The ultimate wishlist: what we think 2025 will hold, and what we’d like it to…

Introduction

It’s that time of the year when the prospect of having to write a different number at the end of dates prompts thoughts about what the next twelve months will hold.

We’ve put together a list of what we think we might see from each brand and what we don’t honestly expect but would like to see.

We should be clear that these aren’t rumors; they’re primarily composed of guesswork and hopeful enthusiasm. The office crystal ball isn’t working at the moment. Nothing is based on manufacturer briefings or informed by what rumor sites think is coming.

Canon: What we expect

One of Canon’s best releases in 2024 was its Action Priority AF mode, which aims to make its autofocus even more reliable when you’re shooting certain types of sports. The feature was introduced with the EOS R1, but rather than keeping it exclusive to its flagship sports camera, Canon simultaneously included it on the EOS R5 II as well. We expect that trend will continue and that it’ll make an appearance on most of the new cameras the company releases this year.

Speaking of trends continuing, we’ll also likely see more ‘hybrid’ lenses from Canon with video-focused features like similar sizes, internal focusing and manual aperture rings. In 2024 it released a family of F1.4 ‘hybrid’ lenses in 24, 35, and 50mm focal lengths. Panasonic’s similar line of lenses includes 85mm and 100mm options, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see something like that from Canon.

We also wouldn’t be surprised to see the company release a tilt-shift lens for its RF cameras, as this is a niche Canon has long dominated. Some patents floating around imply autofocus versions are in the works, and if any company is going to be the first to crack that nut, Canon seems like a good bet. Such an advance could help make the move from the EF versions compelling.

Canon: What we’d like to see

Like Nikon, we’d love it if Canon were less restrictive when it came to licensing its RF mount to third-party manufacturers. While it made significant progress on that front in 2024 – Sigma, Tamron and Samyang collectively released eight RF APS-C lenses last year – there are still no fully-featured full-frame RF lenses from the likes of Sigma and Tamron.

Speaking of APS-C, we think there’s room for an EOS R7 II. We’re certainly not desperate for it, but it’d be cool to get the Action Priority AF modes from the EOS R1 and EOS R5 II, and maybe even a slight bump to the e-shutter shooting speeds to further differentiate it from the EOS R8 – though it’s mechanical shutter speeds already do that for anyone paying close attention.

We also wouldn’t mind Canon borrowing a clever trick that Sony introduced with the a1 II: the ability to narrow down what subjects its ‘Auto’ subject detection mode is looking for to increase performance. If you’re only taking pictures of people and animals, your camera doesn’t need to burn cycles trying to find vehicles to focus on.

Finally, we’d love to see the company’s lower-end prime lenses get updated to use the faster nano ultrasonic motors rather than the older stepping motors currently found in lenses like the RF 85mm F2 and 35mm F1.8. We feel it’d make the lenses nicer to use overall, even if it came at the cost of their macro abilities.

Ricoh: What we expect

2024 was a relatively quiet year for Ricoh, with some special editions of the GR, an update of its industry-toughened G series models and a refresh of the Pentax WG line. We’re hoping this means there are more significant updates in the pipeline, rather than there being a reduction in commitment to the business (cameras are part of a division that contributes around 1.5% of Ricoh’s sales by value).

We think an updated GR is the most likely product we’ll see in 2025. Moving to using the 40MP BSI sensor from Sony Semiconductor would represent a significant step forward, and the adoption of either image stabilization or full weather sealing might be enough to convince existing users to upgrade. If there’s room for a larger battery without bulking up the camera too much, we’d love to see that, too.

Ricoh: What we’d like to see

The most obvious thing we’d like to see is a K-1 III, partly to provide signs of a commitment to Pentax users but also because we’d love to see the DSLR continue as a class of camera. It’s hard to know what areas Ricoh could have worked on since 2018, but we would promise both the company and you, the readers, to conduct a full review if it were to appear.

Another possibility, given the amount of R&D the company had to put in to create the Pentax 17, would be another film camera. We think it’s very unlikely that we’d see, say, a modern take on the Pentax K1000, but maybe enough 17 and K-3 III components could be combined to do so.

Sadly, we think it’s unlikely that we’ll see an updated 645Z after all this time.

Nikon: What we expect

Having updated much of its range in the past two years, there are still a few models that seem due for replacement.

The Z fc is the most likely candidate, with the improvements from the Z50II making their way across to the smaller, prettier model. We’d be surprised not to see a ZfcII with improved AF and fewer randomly-placed spaces in its name, in 2025.

Likewise, the Z5 is looking distinctly long in the tooth. An updated version with the newer sensor from the Z6 II and the latest AF capabilities would have plenty of separation from the much faster Z6III. This might risk treading on the Zf’s toes, but it would put up a better fight against Canon’s very capable EOS R8.

There may well be a few more firmware updates to the Z9, perhaps including the provision of C2PA Content Credentials, as the company looks to continue to support it in the face of fresher rivals.

Nikon: What we’d like to see

There was such a long wait between the D300S and D500, and it’s hard to imagine Nikon wanting to invest in enthusiast-grade APS-C lenses, so we don’t hold out much hope of a mirrorless D500 successor.

Photo: Dan Bracaglia

The thing we’d most like to see is Nikon relaxing its approach to licensing the Z mount to third-party lens makers. We’re not holding our breath, but letting more companies introduce lenses and giving the existing licensees more freedom in terms of which lenses they can produce would only make the system more attractive.

