It’s been a while since we heard anything about the hypothetical Nikon Z30 – an entry-level camera in Nikon’s Z mirrorless lineup to replace the popular Nikon D3x00 series DSLRs. In fact, it’s been over a year, with the N2016 code – presumed to be the Z30 at the time but turned out to be the Z fc (thanks enchalta!) – being discovered in April of 2021. It was expected that the Z30 would be announced last May, but that date has long since passed. Now, though, new rumours suggest that we might be getting closer to a release – although they still don’t know exactly when. With the push that other companies seem to have been making for APS-C lately, with two new APS-C RF cameras from Canon and three lenses from Sony (with another camera rumoured), it’s about time for Nikon to add more APS-C variety now they’ve had a few years to flesh out their full-frame lineup.

While no specific date has been mentioned, Nikon Rumors believes an announcement is coming “soon, possibly in June”. It would be a good time for Nikon to add to its APS-C Z mount lineup, as 2019’s Nikon Z50 is getting a little long in the tooth now and if they delay a Z30 release to the point where the Z50 Mark II (or whatever they end up calling it) is announced at the same time, many users might opt to go for the older generation but higher-level Z50 to save a little money instead of a shiny new Z30. Yes, they released the Nikon Z fc in 2021, but it’s basically just a Z50 in a different shell.

NR also says that Nikon is done with the 24-megapixel sensors that their entry-level DSLRs have been holding onto since the Nikon D3200 and D5200 were released in 2012 and that it might see a 36-46MP sensor – although they do suggest that this is a “crazy spec” along with 8K video and IBIS, all of which are unlikely in Nikon’s lowest end entry-level APS-C mirrorless camera. If Nikon is ditching the 24-megapixel sensor, I do hope it means they’re increasing the resolution as NR suggests and not dropping everything down to the 20-21-megapixel range that their APS-C cameras seem to have become of late, like the D500 and the aforementioned Z50 and Z fc. Also, it’d be nice if Nikon could give their APS-C mirrorless cameras a wired external trigger socket. The D3x00 and D5x00 series have one, but the Z50 and Z fc don’t. I’d have bought a Z fc or two for timelapse already if it did! [via Nikon Rumors]