Nikon Rumors says Nikon will announce a Z5IIC next week — a compact full-frame body aimed at Sony’s a7C series. The name is NR’s spelling; it reads as a compact Z5II, not a confirmed product code. Nikon has not posted a camera, a price, or a photo of this body.
The list NR is willing to print is short: full-frame 24 MP, “new video features” with no codecs or frame rates attached, and a viewfinder line that is still two stories — no finder, or a built-in finder with no viewfinder bump. NR has not picked one.
What Nikon Rumors listed
| Z5IIC (rumor) | |
|---|---|
| Position | Competition to the Sony a7C series |
| Sensor | Full-frame, 24 MP |
| Finder | No viewfinder, or no viewfinder bump with a built-in finder |
| Video | “New video features” — no spec sheet |
| Timing | Official announcement next week (NR, Sept. 18, 2026) |
Do not fill in the blanks. There is no leaked chassis, no kit lens, no IBIS claim, and no dollar figure on that post. The 24 MP count matches the current Z5II (Nikon lists 24.5 million effective pixels) and the original Sony a7C; the a7C II is 33 MP. That is a coincidence of round numbers, not proof it is the same sensor as the Z5II.
Why the C would matter
The Z5II that actually exists is a conventional EVF-hump body: about 134 × 100.5 × 72 mm and 700 g with battery, launched April 2025 at $1,699.95. Sony’s a7C line is the compact rangefinder-style alternative — small bump, or, in some rumors of Nikon’s version, no bump at all. If NR is right, Nikon is finally putting a C on the Z5II rather than asking people to carry the full grip.
Treat this as separate from the earlier 2026 chatter about an unnamed no-EVF fixed-lens compact. NR’s September 18 item is named Z5IIC and framed as an a7C-class interchangeable-lens camera. The site did not tie it to the China N2528 / N2324 / N2527 filings.
Nikon has not announced a new stills camera in 2026. Next week, if it happens, would be the first body of the year.
Via Nikon Rumors