The 5 biggest Nikon camera rumors for 2026 – from a D500 successor to Red-inspired video powerhouses

A recent questionnaire for Nikon's Financial Results for the 2nd Quarter of 2025 hints at the company being focused on producing new APS-C cameras. These smaller bodies are said to be outperforming their larger and more expensive full-frame counterparts, with Nikon stating “market trends show increased popularity of APS-C products over full-sized products”, which is hardly surprising given the cost of living crisis.

If you need to, you can check out our APS-C vs full-frame explainer which unpacks the key differences, including the pros and cons to each sensor format. In short – APS-C sensors are smaller and therefore more affordable than full-frame sensors, meaning camera bodies (and lenses) can be made smaller and for less.

In fact, you can fit two APS-C sensors inside a full-frame 35mm one with a little room to spare. The drawback is that it's more difficult to squeeze so many pixels on to such a small chip without degrading image quality and noise handling. Depth of field also cannot match a full-frame chip, but shallow depth of field effects (blurry backgrounds) are still much better than on cameras with smaller sensors such as compacts and smartphones. Image quality is known for being very good, too.

Fujifilm, Sony, Canon, Nikon and Ricoh / Pentax all have their skin in the APS-C game and, according to tipsters, Nikon could up the ante in this format this year. So as we transition into 2026 let’s have some fun crystal ball gazing and try to make some predictions on what Nikon could bring out this year if it did bring out some new APS-C mirrorless cameras.

Nikon Z500

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The Nikon D500 holds a special place in my heart because it was one of the first ‘professional’ cameras I owned. The now 10-year-old APS-C DSLR was aimed at professionals who demanded the speed of rapid burst rates and smaller files that came from its smaller APS-C sensor and was a hit with wildlife, sports and events photographers.

I used my Nikon D500 for all sorts of photography that required a high frame rate, from confetti throwing at wedding ceremonies to long summer evenings in my local kingfisher hide hoping that its 10fps would catch the precise action moment I was looking for. The Nikon D500 was of course a DSLR and it hit the shelves in 2016, but since then we’ve seen Nikon make the shift to mirrorless cameras and this flagship APS-C line has seemingly been left behind. Could 2026 be the year that this changes?

We of course have the Z50 II, Z30 and Zfc, all of which I think have their own chance of being updated soon (read more below). However, these cameras aren’t too different from the now decade old D500, with all having a 20.9MP APS-C sensor and top frame rate of 11 fps. Mirrorless cameras can however, shoot much faster than this so if Nikon were to bring out a D500-style mirrorless – let's call it a Z500 – camera I would expect it to have more resolution, possibly 26MP or 30MP, a faster burst rate and a more professional body with comprehensive weather sealing, possibly even borrowing the body of the Nikon Z6 III. I would also want a joystick on the back of the camera to change the AF point quickly.

Nikon doesn’t really have a flagship APS-C camera for professionals at present, yet Canon dropped its EOS R7 some time ago, which has a weather-sealed body, 32.5MP APS-C sensor and 15fps burst mode. With the Canon EOS R7 coming up to four years old it’s likely due an update soon, so Nikon will need to bring out something special to compete with it, so here's hoping whatever Nikon brings out it's an absolute belter!

Nikon Z30 II

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August this year marks the four year anniversary of the Nikon Z30, the company’s popular APS-C camera which is a great choice for those getting into photography with its budget-friendly price point and great image quality from its 20.9MP sensor.

The Nikon Z30 lacks some desirable features like an EVF (electronic viewfinder) and headphone jack, but its low price of $697 / £479 make it the most affordable mirrorless APS-C camera currently in the Nikon lineup. An updated Z30 II could feature more megapixels to go head-to-head with Sony’s 24.2MP ZV-E10 II and Canon’s 24.2MP EOS R50V, because at just 20.9MP it does lag a little behind the competition.

