Is the Nikon Z30 imminent? Nikon has registered a new DX Z-mount camera

UPDATE: Nikon has registered a new DX Z-mount camera. Could it be the Nikon Z30, or potentially a Nikon Z50 II? 

The Nikon Z30 has been rumored for some time, with rumblings that it will omit an electronic viewfinder while featuring a fixed LCD screen, a single card slot and a 24 or 26MP sensor. However, the newly registered camera could also be a successor to the Nikon Z50, since it features the same battery. 

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The overseas registration was spotted by Nokishita, and reveals that the new Z-mount camera will come bundled with the Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR lens and use the same EN-EL25 battery that's currently only used by the Z50. So this looks to be either a Mark II update of the camera (as seen with the recent Nikon Z6 II and Nikon Z7 II) or evidence that the new entry level Nikon Z30 will use the same, smaller cell. 

A camera registration means that a reveal and announcement is often just a few weeks away, so expect to see more leaks soon. 

ORIGINAL STORY (08 Feb): There’s always lots of talk and rumor around Nikon cameras, but all we have right now is renewed speculation that a new APS-C Nikon Z30 model, positioned below the current Nikon Z50, will arrive in the first half of 2021, and that this may not have an EVF, just a rear screen. Will this replace the much-loved Nikon D3500 as Nikon's cheapest entry-level interchangeable lens camera?

The existing Nikon Z50 is decent camera, but priced for hobbyists and not beginners. Once the D3500 disappears for good (and the D5600 with it, we believe), novice photographers will lose what we think is the best beginner camera on the market, and so far we’ve heard nothing from Nikon to suggest a replacement is waiting in the wings.

Right now, the best cameras for beginners are older models on sale at discounted prices. It’s been years (literally) since any camera maker released a new, budget beginner camera.

However, there are certain things we think any beginner camera should have, including a viewfinder, and if the talk about a new Nikon Z30 mirrorless model is correct, it won’t have one.

Is this the end for Nikon DSLRs?

Apparently not. Nikon Rumors has reported that two new Nikon DSLRs will be released in the second half of 2021, along with several new F-mount lenses. This is encouraging news for DSLR fans, but we don’t know whether either of these will be a D3500 replacement.

Not surprisingly, Nikon is shifting its R&D resources towards mirrorless cameras, but so far all the attention seems to have been on its full frame cameras and lenses. The APS-C Nikon Z50, launched back in December 2019, is an able and affordable camera, but it still only has two native DX-format Z mount lenses.

We all get very excited about full frame cameras and lenses, but let’s not forget that beginners need to start somewhere. 

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