We’d also like to see a more advanced APS-C model to sit above the Z50II. We know IBIS can fit into a relatively small Z-mount body and we know that Nikon’s latest AF could underpin a spiritual successor to the D500. We’ve seen no real signs of any commitment to APS-C as anything other than an entry-point to the Z-mount from Nikon, so this is probably wishful thinking.

Finally, there’s the question of whether there’s room in Nikon’s lineup for a Z7 II successor. Sony’s a7R V suggests that a slow, high-res body with top-notch focus could stand on its own merits, but it’s hard to see how you’d position it without it eating into either Z6III or Z8 sales.

Nikon x Red: What we expect:

It’s probably too soon to expect to see any products wholly designed with input or expertise from Nikon’s buyout of cinema camera maker Red. Cameras tend to take several years to develop, so it’s unlikely that we’ll see a fully-fledged product in 2025, but we think there’s every chance we’ll see the first fruits of the tie-up.

With Nikon announcing the development of a cine-focused zoom it’s not impossible that we’ll see a Red body with the Z-mount on the front. It may even have a Nikon badge on the front, depending on their marketing strategy, but we doubt it’ll be a fully integrated Nikon/Red camera just yet.

Less likely but still distinctly possible would be a new N-Log2 encoding based on input from Red. Current N-Log footage seems less flexible than other brands’ implementations, so this seems like a logical next-step, following the provision of Red-developed LUTs for N-Log footage.

Another possibility would be the ability to set exposure time in terms of shutter angle rather than shutter speed making it to more cameras in Nikon’s lineup. This is especially useful when shooting video of different frame rates, and the company recently added it to the Z9, but it’d be great to see it in smaller bodies, such as the Z8 and Z6III.

Nikon x Red: What we’d like to see:

We’d love to see Red’s Raw clipping warnings start to appear in Nikon products. In the absence of Raw-based zebras or histograms (which are difficult to visualize without making some assumptions about rendering intent), Red-style indicators of when X% of each Raw channel has clipped could be hugely valuable to photographers looking to optimize their exposure. Landscape shooters, in particular, could benefit.

Finally, we wonder whether Red’s exposure to high-end production will spur Nikon to adopt 32-bit float audio capabilities.

Also on the video side, but less directly connected to Red, we’d love to see Nikon working more closely with software makers to provide support for the N-Raw codec. Limited choice of editors significantly reduces the value of in-camera Raw capture.

OM System: What we expect

There’s no easy way to say this, but we’re just not sure if we can expect to see any major camera releases from OM System this year. Its two principle cameras, the OM-5 and the OM-1 II, were relatively minor updates to the Olympus cameras that came before, and both are still relatively recent – the former came out at the end of 2022, and the latter at the beginning of 2024.

OM System did release a roadmap last January, saying it plans to make a telephoto lens that may be somewhere around 40-150mm, but since then, we haven’t heard any additional details. It’s not clear to us the extent of OM System’s ambitions for the system, so we’ll have to wait and see.

OM System: What we’d like to see

That isn’t to say that we don’t want any new OM System products. To start, we think an updated or revived PEN-F digital could be a hit. There’s a bit of a hole in the market for truly compact ILC focused on photographers. That means a mechanical shutter, EVF and interface designed around photography. It seems like the right moment for it – the original had features that have now become en vogue, such as a physical dial for controlling color mode and a retro-inspired design.

There’s also room in our hearts for a fixed lens rangefinder – perhaps OM System could lean into the Olympus heritage and brand it as a revival of the 35RC from the 1970s. It could have the 25MP Four Thirds sensor found in the Lumix DC-G9 II, married to an F2 or brighter 17mm lens. We wouldn’t complain about 14mm either, though, and it could also have the aforementioned color dial from the PEN-F. Essentially, we’re asking for a smaller Fujifilm X100 that’s not permanently out of stock.

Finally, we wouldn’t mind seeing an update to some of OM System’s older primes, which are getting into their teenage years. The 17mm F1.8 could be a good place to start; the company could use a modern optical formula to make it sharper and lighter, and potentially even add weather resistance if it’s feeling generous… though perhaps that wouldn’t be worth it if it meant doing away with the focus clutch.

Tamron: What we expect

Late last year, Tamron shipped its first RF-mount APS-C lens after announcing it back in April 2024, the 11-20mm F2.8. We suspect it won’t be the last; the company’s 17-70mm F2.8 seems like a natural next step, given that it’d provide substantially more reach than the already-existing Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 for RF. Its 18-300mm F3.6-6.3 could also become the de-facto sports lens, given that Canon’s 55-210mm F5-7.1 is currently the farthest-reaching autofocus lens you can get for the system.

Tamron: What we’d like to see

Tamron’s 70-180mm F2.8 zoom offers a smaller, lighter and more affordable alternative to the classic 70-200mm F2.8. We’d love to see it available for more mounts.

Image: Tamron

While this seems a little less likely, we’d also love to see Tamron expand its lineup for Nikon’s Z-mount or Canon RF. It currently has 17 lenses available for full-frame E-mount cameras, compared to just 6 available for Z-mount. We’re not champing at the bit for all of those options, but how about the 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VC VXD G2 or the ultra-versatile 28-200mm F/2.8-5.6 Di III RXD?

It’d also be thrilling if Tamron was allowed to produce autofocus zoom lenses for APS-C Z-mount, which no other third-party is currently licensed to do… but perhaps that’s too far-fetched even for this section.

Stay tuned…

That’s more than enough prediction and speculation for today, but obviously, there are still quite a few more manufacturers to cover. We’ll be back tomorrow to cover companies like Sony, Sigma, Leica and more.

In the meantime, are there any obviously likely launches you’re expecting to see, or any wished-for features and products you’re still hoping for?