The Nikon Z30 is no slouch when it comes to video though, so I think its 4K capabilities will be enhanced, with potentially better heat management or more efficient processing included to help extend recording times. I also think it would be a good move for Nikon to include open gate recording which will make it more appealing to video and content creators.

In-body image stabilization (IBIS), an EVF and a headphone jack would be welcome upgrades. Sadly, I don’t think we’re likely to see these as Nikon tends to save them for its more premium cameras and omitting them also helps keep the price of the Z30 range down so that it’s more accessible to entry-level photographers.

Nikon ZR C

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While we have no concrete evidence, several rumor sites online claim that we’ll see a Nikon ZR C in Q4 of 2026. If true, the ZR C will be a cheaper alternative to the already popular Nikon ZR released back in October 2025 and was the company's first Nikon-Red hybrid camera to employ Red color science and R3D RAW workflow.

The Nikon ZR uses a partially stacked full-frame 24.5MP chip and is therefore quite expensive, costing around $2200 /£2199. There could therefore be room for a more affordable video-centric Nikon-Red body using a smaller APS-C chip which would make it more affordable.

Smaller APS-C video-first cameras have been all the rage in recent years, with Canon creating a video version of its popular entry level Canon EOS R50 with the Canon EOS R50 V, and the Sony Cinema Line FX30. I would guess if Nikon did come out with a Nikon ZR C it would sit towards the higher end for more professional video creators and go toe-to-toe with Sony’s FX30.

Nikon Z fc II

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It’s been a hot minute since we’ve had a new retro-style camera from Nikon, with the likes of the Nikon Z fc in June 2021 and the Nikon ZF following shortly after in September 2023.

While the ZF came out more recently, it’s a full-frame body costing more than twice the price of its APS-C Nikon Z fc counterpart. June this year will take us to the five year anniversary of the Nikon Z fc, so it could be the perfect time for Nikon to bring out an updated replacement and money is tight so we’d all appreciate the more attractive price-point that comes from an APS-C sensor body.

• Check out our Best Nikon cameras guide

Technology moves fast in the world of photography and a lot has changed since June 2021 when the original Nikon Z fc was released. If a mark II update did come to fruition I would expect Nikon to improve its 20.9MP APS-C sensor, boosting the resolution perhaps to either 26MP or 32MP to make it a bit more competitive to its Canon and Sony rivals. I would also like to see the sensor become partially, or preferably fully, stacked to bolster the dynamic range, too.

The Expeed 6 processor found in the Nikon Z fc is also a bit long in the tooth now and I would expect this to be updated to the current Expeed 7 processors used in cameras such as the Nikon Z8 and Nikon Z9. This could mean faster burst frame rates than the Nikon Zfc’s 11fps, I would also expect video features to be improved as a result, too.

Potential full-frame updates

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I’d be astonished if Nikon kept the new camera releases solely to APS-C this year. And of the full-frame updates we're overdue, both the Nikon Z9 and Nikon Z7 II are likely candidates. Could 2026 be the year we get new models in these lines?

Many rumors pointed to an announcement window in October / November 2025 for the long-awaited Nikon Z9 II, though this never materialized. The original Nikon Z9 made its debut in October 2021 so the camera is over four years old at this point and with Sony and Canon timing their flagship full-frame models around the Olympics, it could perhaps be a good strategy for Nikon to time its release of its Z9 II for the winter Olympics this year.

If a Nikon Z9 II did hit the shelves (and slopes) this year, a global shutter, Expeed 8 processor, 4-axis screen and Red video tech would be high up on my personal wishlist.

Lastly, we have the Nikon Z7 series and with the Nikon Z7 II releasing all the way back in 2020 it’s seriously overdue an update. I’d expect to see a higher pixel count than the Z7 II, potentially 61MP or greater to compete with the Sony A7R V, Expeed 7 processor for faster frame rates and better video, potentially 8K 60p, too. But we’ll just have to wait and see what 2026 brings for Nikon and to see which of our predictions come true.

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