Camera rumors in 2025: what cameras are coming, officially and otherwise!

Nikon rumors 2025

The Nikon rumors have, of late, all come to fruition – which only gives further credence to the old "where there's smoke, there's fire" adage.

Already this year we've had the Nikon Z50 II and, more significantly, the first "Yellow Red" or "Red Zed" Nikon / Red cameras featuring the Z mount.

So, with the Z lineup now comprising everything from entry-level to professional to prestige retro cameras (along with the Nikon Z fc Heralbony collabs, which might be the grooviest cameras the company has ever made), what are the latest Nikon rumors as 2025 gets underway?

Nikon Z5 II

It looks like the Nikon Z5 II is going to be the next camera launched by the Big N – and I've heard that it's going to be announced in April.

That makes it five years since we received the original Nikon Z5, but I wouldn't expect half a decade's worth of technological upgrades; like the recent Nikon Z50 II, I suspect we'll be getting small updates to the already successful formula.

Remember that the Z5 series is an entry-level full-frame camera – and it already packs a lot of punch, with in-body image stabilization and dual memory card slots. So I expect iteration, such as the addition of the Z50 II's Picture Control button, rather than a dramatic ramp-up of firepower.

Still, there's been talk that it could take some of the trickle-down tech from the Z6 family – and might even inherit some smarts from the Nikon Zf (which was itself modeled after the Nikon Z6 II).

Nonetheless, I'm predicting a continued focus on a competitive price tag rather than competing in the specs race with the likes of the uber-powerful Canon EOS R8.

Nikon Z video body

The latest word is that Nikon is leveraging its Red ownership to take on Sony's enormously popular FX series of cameras.

This new video-centric camera will apparently be a different proposition to the Z-mount versions of the Red cinema cameras, but will be a distinctly Nikon-branded body that's somewhere between a Z6 III and a Sony FX3.

The creator market is an incredibly fertile one at the moment, and it will be interesting to see if Nikon can mirror Red's success with top-tier filmmaking cameras.

Nikon Z9 II

The pandemic, along with the consequent supply chain collapse, knocked the Olympic cycle of flagship cameras out of whack. Traditionally, the big three manufacturers would sync the launch of their flagships with the Summer Olympic Games – but that's largely gone out of the window, and the Nikon Z9 II will apparently arrive in time for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

From what I've heard, you should expect evolution rather than revolution – much as was the case with the incremental advancements of the Sony A1 II over the original Sony A1. So you can expect largely the same core tech in the Z9 II, including the same sensor as the Nikon Z9.

What could be the biggest development will be on the video side, as Nikon is reportedly set to double down on the Z9's outstanding video specs by incorporating technology from Red (maker of some of the best cinema cameras, which Nikon bought in 2024).

Nikon Z7 III

There has been so much noise about the Nikon Z7 III that it's difficult to separate genuine information from wishful thinking. The launch of the Z6 III has forced rumors about the new Z7 to kick into overdrive, with some whispers insisting that the camera isn't coming any time soon and others insisting that it's imminent – and even positing specifications.

Having heard all the rumors, here's what I think: the original Z7 launched in 2018 and the Z7 II arrived in 2020 – and each saw the simultaneous launch of the Z6 and Z6 II respectively. Whatever we make of the fact that the Z6 III has broken this synchronous cycle, it has still been four years since the Z7 II – so it is due an update sooner than later.

Expect a traditional resolution of 45.7MP, but perhaps a partially stacked sensor a la the Z6 III. It is likely that 8K will remain the domain of the Z8 and Z9, so we're probably still looking at 4K video (or 6K at best), but the bump in image stabilization seen in other bodies is sure to appear here – so you can look forward to 8 stops of compensation.

I'm hearing conflicting stories about whether or not the sensor will be stacked – and, further, whether it will be fully or partially stacked, like the Z6 III. Again, I wonder if Nikon will shore up the product line delineation – with the Z6 III being video-focused, and the Z8 and Z9 being speed-focused – meaning that the Z7 III won't actually need a stacked sensor at all, and can focus more on being a stills and resolution specialist…

Nikon Zf II

I've heard some scuttlebutt about a Nikon Zf II, but honestly it feels like wishful thinking more than anything.

To me, the whole point of the Nikon Zf is that it's a premium, special camera series – so the notion of iterating it into spin-offs with incremental improvements can only devalue that specialness.

Still, if the rumblings of an upgraded version with a 33MP sensor are true, that would certainly be interesting – though, truthfully, I think Nikon would be far better served producing some complementary retro lenses for the Zf and Zf c, rather than making new versions of cameras without enough lenses to go with them.

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