My Three Wishes for Nikon

It’s the time of year again for my 100% non-scientific, not-based-on-actual fact, purely speculative wonderings about the future of my main camera brand.

Nikon has been on something of a roll in the last couple of years. After a couple years of online pundits seeming to make something of a bloodsport over seeing who could be the first to proclaim the company's early demise, Nikon has hit back with one product after another. They may not have been the fastest in building their mirrorless line of products. But, for those willing to wait, it appears the wait has paid off.

I said it in my Z8 review, but I think, following the release of the Z9 and then the Z8, the company arguably has the best camera in each of their respective classes, those classes being professional and semipro, cameras falling in the $3,500 to $6,500 price range. And at the lower end of the price range, they’ve introduced cameras like the Z fc and Z30 aimed more at the burgeoning social media market and hobbyists who prioritize things like style, portability, and affordability.

They’ve made great strides in developing their lens lineup. I heard someone say once that while other brands focused on their bodies first in switching to mirrorless, Nikon put more emphasis on glass. As a result, some of the early Nikon bodies seemed to lag behind the competition, but the lenses have been top shelf right out of the starting gates. A few years in and Nikon has a very healthy selection of Z mount lenses for everything from the holy trinity of zooms to fast f/1.2 primes to long telephoto lenses that cost more than my Toyota. There have been some complaints about the sheer size of some of Nikon’s fast primes. Having shot with a couple of them, the added girth of something like the 50mm f/1.2 isn’t lost on me. But, the more you shoot with those lenses, the more you realize that the size is simply the necessary price you pay in exchange for maximum lens quality. Specifically, in terms of suppression of focus breathing, which, if you are a filmmaker, you’ll know can be more than worth the trouble of having to carry a few extra pounds. Of course, if you aren’t a filmmaker, there are plenty of recent developments for you as well.  

So today I’d like to have a fun look at where Nikon’s product line stands midway through 2023, consider the trajectory of the product line, and look forward to some things I’m hoping to see in the future. A wish list for the Nikon genie, if you will. This is meant to be fun and purely speculative. Nothing I’m about to say is based on insider tips or in-depth journalistic research. Rather, this is just meant to be a fun forum for us to explore some of the things we might like to whisper into Nikon’s ear for future releases.

Could We Ever See a Nikon Cinema Camera?

Still photography and filmmaking have begun to merge more and more in recent years. You have the advent of the content creator who needs to pump out social content at a rapid rate in both still and moving form. You have shrinking ad budgets which have led large commercial campaigns to merge still and video campaigns into one, often resulting in still photographers (and their cameras) taking on the responsibility of adding motion content alongside their photographs. Many traditional photographers have understandably balked at so much camera chat nowadays being devoted to video, but, in the reality of the world today, any mirrorless camera without significant video features is destined for obscurity.

Nikon has really stepped up their efforts in the filmmaking arena. I already talked about their decision to prioritize features like limited focus breathing, which is clearly aimed at helping video professionals. Cameras like the Z8 and Z9, in addition to being professional still cameras, are loaded with necessary filmmaking features. I’ve shot everything from award-winning festival films, to commercials, to television pilots with my Z9s in the time I’ve had them. And, while I would always prefer to rent an actual cinema camera to produce, well, cinema, the Z9 has proven to be an incredibly powerful tool regardless of the type of project.

But, as I said, especially if I’m shooting a larger scale commercial project, I am more than likely to opt for a cinema camera such as an Arri Alexa or Sony Venice if the budget allows, or even something like a Sony FX6 or Canon C300 for more demanding documentary work. Unlike Sony or Canon, its closest rivals in the mirrorless market, Nikon doesn’t produce a dedicated cinema body. Despite many professional cinematographers I know swearing by Nikon for their personal still work, Nikon cameras don’t currently have a major footprint in the filmmaking world.

This results in a couple of things. One, it means that they can pour all of their best video ideas into the Z8 and Z9. Unlike Canon, who is notorious for limiting their mirrorless cameras in an effort to protect sales of their cinema line, Nikon has no cinema line to protect. So, they can put all they’re got into the mirrorless cameras. This is a competitive advantage for Nikon mirrorless cameras.

