the X100VI aren't interchangable, it's still based on the X-platform in a broad sense. So I sort of suspect Nikon would do the same thing.

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Nikon needs more DX lenses than it does more DX bodies right now.

I can't say you're wrong. Until Nikon actually comes out with a fixed lens Z body we'll never know.

But I don't think they will. Over the years Nikon has produced many Coolpix models. They produced the Nikon 1 series. They produced the ill-fated DL bodies. So clearly Expeed doesn't define the D or Z designation. And yes, these are all different sensor sizes.

I'm not even sure the first F mount cameras used F to denote film. Of course they were film. That's all there was back then. The Nikon S came before F. Did Nikon need to use F to designate a film camera and differentiate it from the S that was already out there? Clearly not.

I think the only thing that seems certain is that Nikon used D to differentiate their digital F mount bodies from their film F mount bodies.

Anyway, this is an armchair discussion. Until something is produced to prove it one way or the other we'll never know.