Rumors, rumors, rumors…

The z8 (my mock-up) is supposedly as large as the d850.

Rumors, rumors, rumors…

Currently there are a lot of rumors going around about the upcoming new upper tier Nikon body, usually called z8. Who knows, it could be a z7III as well. Or both, or none and something else.

It’s all rumors.

The main source is Nikonrumors.com if course, and Peter, who runs that site, mentioned just now, March 14, in the comments of his daily article “Maybe all rumors so far are wrong and will get a high MP cmara as initially expected (sic).” This shows that he doesn’t trust his ‘sources’ and everything is possible. He has nothing, really. There were other instances where he used the terms ‘confirmed’ or ‘quite sure’ but not this time. Not since the ‘Nokishita’ source has disappeared, in fact.

All we know is that there are Nikon meetings around the end of March. Nobody really knows what those meetings are about so far, albeit it is said that they usually involve a major product launch. However, as above, nobody really knows what it will be. Everyone seems to be just guessing right now.

Thom ‘annoying Buzz Buzz’ Hogan, revered by many and seen as an ‘industry wizard’ by his fans, has nothing either. On January 9, 2022, after the launch of the z9 he had 90% odds for a z6 III to be launched that year, 85% for a z7 III, z30 at 50%, Zf at 50% and z90 at 20%. The z8 didn’t even get a % in that list. The only things that happened was the z30, but none of his 85-90% odds materialized.

In the meantime he categorized the e-mails he receives into made up/hopeful thinking/educated guesses/informed sources. Note that this is all he mentions as ‘sources’ – e-mails he receives from whoever. He claims that the ‘informed sources’ have told him about more than a dozen different bodies in various stages, from paper sketches to prototypes.

This makes me really wonder if those ‘informed sources’ actually do have any real information, or if they should not rather be included into the other categories. Or perhaps they don’t even exist. In my opinion it’s rather questionable if ‘Buzz Buzz’ actually has such sources. All he ‘shares’ is that some Nikon ‘executive’ has told him he’s going to be very, very busy soon.”

Well, that’s not very surprising. After all everyone can figure out that z6/7 need the III update, plus there’s space for a z70/z90/z8/z3/Zf, plus then a z50/z5 II at one point. Add in the six yet to be announced/released lenses on the roadmap and guess what – it’s gonna get busy…

August 11, 2022 he mentioned that the z8 won’t be happening anytime soon. However, he talked about that body by then, but his prediction was the z6 III being the next launch. On March 5, 2023 he brings up his same predictions as above, but without percentages and minus the Zf but with a z70 added. He adds as well that he can’t predict the future Z lineup because of ‘lots of secrecy and a widely divergent set of input’. Bottom line: he’s got nothing.

Oh, he does claim to have one bit of information, one ‘leak’, but he’s not going to tell us. “I know, but I’m not going to tell.” Kids do that, if they don’t know. And as already said, that’s the bottom line for ‘Buzz Buzz’, too.

So at the end of the day nobody knows anything. It’s all made up, in the best case going by educated guesses, in the worst case by wishful thinking. So sit back, wait and relax. Because one thing is for sure, they will launch new products this year.