The Future is a Surprise: Nikon Completes its Final Lens Road Map

Feb 05, 2025

Jeremy Gray

A scenic road leads into a mountainous landscape under a sunset sky. A torn paper with a question mark overlays the scene, and large text at the bottom reads "NIKKOR Z.

With the debut of the beautiful and pricey Nikon Z 35mm f/1.2 S, Nikon has released the last remaining unreleased lens featured on its final Nikkor Z lens roadmap. Nikon photographers are now heading into the future without a map — all future Nikon lenses are slated to be surprises.

Lens roadmaps have long been a significant part of Nikon’s product development and marketing strategy. The company regularly shared roadmaps for F-mount DSLR lenses and Nikon Z mirrorless lenses, giving photographers a general sense of what was in the pipeline. While these roadmaps didn’t always include precise focal lengths and apertures for in-development lenses, they offered general information and exciting teases.

A chart showing a variety of camera lenses, organized by sensor type (full-frame and APS-C), focal length (14mm to 600mm), and maximum aperture. The chart includes lenses such as 400mm f/2.8 TC, 24-70mm f/2.8, 70-200mm f/2.8, and various teleconverters. — Nikon released this Nikkor Z lens roadmap in September 2023. It is the final lens roadmap Nikon intends to publish, and with the debut of the 35mm f/1.2 S today, it is finally complete.

However, in the fall of 2023, Nikon USA Senior Marketing Manager Mark Cruz appeared on a live Q&A with Adorama to discuss the then-new Nikon Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena. While the focus was primarily on the Plena, Cruz dropped a bombshell, saying that Nikon would not be releasing any more lens roadmaps.

“I did want to address a question, there was somebody that asked something about the roadmap after the 35, are we going to release a new roadmap? You know what, the purpose of the roadmap has met its life. It’s served its purpose, is what I meant,” Cruz said in 2023. “After that 35 is released, it’s just going to be surprises from here on in. Pleasant surprises. No new roadmap.”

The Nikon Z 35mm f/1.2 S unveiled today is that 35mm lens Cruz referenced — a 35mm S-Line prime.

Interestingly enough, Nikon released another 35mm lens last year, the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.4, which was never on a roadmap. None of the lenses Nikon in 2024 were ever on the company’s final lens roadmap, including the Nikkor Z 600mm f/6.3 VR S, Nikkor Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR, or Nikon Z 50mm f/1.4. Heck, the company never teased anything about any PZ video-oriented lens before saying it was developing a Nikkor Z 28-135mm f/4 Power Zoom last October.

So, while there were plenty of surprises between September 2023 and today, as Cruz promised, with the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.2 S-Line prime’s arrival later this month, Nikon’s final lens roadmap will finally be complete. That lone mysterious yellow dot can be replaced with a product shot, and Nikon photographers can look forward to an entirely mysterious and surprising future. Buckle up, Nikon Z shooters; it’s uncharted territory from here on out.

Image credits: Featured image created using an asset licensed via Depositphotos.