Here’s why I think rumors of a Nikon Z30 II releasing this summer make sense

In a couple of months, we’ll be celebrating the Nikon Z30’s fourth birthday, so it came as no surprise to see Digital Camera Info reporting on a rumor post by Camera Beta revolving around the registering of a new camera with the designation “N2324”.

The post explains that the heaviest Nikon camera rumors currently surround the Nikon Z9 II and Nikon Z30 II. And with the former supposedly pushed back until the tail end of the year, a second coming of Nikon’s vlogger-focused APS-C mirrorless seems more likely. However, I’d also note that the Nikon Zfc was released before the original Nikon Z30. And boy would I love to see a Nikon Zfc II.

If you’ll allow me to indulge in a little conjecture, I think there’s a strong possibility we will see either a Nikon Z30 II or Nikon Zfc II at some point this year, assuming Nikon follows a similar pattern to its first-gen APS-C mirrorless releases. You see, the original Nikon Z50 launched at the end of 2019.

A little over a year and a half later, it launched the Nikon Zfc, and a year after that the Nikon Z30. If you don’t know, the Zfc and Z30 were essentially modified Z50 cameras, with almost exactly the same internals. The Zfc being a retro-themed camera and the Z30 a video/vlogging-centric camera.

This is important because Nikon released the Nikon Z50 II in November 2024. If history is to repeat itself, we will soon be due a new iteration of the Z50 II’s tech. However, the imaging landscape has changed quite a lot since the original Nikon Z50’s release. Video and video tech has become even more prominent and Nikon’s acquisition of RED has caused the company to invest much more in video features. Thus, it stands to reason that a Nikon Z30 II may take precedence right now.

I’d also argue that the Nikon Z30 is in need of an update more than the Nikon Zfc. By its very nature, the Nikon Zfc is a stills-first camera. And while it doesn’t boast the most cutting-edge imaging tech, it doesn’t really need to. It captures gorgeous photos and is one of the best-looking cameras on the market. In fact, I recently pushed this cheap retro camera to its limit on the streets of New York and it held up surprisingly well.

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Interested in video? Here are the best cameras for vlogging and the best cameras for video. For more of my Nikon-themed ramblings: The decade-old Nikon D800 is still a beast, and here’s why.