Let's start with what we did get from Nikon in 2025:
- 2 Cameras — Z5II, ZR
- 4 Lenses — 16-50mm f/2.8 VR DX, 35mm f/1.7 DX, 24-70mm f/2.8 S II, 35mm f/1.2 S
- 14 Firmware Updates:
- 4 Significant — Zf, Z6III, Z8, Z9
- 10 Modest — Zfc, Z30, Z50, Z50II, Z5, Z5II, Z6, Z6II, Z7, Z7II
Looking back on it all, to me it feels as if 2025 was mostly about filling gaps:
- Entry full frame moved into the Z9 generation filling a gap that the other brands haven't yet managed well
- The ZR bridged the Z/RED lineups
- The DX lens set extended the appeal of the recently introduced Z50II and even the older Zfc
- Missing functions were added to the Z9 generation firmware for every such camera
- All the Z9 generation firmware was brought mostly into congruence
Nothing is wrong with that list. Those of us already in the Z System saw Nikon's strong commitment to (as much as possible) getting a full lineup filled and normalized. Nikon is actually unique among brands at the moment in that everything from the low-cost Z50II up through the top-end pro Z9 shares functionality, personality, and customization. What now distinguishes the current products is that you basically pay for more performance as you move up the line.
Those still only thinking about the Z System saw new options appear that might entice them (entry FX renewed, DX extended via lenses, ZR showing off new vlogging/video skills). To them, the Z System now seems fuller, and that shared functionality, personality, and customization means you can reliably grow in the lineup without re-learning.
All good things.
What's missing, though, was new truly new ideas and technology breakthroughs.
While Nikon pioneered the partially stacked image sensor in 2024—and helped create the equipment Sony Semiconductor's fab uses to create this new option—it turns out that the resulting chip was capable of DGO, but Nikon didn't take advantage of that. And while the Z9 moved the pro ball forward, Canon and Sony have now fully responded, so it feels like Nikon is a little out of step with features and performance (just a little).
So to answer my own headline, yes, I think Nikon did very well in 2025. Remember, they're still trying to re-establish full-line confidence in a system that's still very young (half as old as Sony's), so getting both product and feature fill-in was important. Moreover, Nikon has actually been listening to many of us raising our voices about things that need improvement. We didn't get everything we asked for, but we're getting more than we're used to, and what Nikon produced better matches what we asked for. That every Z System camera Nikon has made was touched by a firmware update in 2025 says something about their own commitment to the system, too, even when those changes are just a bug fix, a renaming, or minor feature.
While I was on Nikon's case most of the year about the missing Z9 firmware update, they finally got around to it, and it actually introduced a couple of new things we weren't expecting. The current lineup (Z50II, Zf, Z5II, Z6III, Z8, Z9) is very solid now.
So yes, Nikon did enough in 2025.
However, that sets up 2026 as a year in which Nikon needs to show us that they know where to drive the system next. One part is a given: more Z/RED bridging. But 2026 is also the year we all expect the next generation to be disclosed, and with that comes the need for Nikon to show that they can edge ahead of Canony again with technologies, performance, and features that move the state-of-the-art.
What I'm looking at now, therefore, is this: will Nikon do enough in 2026 to get even more momentum?