Nikon’s rumored D500 DSLR successor could raise the bar for crop-sensor mirrorless cameras

Rumors point to a 'Nikon Z70' reveal before 2026 is out It's supposedly a mirrorless successor to the crop-sensor Nikon D500 DSLR flagship As such, expect a rugged design and high-speed photography to feature One DSLR that Nikon is yet to give to give the mirrorless camera treatment to is the decade

<![CDATA[ <article> <ul><li><strong>Rumors point to a 'Nikon Z70' reveal before 2026 is out</strong></li><li><strong>It's supposedly a mirrorless successor to the crop-sensor Nikon D500 DSLR flagship</strong></li><li><strong>As such, expect a rugged design and high-speed photography to feature</strong></li></ul><p>One DSLR that Nikon is yet to give to give the mirrorless camera treatment to is the decade-old D500 — but rumors over the last few months suggest that the wait could be over soon through what's being dubbed the Nikon Z70. </p><p>The <a href="https://www.techradar.com/reviews/cameras-and-camcorders/cameras/digital-slrs-hybrids/nikon-d500-1312621/review">D500 was Nikon's flagship crop-sensor DSLR</a> (APS-C, known as 'DX' for Nikon cameras), with a rugged body, dual card slots and high-speed burst shooting. In other words, it's a mini, crop-sensor version of Nikon's D6 full-frame camera that's used by professional sports, wildlife and news photographers. </p><p>We already have <a href="https://www.techradar.com/reviews/nikon-z9">the Nikon Z9</a> as the mirrorless spiritual successor of the D6, and next there could be the crop-sensor equivalent, a rumored Nikon Z70, which sounds like a dream camera for enthusiast wildlife and sports photographers.</p><p>The long-time Z70 rumor mill still lacks firm details, and largely lists out educated guesses. The <a href="https://thenewcamera.com/nikon-z70-coming-the-latest-date-is-november/" target="_blank">New Camera</a>, however, spotted a Z70 listing on Apple's official ProRes and ProRes RAW Authorized Products page in August, and believes the Z70 will land in November this year. </p><p>A flagship Nikon crop-sensor camera would naturally sit above the <a href="https://www.techradar.com/cameras/mirrorless-cameras/nikon-z50-ii-review-a-pocket-rocket-at-a-competitive-price">Nikon Z50 II</a> with a tougher pro-grade body, and likely a faster sensor (perhaps the stacked type like the <a href="https://www.techradar.com/reviews/fujifilm-x-h2s">Fujifilm X-H2S</a>), in-body image stabilization, and shooting speeds we haven't seen from a Nikon camera before. New Camera also suggests video specs will be strong, and include internal ProRes Raw recording (based on the Apple listing). </p><p>These kind of features put the would-be Z70 in direct competition with the <a href="https://www.techradar.com/reviews/canon-eos-r7">Canon EOS R7</a> — which <a href="https://www.techradar.com/cameras/canon-tipped-to-release-three-new-eos-r-mirrorless-cameras-before-the-end-of-2026-i-know-which-one-im-most-excited-for">could get a powerful successor</a> soon — the Fujifilm X-H2S, and the <a href="https://www.techradar.com/cameras/mirrorless-cameras/sony-a6700-review">Sony A6700</a>, and I wouldn't be surprised if Nikon's tops the lot. Where it would currently come up short, however, is lens selection. On that front, there was concrete, promising news last week. </p><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:6464px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="UXbNDKc5EPEHMCHCygnxE" name="DCM182.kit_headtohead.hands_27.jpg" alt="The rear of the Nikon D500 camera, in user's hands, yellow studio background" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UXbNDKc5EPEHMCHCygnxE-1920-80.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="6464" height="3636" attribution="" endorsement="" class="inline"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">Will the D500 finally get a spiritual Z-mount successor? </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Future)</span></figcaption></figure><h2 id="more-good-news-for-nikon-39-dx-39-shooters">More good news for Nikon 'DX' shooters</h2><p>While we don't know a lot about the rumored Z70, we do know that a new Z-mount lens for APS-C cameras was announced last week; the Sigma 16-300mm do-it-all travel zoom. </p><p>The lens has been around for over a year in Sony, L-mount and Canon RF versions, but it becomes the first Sigma zoom lens for Nikon's Z-mount, which is a promising sign for Nikon shooters. </p><p>Nikon has poured a lot of resources into its full-frame mirrorless camera system, but its APS-C cameras haven't received the same love. As such, it's slim pickings for any enthusiast sports/wildlife photographer wanting a high-quality Z-mount super-telephoto zoom native to its crop sensor cameras. </p><div style="min-height: 250px;"> <div class="kwizly-quiz kwizly-exgjaX"></div> </div> <script src="https://kwizly.com/embed/exgjaX.js" async></script><p>Sigma's 16-300mm lens, which has a 24-450mm equivalent focal length, isn't quite the bright aperture lens for demanding sports/wildlife photographers. But with the door seemingly open to Sigma, we could start to see more crop-sensor Z-mount lenses that might just scratch that itch. </p><p>And for photographers with a deep pocket (and a strong back), the Nikon Z 120-300mm f/2.8 TC VR S (with built-in 1.4x teleconverter) for full-frame cameras (which would work with crop-sensor cameras like the rumored Z70) is en route. Nikon announced its development earlier this year, and recent rumors suggest it will land soon. </p><div data-widget-type="multimodelreview" data-model-name="Nikon Z5 II,Nikon Z50 II,Nikon D500"></div> </article> ]]>