It is July, I am contemporary off writing my 2026 cameras half-year evaluation, and within the course of one thing turned clear to me — neither Nikon nor Fujifilm has launched a brand new digital camera this 12 months (the Instax mini Evo Cinema instantaneous digital camera does not rely).
So whereas I’ve personally examined standout fashions from different producers in latest months, such because the Sony A7R VI and Canon EOS R6 Mark III mirrorless cameras, plus the Ricoh GR IV and Panasonic Lumix L10 premium compacts, we’re but to see new Z-mount or X-mount our bodies.
I am positive the query on many a digital camera fan’s lips is that this: can we count on new Nikon and Fujifilm cameras later this 12 months?
I’ve reviewed each main digital camera launch over the previous few years, attended numerous occasions, and have studied the timeline and cadence of earlier releases to type an image of what may occur subsequent.
I’ve thought of which our bodies may very well be due for an improve, and what route every model has been headed not too long ago. So let’s examine what may occur subsequent for 2026’s quiet digital camera producers, Nikon and Fujifilm.
Nik-none?
The final Nikon digital camera physique was the Nikon Zr from September 2025, which was its first cinema camera co-branded with RED. It packed super-impressive video specs, many of which were borrowed from the superb Z6 III, into a particularly small body with an epic 4-inch touchscreen and stellar audio features.
For a true mirrorless hybrid with viewfinder, we need to go even further back, over a year in fact, to the Nikon Z5 II in May 2025. This was a decent upgrade of Nikon’s affordable Z5, which delivered a raft of performance improvements to redefine what entry-level full-frame models can do, and went on to bag our Camera of the Year 2025 award.
Currently, the range of Nikon cameras includes the Nikon Z30, Z fc and Z50 II APS-C bodies, and the Z5 II, Z6 III, Z f, Z7 II, Z8 and Z9 full-frame bodies, plus the ZR cinema body.
The most heavily rumored Nikon cameras are the Nikon Z9 II — what with the Z9 being over four years old — and new cinema camera bodies; potentially a premium and larger option with pro-grade connectivity that could sit above the ZR, plus an even more affordable version with an APS-C sensor.
We could get a new Z f-series model — both of the retro-styled bodies have been around for a while now. Personally, I’d like to see a Nikon camera in the Z f style, but as a compact camera version with a fixed fast aperture prime lens.
Tipsters believe we’re unlikely to see another Z7 camera; the Z6 III (and obviously the Z5 II) is too recent for a replacement, while the Z8 has aged well and still holds its own today. CoolPix compact cameras have seemingly been sunsetted — besides refreshing its old 125x zoom bridge camera with the CoolPix P1100, we haven’t seen a true new CoolPix in several years.
For me, having been hosted by Nikon at IBC 2025 in Amsterdam last September around the launch of the ZR, it was clear that Nikon has its head in cinema camera gear, so a high-end cinema body to follow the ZR is highly plausible, though I don’t know what it would be called.
A new Nikon cinema camera with an APS-C sensor is also highly likely. In theory, it would effectively render a direct Z30 successor redundant, although it would cost a fair whack more than a potential Z30 II would. That would be a shame — the Z30 is Nikon’s cheapest mirrorless camera, and Nikon has otherwise largely ignored truly affordable cameras for beginner photographers.
Fujifilm’s next generation processor inbound?
Those launches meant that practically every current X-mount model is fitted with Fujifilm’s latest X-Processor 5 chip, besides the X-Pro series, with a range of 26MP and 40MP options.
I wouldn’t bank on an X-Pro 4 until the next generation of processor is out in the wild, if at all, and usually each new processor comes with the latest high-end X-T model, the most recent of which was the X-T5.
It comes as no surprise then that the X-T6 is the most-rumored Fujifilm camera, which is being tipped for a September release when Fujifilm typically hosts its once- or twice-yearly X-Summit.
I’ve written about what upgrades I’d hope for in an X-T6, especially improved autofocus performance and an all-new processor, but otherwise it’s hard to see where Fujifilm can better the X-T5 without treading on the toes of the high-speed XH-series.
Elsewhere in the range, the X100VI premium compact continues to sell well, and so I’d be really surprised if a seventh generation model comes this year — a new processor needs to come first, too.
Stepping outside of new gear and into photography, it’s worth noting that Fujifilm recently shared its new ‘Look Up’ campaign (see below), encouraging people to look up from their screens and connect with the world around them, saying:
‘Our cameras bring you back into the moment, giving you agency over how you see, how you feel and how you remember. They allow you to turn emotions into images — a grounding force that doesn’t tell you what to think, but helps you stay focused and present.’
Are you a Nikon or Fujifilm photographer? Which camera would you like to see next, and what are the upgrades that would benefit your photography the most? Have your say in the comments.
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