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It’s been a steady climb for Nikon in the mirrorless photography segment over the last 4 years. The last two especially, have seen various new cameras aimed at amateurs and prosumers, and a plethora of lenses released across all skill levels. With a handful of releases this year so far, Nikon photographers are curious to know what the second half of 2025 might bring for their favorite camera brand.
What’s Been Released So Far This Year?
Some unexpected releases and some long-awaited ones made their way towards Nikon users this year.
Nikon 35mm f1.2 Z S
By far the best Nikon Z lens we’ve used to date, the Nikon 35mm f1.2 Z S offers unmatched image quality and autofocus performance in this focal length segment. Plus, it has tons of lens character. This lens was released in February this year and joins Nikon’s other 35mm Z lenses, the Nikon 35mm f1.4 and the Nikon 35mm f1.8 S.
Nikon P1100
Not a camera you’d carry around to remain unobtrusive, the rather bulky-looking point-and-shoot Nikon P1100 also came out in February this year. Slow as it may be at times to use, you can’t help but appreciate the fact that the company has managed to get a staggering 125x optical zoom lens inside this. It’s great for birding if you’re an amateur photographer who doesn’t want to clean out your bank balance buying pro telephoto lenses.
Nikon Z5 II
The Nikon Z5 II was released in April this year. It is an entry-level camera in their full-frame mirrorless camera lineup, but it packs a punch well above its weight. Anyone looking for a highly capable camera in 2025, including professionals, should definitely take a look at what this camera has to offer.
Could Nikon Surprise Us More?
According to a recent article by NikonRumors, there are still a few more surprises lined up for us this year.
Nikon Z9 II
It’s been nearly four years since the launch of the flagship Nikon Z9, a camera that has gotten significantly better with each major firmware upgrade Nikon has released. According to this report, Nikon is expected to announce the successor to this beast. I had expected to see this sometime last year, around the time of the 2024 Olympics in Paris, and even wondered if it would be a 24 megapixel version. Given that the Winter Olympics aren’t too far away, it could be the ideal time for Nikon to make this announcement. Should this be a major upgrade, we can expect to see:
- 10-bit internal recording
- Enhanced AI-based algorithms for advanced subject and object detection
- Lightweight magnesium body
- Fully movable LCD screen
- Dual CFexpress Type B card slots
- The Potential of 5G Wireless Connectivity
Nikon Zf Silver Edition
I was really surprised when Nikon didn’t launch the Zf with a silver body top-half option, similar to the Nikon FM2 it was based on. If this comes out this year, I might be tempted to trade in my all black Zf for the silver edition. These kinds of options are what made photographers want to carry around their Fujifilm cameras all the time
More Lenses
We might not see all of the below units announced this year, but the report says Nikon does seem to have many of the below lenses lined up:
- DX Z 35mm f/1.8 Z (around 50mm full-frame equivalent)
- DX Z 16-50mm f/2.8 (basically an APS-C 24-70 lens)
- Z 100-300mm or 120-300mm f/2.8 lens (the latter I would totally want to buy as it would be perfect for my sports photography)
- Z 85mm f/1.4 – this would complete the trinity of the 85mm f1.8 and 85mm f1.2 Z lenses
The report also suggests that there might be another 14-24mm f2.8 lens, but there’s hardly any reason to release a new version of this now.
If we don’t see any of these released this year, there’s still a possibility that they might be announced at least in the coming months and launched early in 2026. Stay tuned for another article where we look at what lenses Nikon needs to bring out to ensure it doesn’t lose out to third-party lens manufacturers.