The lack of a cinema line is also a disadvantage for recruiting burgeoning filmmakers to the Nikon brand. Logically, if your main goal is to become a filmmaker (not simply as an add-on to your still photography), then you are likely to gravitate towards Sony or Canon where you can start your career with one of their inexpensive mirrorless cameras and stay with the same brand all the way up to something like the Sony Venice. Because Nikon doesn’t have an equivalent to the Sony Venice, there is a built in deterrent to a certain type of buyer who might want to grow from A to Z within the same brand.

Personally, I prefer Arri Alexas for cinema cameras. But since Arri doesn’t make a still camera, my love for Nikon in all other use cases isn’t a conflict of interests. I’m already going to be using two different sets of gear. But, if Nikon were to offer a full-fledged cinema camera body that was compatible with the already amazing Z lenses but came in a form factor more familiar to traditional film cameras, they would take a major step towards establishing themselves as a realistic option for those whose day-to-day job is filmmaking with photography being in second place.  

This move, by the way, would not be meant to replace the company’s focus on still photography. Rather, offering a cinema camera would help increase the breadth of the product line, recruit new customers, and position the company better versus Canon and Sony which both offer products in both categories.

Can I Get a Nikon Zf please?

I have no idea if this is actually something Nikon is planning or not. But, as someone who absolutely loves the Z fc for fun walkabout street and travel photography, the idea of having a similarly sized body with a full frame sensor would be a dream come true.  

Not that there’s anything wrong with a DX/APS-C sized sensor in the Z fc. It produces beautiful images. And it allows you to have even smaller lenses potentially as well. But, because I am admittedly a bit of a snob and used to having full frame sensors with all my work cameras, I am partial to FX.  

In my head, I’m picturing a camera that would have similar features to the Z 6II. Similar megapixels, but in the stylish body of the Z fc. Fully articulating screen for content creators. I’d have to think a camera like that would be relatively expensive (as compared to something like the Z fc) due to the larger sensor. But I can’t help but to think there would be a line around the corner of Nikon buyers that couldn’t wait to get their hands on one. Myself included.

Bring the Z8/Z9 Focusing System to Future Nikon Cameras

The biggest complaint that early Nikon mirrorless cameras faced was that their autofocus was not up to snuff compared to the competition. Much of this was overblown. If you took the time to learn how Nikon implemented its autofocus system, it was not difficult to get great results. But, having used the competitors' cameras as well as Nikon cameras, I will admit that the competitors’ autofocus systems were more efficient and easier to use than Nikon’s early efforts.

That all changed in an instant with the Z9. Immediately, Nikon had a camera body with autofocus that could hang with any competitor on the market. It even outperformed the competition in a number of circumstances. With the Z8, Nikon continued this amazing autofocus and only added to it.

But, as someone who owns the original Z6, I think it’s fair to say that the drop off in autofocus abilities between the Z8/Z9 and the Z6/Z7 is tangible. Much of this is likely due to the new Expeed 7 processor in the newer cameras. But, however it happened, Nikon has clearly taken major strides forward in its capabilities. Such a step forward, I think, that it simply has to offer this level of autofocus performance in all of its cameras going forward. There are likely processing limitations with existing lower end cameras. But the Z 6III and Z 7III, whenever they are announced, should hopefully have the same autofocus performance of their bigger brothers.

I’m not a Sony owner. But I’ve shot with many of their cameras. And it’s true that from the bottom of their camera line to the top, most all of their camera bodies have top-notch autofocus. They may come with other issues. But the autofocus is universally sticky. The bodies within Sony’s lineup are differentiated in other ways. But the autofocus is always excellent. I’d expect Nikon to take this tact and allow what it’s learned about autofocus with the Z8/Z9 to trickle down to its entire lineup in the future.

Okay, these are just my own personal wishlist items. I think these things would help bring new Nikon customers into the fold as well as strengthen its position in the marketplace. But what do you want to see from Nikon going forward? What products would be on your own personal roadmap? You never know, they might even be reading.