I think the issue is that the Z7 sensor has a relatively slow read time (though ten years ago it would have been considered pretty fast) and so it needs a mechanical shutter which is avoided in the Z8 due to its very fast read time. The Z8 is more general purpose, with its faster sensor read time facilitating video, high fps burst shooting, and autofocus, and it has a faster and less laggy viewfinder as well, yet it's only somewhat more expensive than the Z7 II. Nikon could put a Z7 sensor in a new camera with Expeed 7, and this would enable somewhat faster autofocus, and more advanced customisations, but probably they want such a camera to have a new sensor which could have higher resolution while maintaining a reasonable read time. I think the Z7 III is missing because the technology to make a significantly better Z7 III than the Z7 II while not being the Z8 is not available yet, and until it is, they don't want to make a Z7 III only slightly better than the Z7 II. There is also the question of what higher megapixels would bring to users today if they are mostly posting stuff on instagram. :-/ I'm serious, not that many people seem to want to show their photos as large prints these days. It's like the convenience of online display overrides quality considerations for many people and thus the market for a specialized high-image-quality camera might be smaller than in the past.
Eventually there will be a new sensor such as having 100 MP, and a Z7 III with that would distinguish from the Z8/Z9 more significantly and bring some benefits (to a small group of users).
Apr 15, 2026 at 07:26 AM
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