Here’s a Look at Nikon’s Roadmap for Upcoming Lens Releases
News | By Stephan Jukic | September 21, 2022
Nikon’s wide selection of cameras has a comprehensive lens release roadmap pending for it that many photographers from all parts of the photography spectrum might like.
For starters, the upcoming lens plans of the company include a new power zoom piece of glass and a possibly desirable lens model that combines budget price with f/2.8 and zoom power.
The updated Nikon lens roadmap blends both previously-mentioned lenses and wholly new planned models into a selection of optics that suit numerous needs. Some of the already-rumored lens models include an S-series 600mm telephoto optic along with 135mm, 85mm and 35mm editions from the same line.
Then there are also a couple of new creations such as a new DX series for its APS-C cameras, which offers 12-28mm focal range in a PZ lens. This is in fact the widest focal length listed in the roadmap and notably offers power zoom (PZ). It’s worth mentioning that power zoom lenses are rare for consumer market cameras outside of Sony’s E-mount devices.
image credit: Nikon
One benefit of these lens types is that they can be remotely zoomed through their internal motor and thus offer smooth zoom operability with consistent precision. This is harder to achieve with manual zoom lens models and the changeover has mainly been recently observed with Sony camera lenses. Now it’s apparently something that Nikon is set on exploring. A recent addition to the power zoom lineup of lenses from another brand has been Sony’s 28-135mm f/4 PZ glass for the brand’s recently-released FR7 robotic cinematic remote shooting camera.
Another major addition to Nikon’s lens plans is a 70-180mm optic that sits right next to the brand’s 17-28mm f/2.8 and 28-75mm f/2.8 lens editions. This hints at the new lens being capable of the same aperture as these other models, and at a reasonable price.
The specific still-unannounced lenses shown in the roadmap include these models:
- 12-28mm DX
- 24mm compact DX
- 26mm compact (Not S-series)
- 35mm S
- 70-180mm non-S
- 85mm S (maybe f/1.2)
- 135mm S
- 200-600mm (not S-series)
- 600mm S (maybe f/4)
Nikon has also apparently been taking a page from lens maker Tamron in its specs, causing some rumors that the brand is actually refurbishing the lens brand’s optic products as its own. As for how the lens roadmap plays out in terms of functionality and quality for fans of Nikon devices, we’ll see, but it’s good to see the brand seriously working on creating an even more diverse ecosystem of optics for its camera models.
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Stephan Jukic is a technology and photography journalist and experimental photographer who spends his time living in both Canada and Mexico. He loves cross-cultural street photo exploration and creating fine art photo compositions.
