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 Z5 II, 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 ZR

Since buying Red, Nikon hasn't done much with the cinema brand other than put a Z mount on a couple of Red cameras – but that could be due to change by the end of the year.

The Big N is rumored to be launching the Nikon ZR, where the "R" stands for – you guessed it – "Red". The chatter I'm hearing is a bit unclear, but suggests that the camera might be Sony FX3-like in form and/or function.

At the same time, it's also been likened to the Nikon Z30, which I can only guess is because of the sort-of-similar ergonomics (namely the brick-like shape and lack of finder). Either way, it will apparently have a chunky rear LCD screen and is likely to feature the 24.5MP partially stacked sensor from the Nikon Z6 III.

None of which really helps narrow down where this camera might be pitched. Presumably somewhere similar to the FX3, but given Canon's success with the more everyman Canon EOS R50 V I wonder if Nikon should be aiming more squarely at creators?

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).

Oh, and you can ignore those very plausible-looking presentation slides that were "leaked" at the beginning of April. They were, as you may have guessed, an April Fool (which originated in China, for anyone curious!).

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 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 posting specifications.

One of the big rumors I'm hearing right now is that the camera will feature a 67MP sensor to topple the Sony A7R V, but this doesn't seem to come from anywhere credible. Instead, I'd expect the traditional resolution of 45.7MP, but perhaps a partially stacked sensor a la the Z6 III. Though I wonder if it actually needs a stacked sensor at all; given that the Z6 III and Z8 / Z9 are the speed demons of the family.

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 probably look forward to 8 stops of compensation.

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.

More camera rumors: Canon rumors • Sony rumors • Olympus rumors • Fuji rumors • Panasonic rumors • Hasselblad rumors • Leica rumors • Ricoh & Pentax rumors • GoPro rumors