Nikon seems to be emptying the Lens Road Map with some consistency in the first half of this year. We’re now down to two known lenses left to be announced, the 35mm f/1.2 S and the 135mm f/1.8 S.
Today we received the announcements of the Tamrikon 70-180mm f/2.8, which rounds out the lower cost f/2.8 zoom trio (all of which take 67mm filters, by the way), and the long-overdue 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR, which takes the position that the 200-500mm f/5.6E did in the F-mount lineup (affordable telephoto zoom with reach).
The 70-180mm f/2.8 is US$1250 and available next month, while the 180-600mm is US$1700, and available in August.
I’m now getting the sense that Nikon is deciding to tighten the ship when it comes to future product information. They didn’t release a new Lens Road Map with the Z8, and they seem to have rescinded all indications that the Z8 would get the Auto Capture feature with a firmware update. The most recent product announcements have all had very tight “show to influencers then release” schedules.
At this point we have four cameras due for an update (Z50, Z5, Z6 II, Z7 II) with no indications that they will get them. There has only been one solid rumor of another camera announcement (in fall), and as noted above, the known lens future is down to two fast primes.
Nikon can be their own worst enemy sometimes, and if my sense of becoming quieter about future products is correct, they’re doing it again. The Z9 and Z8 together have given Nikon great momentum in the mirrorless market. But going quiet is a friction against that momentum, reducing it. The Z8 should have been announced with a new Lens Road Map, for instance. That would have made potential buyers even more confident what they might be able to do in the future by buying into the Z-mount.
