Could this be the first sighting of the Z6 III? Well probably not... but the rumored specs do look more believable.
Rumor sites have recently blown up with speculation and debate around what the mystery camera might be in a shot from the Nikon booth at the Inter BEE 2023 show. Is it an unannounced Nikon Z6 III? Something altogether new? Or is it just a Nikon N8 from a slightly skewed perspective? My money is well and truly on the latter.
We have seen some pretty bad leaks over the years, many people have even claimed that deliberately leaking products is part of Google's entire Pixel marketing strategy.
However, it is a dubious claim that even the most careless Nikon rep would leave an unannounced camera lying around at a busy camera expo. As a journalist who has been ushered into many a windowless room to be shown new products under wraps, such a brazen disregard for secrecy would be surprising to say the least.
We can however be certain that a Nikon Z6 III is coming, and with the Nikon Z6 II starting to look a little bit outclassed by recent releases from rivals, we would be pretty confident a Z6 III will be coming very soon. Nikon Rumors sources suggest we might be in for a Q1 launch (Jan-Apr).
We have also been treated to some potential specs for any upcoming Nikon Z6 III, including a newly designed 24.5MP BSI sensor, 6K ProRes RAW video support, pixel-shift, vari–angle LCD screen, mechanical & electronic shutter, and the focusing system from the Nikon Z8.
All these rumored specs line up with what we have seen recently from Nikon. The Nikon Zf is what many (including myself) believe to be the prototype for a Nikon Z6 III model. Don't let the Nikon Zf's retro-styled exterior fool you, the Zf is an excellent modern camera inside and even introduced some brand new features like Focus Point VR.
With the Olympics just around the corner, you can bet it is going to be a busy year for camera announcements. Sony is already first out of the gates with the superpowered Sony A9 III featuring the world's first consumer global shutter. Canon is also undoubtedly readying the long-rumored Canon EOS R1. But a new Nikon Z6 III would be the perfect accompaniment to the Nikon Z9 for sports shooters.
Read more: check out our guides to the best Nikon camera, and the best Nikon Z lenses. You can also find more rumors and speculation in our Nikon rumors hub.
